A tiny heartwarming story about Alex and his first school day, when he misses his mom. Reading this book made me remember that love and care is deep within out heart and soul even if we are far apart. That the love will remain the same, warm and strong, even if we can't be with our loved ones. Alex learns to be away from his mom, to play with his classmates and have fun, to explore the world, and to grow- emotionally and mentally. Such a great book with wonderful illustrations!!!

This is a heartwarming story of a boy starting at a new school. His mother shows him love and understanding and respects his emotions. This is such a realistic little story of a working single parent with childcare needs.

This book was really sweet and a great conversation starter for teaching coping skills for kids who may be nervous or have separation anxiety. Would be great for preschool and kindergarten age kids.

4.0/5.0

A sweet conversation and coping tool from a mother sending her child to school for the first time. The grade is not mentioned, so a good fit for preschool or kindergarten.

I enjoyed this book a lot! As a elementary school librarian this is something I would definitely read this to my TK-1st grade students within the first month of school. Many of the students are brand new, new to our school or just fairly new to coming to school and come with a lot of uncertainty and nervous energy. A story like this can bring comfort to those students struggling with leaving their parent at home for the day while they are at school or even a daycare/preschool. This would also be ideal for a parent who is sending their little one off to school and want the process to go smooth while finding a way to connect to their child. Mom's and elementary school librarians, add this one to your calendars for August. This is one you're going to want for that first back to school month and those nervous little ones to calm their nerves! Such a sweet story about staying connected in a new and unfamiliar space.

This is cute story and for a child it may be ok.

It just feel incomplete.

It is short and to the point but it's missing an element of build up where the child would have had a major moment in which he missed and needed his mom and used the coping mechanism she taught him to comfort him in the meantime.

Overall it probably ok for a young child to get through since it is quick and to the point.

As a parent I like to teach my child to use what tools they learn. There is still opportunity to do so with this book but 'I feel it needed to have more.

This book would be great to get for a child that is nervous to go to school for the first time or has some anxiety about being apart from parents. It teaches a great way to help kids feel close to their parents even when they’re apart and also shows them that school is fun and it will get less scary.

Melisaa and illustrator Lilia Micelia explore the depth of the mother-kid bond. When Alex hears about school starting next week, A barrage of questions replaced his excitement. He worried about meeting new people and a new routine, which involves many changes. So he asked his Mama, “Will I fit in with the new crowd? What should I do if I miss you?” In response to this, his mother reassured him by teaching him a unique trick: "Whenever you miss me, place your hand over your heart, and it will be our signal; I'll be able to feel it and send my love." This method helped him ease his fear and face the day, allowing him to enjoy meeting new people and learning new lessons. Even in an unfamiliar environment, he still felt connected to his mother, and it helped him to stay calm. Through this story, the author introduced coping mechanisms to young readers, while the illustrator enhanced it by capturing varied emotions through soft illustrations. The reassurance message and the emotional approach toward separation anxiety will act like a guide book for preschoolers.

This book was such a sweet and heartwarming read! Missing a parent while at school is such a real and common occurence in the lives of little ones, and I give lots of credit to the author for choosing such a relatable obstacle to write about. This allows the relevant audience for this book to be very wide, and the book will therefore be able to hold meaning for a lot of kids, which is always great. Enough talking about the main idea - let's talk about the execution of it! Wow, wow, WOW!!! It's hard to perfectly explain just how smart of an idea the "heart signal" trick is. Kids will no doubt fall in love with it and, what's more important, it's easy and accessible. Kids that are feeling their separation anxiety creep in at school can put their hands on their hearts anytime and feel their parent's love. Lastly, readers can see how this skill works for the main character, which will help them be more drawn to using it for themselves. Bravo!!

This is a really great storybook about the topic of separation anxiety. Kids can learn about separation anxiety, whether they deal with it themselves, from this book. It is very sweet and compelling, informing children about a realistic issue in a compassionate manner.

