StoryWalk: The Day You Begin

At select Brooklyn Public Library locations, we are posting StoryWalks® outdoors! StoryWalks® are picture books displayed outside to encourage reading and walking. We will be posting them on fences and on yard signs at select libraries and partner sites. Each book has prompts to encourage family discussion and interaction!

At Gerritsen Beach Library, The Day You Begin by Brooklyn's own Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by Rafael López is currently on display. Other students laugh when Rigoberto, an immigrant from Venezuela, introduces himself but later, he meets Angelina and discovers that he is not the only one who feels like an outsider. 

Check out the book!  eBook  Print  eAudiobook

Watch videos by Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López discussing the book here!

Activities for Families

• As you read the story, notice how many times the ruler appears. If you have a ruler at home, you can incorporate science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills into your next outing. Bring the ruler or measuring tape with you on your next walk and let your child measure objects that you see along your route. Talk about things that grow and carefully measure a flower. Remind your child that they are growing, too and if you haven't done so yet, mark their height on a surface at home and see how it changes. 
• Everyone has a story! Talk about yourself and something that makes you feel good. Maybe you are learning how to do something new. Share your experiences with how you grew stronger and developed a new skill or trait.
• Collect items that you find on your neighborhood walk and create a self portrait using them. Try using a paper plate as a face. Attach a popsicle stick and use your creation as a puppet. Can you give them a name and imagine activities they would enjoy?  
• Create a friendship bracelet and give it to someone you have recently met. Tell them something about yourself that they might not know.