Simon & Schuster | Beach Lane Books
June 2027
32 pages
For ages: 4–8
ISBN: 979-834710679
Monday Morning at School
Written by Keenan Jones
Illustrated by Ken Daley
Get kids excited about their school day on a Monday morning, or any day of the week, with this upbeat picture book that celebrates all the things a school can be!
School can be a time machine, a greenhouse, a talent show, a potluck, and so much more. It’s a place for learning and friendship and, of course, fun! Come kick off the week’s adventures at this very special place. Because if a school can be so many things, just imagine what its students can become…
Look Inside
A read-aloud as sharp and stylish as a fresh cut.
In his bustling picture book debut, Jones pays nuanced homage to barbershops through the eyes of one child “geeked to go spend/ the day at the ’Shop.” On a Saturday morning, the title’s young narrator, a Black child wearing a ball cap, is dropped off as Mom heads to work. … Across the day, reiterative phrases describe how “the ’Shop is our” sound booth, gallery, sports show, comedy club, playground, classroom, and more: “The ’Shop is our mini-mart// Two dollars will get you right;/ five dollars will have you full.” And through it all, the barbershop is “our studio.// Hair is the canvas/ clippers are the brush,/ creating walking pieces of art.”