Publisher's Synopsis
"time to wake up and get ready. It's the first day of Kindergarten!" Who can ever forget hearing those words. Grandpadat the author of this book presents vivid portrayals of grandparents preparing and reacting to those words. The readers are taken along on a memorable ride to a new school and to an old school. Real time experiences of grandparents give an opportunity to participate and share a first day of school. The author then allows the readers to travel through time to the 1952 first day of kindergarten of Grandpadat. What a remarkable experience! This work is to be read in family, school, and church groups. Each group will present their own perspective and experience of a "first day of Kindergarten!" Grandpadat well chronicles the deep emotions of grandparents to recapture and to preserve the excitement and "lightning in a bottle." Parents and grandparents who may have missed the small things that occur on the first day are allowed a "do over." Each sound, movement, group, and event that happens on that day is enlarged by the author. The technical aspect of this publication is that each grandparent were also participants in the nation's past. Closing segregated schools is a fact of our past. The author's use of historical and pictorial artifacts adds to the drama of this first day. Fort Scott, Kansas is the birth place of the grandmother and also the home of Gordon Parks. The Fort Scott Community has been well chronicled by others. Grandma's view told in artifact form adds to the emotion of the first day. Kealing School (formerly Eugene Field) adds an additional emotional and historical aspect to Grandpadat's first day. The author notes that grandma and grandpadat's experiences on their 1952 first day of kindergarten were historical. Grandpadat's desire to give thanks for a mother who personally walked (escorted) with him to Kealing School is on display. Grandpadat was delivered safely to Miss Brown. The end of day (one half day in 1952 for Black kids who did not ride bus) brought Mom back for the walk home. Mom's rule to Grandpadat was, "I will meet you at the Roundtop Church!" Enjoy the work. Grandma and Grandpadat will present personally autographed copies of this book to our children and grandchildren. Northend grandparents of old KCK will understand. Arthur the Author
