EVA AND SADIE AND THE BEST CLASSROOM EVER!

An older sister is determined to make sure her little sis is ready for kindergarten…even if it kills her.

Sadie is starting second grade, so she’s an old pro at school, and she’s just the person to make sure that Eva is prepared. After all, kindergarten is way different from preschool: there are no naps, there are choices to make at lunchtime, and there’s so much to learn. So Sadie keeps Eva from napping on the weekends and makes use of their home classroom, complete with desks and a blackboard, to quiz, drill, and teach her poor frazzled sister, whose facial expressions, posture, and riot of curls clearly reflect her every feeling—and those feelings are not good. Sadie’s parents gently point out Sadie’s missteps, and she feels bad about making Eva so upset. When the first day finally arrives, though, Eva proves more than ready to tackle it, and her sister’s lessons are not the key. Allen’s illustrations, done in pencil, watercolor, and a touch of Photoshop, are a delight. Eva is adorably enthusiastic about life, while Sadie is just over-the-top, a pint-sized drill sergeant.

Cohen uses tongue-in-cheek humor to slyly point out to kids that not everything they are told about school is true; here’s hoping they will take his message to heart.