Our daughter found this little gem at the library, and it has been a perfect book to start the conversation about how first grade will be a bit different than kindergarten but will be wonderful in different ways.  In the first book of this series, we meet Horus who happens to be a martian.  Horus is starting first grade which he was excited about until he learned there was no slime table, no snooze mats, and no snacks.  To make matters even worse, Horus is put in the Beta reading group while his friends are in the Alpha group.  With so many disappointments, Horus longs for the fun filled days of martiangarten.

When Horus returns to school the next day, he meets a new student.  She is very scared about starting first grade and has lots of questions.  Horus admits he was a bit worried too.  As Horus explains what first grade is like, he realizes that the teacher (Ms. Vortex) is nice, and the work is challenging but do-able.  As the story comes to an end, it is clear that with a new friend and a bit of courage first grade is going to work out splendidly for both of them.