June 15, 2023
As they did with The Invisible String (2018), Karst and Lew-Vriethoff offer encouragement to kids coping with separation anxiety, this time tackling the back-to-school blues. Mila is worried about her first day at her new school. What if she misses her parents and they need to come get her? Her mother has a solution. "There's an Invisible String of love that connects us all day long. When you miss us, just tug on it and we'll tug it right back." Her brother, Jordan, tells her she also has an Invisible Backpack full of superpower solutions. What if no one likes her? She can look in her Invisible Mirror and remind herself that she can do anything. Mila worries about being too nervous to speak up in class, but an Invisible Microphone will give her the confidence she needs. Mila relies on these and other tools, and her first day goes smoothly. That night, as Mila drifts off to sleep, she realizes that everyone has a personalized bottomless Invisible Backpack. While the book is a bit text heavy and enumeration of the items in the backpack slows the story, readers feeling jittery about their own first days are sure to find much-needed reassurance. Splashes and swirls of color enhance the lively digital artwork. Mila and her family have brown skin and brown hair; her classmates are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Will give kids the resources they need to make the first day of school a rousing success. (Picture book. 4-7)
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August 1, 2023
PreS-Gr 2-Class is back in session with this companion book to The Invisible String. Mila, a young tan-skinned girl with brown hair, is full of worries on her first day at a new school. Momma assures Mila that if she misses Daddy or her, she only needs to tug the Invisible String connecting them, and they'll tug back. On the bus ride to school, Mila's older brother clues her in on the Invisible Backpack she unknowingly carries with her. It contains an array of invisible gear to aid her in any situation she may face: a microphone for confidence, a shield for strength, a whistle for courage, and many others. Unfortunately, the dizzying number of tools in the pack paired with excessive explanatory dialogue weighs down Mila's first day of school. With each new item introduced, focus is diverted and significance is siphoned from the previous tools, resulting in a pile of invisible clutter that young readers will lose track of before their own first day of school. Nonetheless, Lew-Vriethoff's digital cartoon illustrations are vibrant, energized by currents of color and curved fluid line work. The visual movement and enchanting imagery tie perfectly into the theme of finding the magic in unseen strength. VERDICT A first day of school book for empowering young elementary-age readers, this story sinks under the weight of over-imagination and lack of focus.-Emily Brush
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