The only problem I had with this book is that it is a bit difficult to read -- the font size is a bit small compared to the margins. It may be helpful to other readers to increase the size of the text.

Overall, wonderful book. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

When Alex learns that he's starting school soon, he becomes nervous for his first day. What will he do if he starts to miss his mom? His mom helps him to create a 'secret signal' just for the two of them, and he discovers that she's always there, no matter what -- even when he's making friends and having fun at school!

A touching, heartfelt story for any kiddo, especially those who struggle with separation anxiety.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think this book is helpful for children transitioning to school . I appreciated that it show cased a family dynamic of a mom and grandfather as primary caregivers. The illustrations were soft and colorful adding comfort to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Familius for the e-ARC of this title to read and review. I always had separation anxiety when my mom was dropping me off at pre-K and kindergarten, even though I knew my grandpa would be picking me up in a few short hours - so I completely related to the story here. In this book, mom preps her son for his days at school by telling him to put his hand over his heart when he starts to miss her, so they'd both be connected that way. I think it's effective and sweet and a great way to give kids an actionable thing to do with those big feelings when they're stepping out into big new things.

One of the best, rather the best book I have read on separation anxiety as a child begins schooling. For the question that every child has in his or her head when they begin playschool, away from the familiar confines of home, away from known faces of parents, friends, grandparents etc, - What will I do if I miss you? The mother in this story has such a beautiful answer, a very ingenious way of calming the child and playing down his anxiety. Loved every page, the lines here and the illustrations. While my middle school son might not need this any more, I would have loved to have had access to it 12 years back when he began school. I would still say I needed it now, may be I will remember this when my separation anxiety becomes strong as he leaves home to college and grad studies. A very beautiful book that no parent should miss reading.

I received an electronic ARC from Familius through NetGalley.
Alex is starting at a new to him school while his mom goes to work. He's nervous and they devise a special signal so he knows she loves him and is thinking about him. Readers see him transition from nervous to full enjoyment at being there. I love how the illustrations change as the story moves from his imagination to the actual school. Readers will connect with his feelings and the way he thinks about and creates his imaginary school. A perfect book for families to share before preschool begins.

Lovely book written by Melissa Schultz and illustrated by Lilia Miceli. Thank you both and NetGalley for allowing me to read this early with an ARC.

Plot: 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Sweet, simple, and enduring. The book did what it set out to do. I found the way it handled this topic to be cute and a creative way for young and adult minds to relate to each other without being condescending.

Illustrations 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Very pretty and colorful. Everything was easy to identify, and it was fun looking at the details.

Text 2/5 🌟🌟

This is something I don't think is the writer or Illustrators fault, but the text in the book felt small compared to the artwork. It was hard to read at first glance. I hope this gets changed in the future. Even if it is just two sizes bigger.

Overall 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I would be interested in seeing the next work of these two. The book did what it set out to do with very pretty artwork. I recomend it.

What Will I Do If I Miss You by Melissa T. Shultz is the perfect book to spark conversation about separation anxiety for young scholars. This beautiful picture book tells the story of Alex and his concerned feelings about starting a new school. The story will give you ideas for proven self-soothing techniques that are presented in a realistic format. Grab this book for families or children going to daycare or school for the first time. I am grateful I was able to read an eARC from NetGalley. The teacher in me loved this book!

This was a delight to read! Melissa T. Shultz words are full of emotions and I really like how the character was shown to cope with separation anxiety. Lilia Miceli's illustrations are soft, gorgeous, and so colorful! I really enjoyed this!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Awww it was so cute. I think the simple yet effective way the character coped could also help kids who suffer from separation anxiety.
The colors and art style were beautiful and engaging.

THIS WAS SO CUTE!! I really loved this book, the concept, the simple language and how Alex was the one who took control of the narrative and said he’d be having his hand on his heart a little less so he could play with his friends! I will read this to my child for sure!