Franklin Goes to School

Written by
Paulette Bourgeois

Illustrated by
Brenda Clark

Kids Can Press

F
RANKLIN could count by twos and tie his shoes. He could zip zippers and button buttons. But Franklin was worried about starting school. And that was a problem because Franklin was going to school for the very first time.

Franklin woke up with the sun. “It’s my first day of school!” he told Goldie, his fish.

Franklin packed his new pencil case with a ruler, a pencil, an eraser and twelve coloured pencils that he had sharpened himself.

Then he woke his parents.

“Hurry,” he said to his parents. “I cannot be late for school.”

Franklin’s mother looked at the clock. “Even the teacher is not awake,” she laughed. “It is too early.”

“You must be very excited,” said Franklin’s father.

Franklin nodded.

It was so early that there was time to make a big breakfast.

“You’ll need a full tummy to work at school,” said Franklin’s father.

Franklin was not hungry. “I already have a full tummy,” he said. “It feels like it is full of jumping frogs.”

Franklin’s mother gave him a hug, “I felt that way on my first day of school. But the funny feeling went away.”

Franklin ate a little. He double-checked his book bag. Finally it was time to go to school.

Halfway to the bus stop, Franklin clutched his tummy.

“I don’t want to go,” he said.

Franklin’ father gave him a hug. “That’s how I felt when I started school,” he said. “Look. All your friends are waiting for the bus.”

There was a big crowd at the bus stop. There were brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers.

Beaver was carrying her favourite book.

“I can read it,” she said.

“All of it?” asked Bear.

“Yes,” she answered proudly.

Franklin rubbed his tummy.

Rabbit pulled out a brand-new notebook.

“My big sister showed me how to write my numbers,” he said.

“All of them?” asked Fox.

“Most of them,” boasted Rabbit.

Franklin looked at his mother. “I want to go home,” he said.

“We will be here after school to hear about all the things you did today,” she said.