This Is a School

A moving celebration of school and all it may signify: work and play, creativity and trust, and a supportive community that extends beyond walls

A school isn’t just a building; it is all the people who work and learn together. It is a place for discovery and asking questions. A place for sharing, for helping, and for community. It is a place of hope and healing, even when that community can’t be together in the same room. John Schu, a librarian and former ambassador of school libraries for Scholastic, crafts a loving letter to schools and the people that make up the communities within in a picture book debut beautifully illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison.

“Schu's debut picture book salutes the school community and the positive role it plays in kids' lives. . . Jamison's watercolor, acrylic, and digital-collage illustrations employ a sunny palette, well suited to the text's upbeat tone. . . . Schu emphasizes the school as a community, where growth, celebrations, transformations, and work all occur, providing a reassuring introduction to this near-universal experience. --Booklist (starred review) Librarian and book advocate Schu invites readers into a school community in which all voices are heard, each person learns, and everyone--and everything, including the plants in the school garden--grows. . . . This introduction to school communities shows children what happens inside a classroom via a vision of school at its best--one that leaves readers with a sense of belonging and inclusion. --Publishers Weekly Well suited for both independent reading as well as a read aloud. . . . Full spread illustrations showing the whole community mix with smaller, more intimate portrayals of kids and adults hard at work, providing strong movement throughout the story. This is a solid choice for classrooms and libraries looking for updated beginning of the year or school stories. --School Library Journal A soaring panegyric to elementary school as a communal place to learn and grow. . . the central message here is that school is a physical space, not a virtual one, where learning and community happen. . . . A full-hearted valentine. --Kirkus Reviews This book is so beautiful! I can see the love, joy, inclusion, and empathy on every single page. What a gift this is for kids, educators, and families. --Supriya Kelkar, children's author of Brown is Beautiful John Schu's story serves as a letter to schools and addresses how its members are still a community, whether they are together in the classroom or not. --Tiny Beans”

Schu's debut picture book salutes the school community and the positive role it plays in kids' lives. . . Jamison's watercolor, acrylic, and digital-collage illustrations employ a sunny palette, well suited to the text's upbeat tone. . . . Schu emphasizes the school as a community, where growth, celebrations, transformations, and work all occur, providing a reassuring introduction to this near-universal experience.
—Booklist (starred review)

Librarian and book advocate Schu invites readers into a school community in which all voices are heard, each person learns, and everyone—and everything, including the plants in the school garden—grows. . . . This introduction to school communities shows children what happens inside a classroom via a vision of school at its best—one that leaves readers with a sense of belonging and inclusion.
—Publishers Weekly

Well suited for both independent reading as well as a read aloud. . . . Full spread illustrations showing the whole community mix with smaller, more intimate portrayals of kids and adults hard at work, providing strong movement throughout the story. This is a solid choice for classrooms and libraries looking for updated beginning of the year or school stories.
—School Library Journal

A soaring panegyric to elementary school as a communal place to learn and grow. . . the central message here is that school is a physical space, not a virtual one, where learning and community happen. . . . A full-hearted valentine.
—Kirkus Reviews

This book is so beautiful! I can see the love, joy, inclusion, and empathy on every single page. What a gift this is for kids, educators, and families.
—Supriya Kelkar, children’s author of Brown is Beautiful

This upbeat, book-length definition of ‘school’ emphasizes big ideas. The spare, syncopated text describes 'school' as a place to grow, learn, create, celebrate, transform and work in community. It’s the cheery art that makes the abstract concrete. . . . Enthusiasm is lightly tempered with honesty. . . . The pandemic is not yet out of sight or mind, but the overall message is clear: School is cool.
—The San Francisco Chronicle

John Schu’s friendly book about how school feels when it’s at its very best is an invitation for young people to learn, grow and enjoy their days in the classroom. . . . Focused on the joys of togetherness, this simple but effective book is a wonderful way to encourage young people to make the most of their new school year.
—The Virginian Pilot

John Schu's story serves as a letter to schools and addresses how its members are still a community, whether they are together in the classroom or not.
—Tiny Beans

John Schu is the author of This Is a School, illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison. He is also a children’s librarian at Bookelicious and a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University. He was previously the Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic Book Fairs and has worked as a classroom teacher and school librarian. He travels all over the world visiting schools and meeting with students, teachers, and administrators as he advocates for the people and things he cares about most: kids, books, schools, and the libraries—and librarians—that connect them. John Schu lives in Naperville, Illinois. You can find his popular blog, Watch. Connect. Read., at and follow him @MrSchuReads.

Veronica Miller Jamison is an illustrator and surface pattern designer who was trained as a fashion designer. She has created art and patterns for Hallmark, Essence magazine, and Lilly Pulitzer. The illustrator of A Computer Called Katherine, written by Suzanne Slade, Veronica Miller Jamison lives in Philadelphia.

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