Liza Martini’s new picture book eases preschool fears

Liza Martini’s first picture book, Today I Joined a Preschool, has been released through Atmosphere Press and is aimed at children starting preschool or kindergarten. The story follows a young boy navigating a first school day, with a message about resilience, friendship and trying again.

Why it matters: - The book is built for children facing one of their first major independence tests: walking into a classroom full of strangers. - The story is framed to help preschool and kindergarten beginners handle anxiety, mistakes and new routines. - The message centers on resilience, showing children that a difficult first day does not define the rest of school.

What happened: - Liza Martini’s Today I Joined a Preschool has been released by Atmosphere Press. - The picture book follows Jaxon, a boy who has just moved to town and decides to make friends and begin school. - Jaxon confronts the unfamiliar rules of preschool and learns as he goes. - The book is available now through all major book retailers.

The details: - The story sends Jaxon into outdoor play, where he mistakes a sun reflection in the sandbox for water. - Jaxon imagines a desert adventure, finds an Arabian horse and rides toward the sea. - A second rider appears from the east, and the two travel together to refreshing water. - The encounter gives Jaxon his first friend, who can help him navigate the rest of the school day. - Sarah Gledhill provided the illustrations. - The book is described as a quiet story for a stressful moment in a child’s life. - Martini says Jaxon faces the day pragmatically, learns the rules, makes mistakes, endures and is rewarded with friendship. - Martini also says the story is meant to show children that failure is not the end and that they can show up the next day and try again. - The book details are hardcover, 8.5 x 0.25 x 11 inches, 32 pages, ISBN 9798901742365. - The softcover edition is 8.5 x 0.08 x 11 inches, 32 pages, ISBN 9798901741849. - The ebook edition is 32 pages, ISBN 9798901745274.

Between the lines: - The book uses imaginative play to translate a very ordinary school-day fear into a larger adventure. - That approach makes the emotional stakes easier for young children to understand without turning the story into a lecture. - Martini’s background as a librarian and student of children’s language fits the book’s focus on kid-friendly storytelling. - Martini’s earlier work includes The Caroler, which won a Purple Dragonfly award, Squirrels of Speedwell Farms, which won a Readers’ Choice Book Awards Gold Winner honor, and the short story Mr. Bandersnatch, which won in the fiction category of the Next Generation Short Story Awards. - This is Martini’s first picture book. - More information is available on Liza Martini’s social media page.

What’s next: - The book is now making the rounds for reviews and accolades. - The release positions Today I Joined a Preschool for parents, teachers and caregivers looking for a back-to-school read-aloud. - Martini’s next reception will likely depend on how widely the book connects with families navigating first-day fears.

The bottom line: - Today I Joined a Preschool turns preschool jitters into a simple message: show up, learn the rules, make a friend and try again the next day.