The Day You Begin written by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by Rafael López
Reviewed by Sarah Conley
“There will be times when the world feels like a place
that you’re standing all the way outside of…”
The Day You Begin is a bright and colorful book despite its initially sober tone. We follow several characters as they explore feeling unsure of themselves, being new to school, or even being an outsider among friends. Rigoberto’s classmates laugh when he uses his heritage language and Angelina feels like she has nothing to share while classmates tell tales of their summer adventures. But this is not a sad story. As our characters weave among watercolor, pen, and paint, they find a well of courage that was within all along.
Jacqueline Woodson’s lyrical lines pull readers in while inspiring us to both empathize with others and to be brave with ourselves. This picture book will fit within any elementary classroom, perfect for the first week of school as well as social-emotional lessons concerning risk-taking, humility, or community. Students will also enjoy lingering on images and teachers will find multiple opportunities to use illustrations to ignite class discussion:
What differences do you see between the two pictures of Rigoberto?
What is the illustrator telling us about him or his experience?
The Day You Begin will fulfill the mirror and window schema for students within your classroom, able to either see themselves or get a glimpse of other lives. This picture book features children of color, students who have recently immigrated, and students with various cultural backgrounds. Most importantly, the depictions of the diverse characters speak to their humanity and growth, a much needed positive representation, while also challenging the initial othering of our community members. The Day You Begin is a beautiful book built on themes of identity, diversity, and community, an essential book for any classroom library.
Jacqueline Woodson’s name may sound familiar to readers. She is the author of Brown Girl Dreaming, the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature winner, one award among several she won for her adolescent novel. The Day You Begin was inspired by a poem from her novel, a dive into both The Day You Begin and Brown Girl Dreaming is highly recommended.