I wanted to check this out because my nephew will be starting kindergarten soon. I loved the illustrations but the story irself seemed to be lacking. I get what the author is trying to say about first day of school being scary and the kid was nervous but I wish there had been an conversation about the day with the mother and going into how he used his bear as a defense mechanism or something. Or even if the little girl he met said something profound. Overall it is fun, cute book that I think kids will have fun with! I think it wll help panrets to have dialogue with nervous children who are starting school soon. And telling them it is ok to keep a stuffed animal with them too but not to use it as a way of hiding or getting angry with peers.

Thank you, Clavis Publishing, for the advance reading copy.

This is such a crazy story!.

The illustrations are fun and entertaining. However, I got scared when the bear got angry and went crazy. But things calmed down in time.

Fun read.

Illustrations were silly and fun. However, the execution was missing. For first day of school nerves, that’s quite a bad way to handle it by Max and Mr. Kalamazoo. I liked that even though he felt different and alone, he found a friend.
The lesson here is bravery

The illustrations were cute and the premise of the plot was also adorable. However, I don’t think the execution was all there. I think overall the writing could have been fine tuned and there couldn’t have been a better start to the book itself. I also didn’t understand the emphasis on “tickled pink” and it was never explained

What a cute and imaginative book! Mr. Kalamazoo is clearly a great comfort to Max in new and unfamiliar situations. It's a funny little tale with a happy ending!

I am not sure about the message of this book.

Is it OK to be afraid of your first day in school? Definitely yes.
Is it OK to take along your fluffy friend to feel less nervous? Yes, sure.
Is it OK to scare everyone on the bus, make a mess in the classroom, and end up in the headmaster's office? I'm not sure.
Is it cool to make friends with someone who is also sent home and is waiting to be picked up by her parents? Well...

I liked the drawings, and understand the feelings of Max on the morning of the big day, but the solution offered by the book is not very clear to me.

First day jitters are the worse! Join Max and Mr. Kalamazoo as they tackle the first day of school together. It is hard not knowing anyone, it is hard coming to a new place. Little kids can experience BIG emotions and that is O.K.
Cute story about just how hard first days can be and how there is always a new day and new opportunity to do things differently and sometimes better!