This month’s Author Spotlight is Alliah L. Agostini, author of Scarecited on the First Day of School, a picture book about a young girl who is feeling mixed emotions about her first day of school.
Scarecited on the First Day of School follows Afua’s first day at school and the mix of emotions she experiences simultaneously. How did you decide what feelings to combine to describe Afua’s experience, and how does this convey the complexity of emotions that children may feel in new situations?
Alliah L. Agostini: As I wrote SCARECITED, I thought about the most pressing feelings that have been relatable to me from the first day of kindergarten to the first day of new things I’ve pursued as an adult! Somehow the variables change, but the feelings are relatively consistent – from feeling scared about the unknown but also excited about those same unknown possibilities of learning and friendships, to embracing the sometimes inconvenient nerves that accompany feats of bravery. I wanted to call these out to give kids language and make sure they knew that they weren’t alone with this experience.
I also wanted to insert a couple of fun new words like ‘FLUTE’ (not the instrument – fly + cute – unlike the word fetch, it is so going to happen – excuse the Mean Girls reference) SLICKY (slippery + icky), and SLUFFED (sleepy and stuffed – also known as ‘the itis’ or a ‘food coma’) to give the book to have some levity – and they’re relevant and fun to say!
What inspired you to write this book?
Alliah L. Agostini: I was inspired to write SCARECITED for a number of reasons, the biggest one being rooted in my own experiences being ‘scarecited’ on my first day of school! I liked school and looked forward to seeing my friends, but roll call brought me serious anxiety. With a less common first and last name (not to mention both started with ‘A’!) – I could almost anticipate the pause and eye squint the teacher would do before calling out, and nine times out of ten, butchering my first and/or last name. In middle school a teacher even had the audacity to tell me I had ‘one of those made up names’.
At the same time, I’ve always enjoyed being creative with language and making up words (I’m not very good at Scrabble, but if you play me, have a dictionary on hand – I can be very convincing, haha). Sometimes there isn’t a perfect single word to describe something, but a good portmanteau can hit the spot.
With SCARECITED, I thought it could be fun for a protagonist to use her own creativity to make up her own very valid names for her emotional arc (or rollercoaster) on the first day of school, with a key conflict being getting the confidence to advocate for herself and the pronunciation of her name – something I struggled with, and I’m sure a number of other kids (and adults) struggle with, too.
What message do you hope young readers take away from Afua’s experience?
Alliah L. Agostini: I want young readers to understand their emotions are complex and valid – and it’s okay! But I also want them to feel empowered to advocate for themselves when necessary. With the power dynamic of teacher vs. student it can be difficult to speak up. I think kids in this generation may feel a bit more empowered, but when I was in elementary school in the 80s and 90s, deference to authority was the norm, although there are times when adults get it wrong. Just as much as I wanted to model Afua’s courage, I also made sure to model for teachers, through her teacher’s response, that they should be supportive when students advocate for themselves, not because this is a sign they are disrespecting the teacher, rather it is a sign of the student respecting themselves.
How does Afua deal with her mixed emotions? What do you think helps her to be brave on her first day?
Alliah L. Agostini: Afua deals with her mixed emotions by naming them various portmanteaux (I had to lean into my francophile proclivities with the ‘x’) a beautiful mashup of two independent words that Afua uses to identify her mixed emotions and also fun adjectives. From newer words like ‘SHURIOUS’ (shy + curious) to ‘BRAVOUS’ (brave + nervous) to the more common ‘HANGRY’ (hungry + angry) they sound a little funny and silly but are actually very real – and relevant!
She feels SADBARASSED (I’ll let you guess this one) after her teacher mispronounces her name during roll call, but she makes a new friend who pronounces her name correctly. Paired with a surge of STRONFIDENCE (strength + confidence) after winning a race, she musters up the courage to say something to her teacher.
Let’s talk about the art. Lala Watkins is so talented! Do you have a favorite spread?
Alliah L. Agostini: There are so many fun spreads in the book – Lala’s illustrations remind me of an ice cream sundae with rainbow sprinkles, and were perfect for the playfulness I envisioned for a sing-songy book like Scarecited.
My favorite spread is the one where Afua phonetically pronounces her name – it’s simple, but one page is filled with Afua, and the other page is mostly her name, decorated with flowers. I wanted this to be a moment where this could be the physical manifestation of her taking up space, something that can be complicated for girls, especially girls of color. I selfishly claim this for little Alliah (and similarly, the title page, which has the pronunciation of both my and Lala’s names – I didn’t want readers to mispronounce our names!)
What role do the illustrations play in portraying Afua’s emotions? For example, the different colors for Afua’s feelings.
Alliah L. Agostini: I’m so glad Lala signed on to illustrate, I’ve been a fan of her adorable work! She does such a great job with lettering, which was part of what I was hoping for in an illustrator. The words Afua makes up are so important, so each word’s typography and color were deliberately selected to emphasize her feeling or its meaning – from the dissonant colors and two different font faces used for BRA(VE + NER)VOUS to the bold block red lettering for HANGRY.
Tell us about a librarian or educator who made an impact on you.
Alliah L. Agostini: I am fortunate to have had a number of educators in my family, including three out of my four grandparents. They always impressed on me the importance of prioritizing education, cultivating a love of reading, and the importance of using my voice. My maternal grandfather, a former teacher and guidance counselor is now 94, and he couldn’t be prouder of my literary path. Whenever I talk to him, he says, “Keep writing, girl!” and I do.
What was your favorite book when you were a young reader?
Alliah L. Agostini: So many. My mother always talks about how much I loved books and couldn’t wait to learn how to read when I finally got to kindergarten. I had a special fondness for terrible joke books (still do), but I really loved Matilda. I loved her brilliance and loathed her comically terrible family, but was happy she found a safe space with a teacher who inspired her and valued her potential!
I do have to say, one of my favorite books for young readers I didn’t come across until I was an adult is Rita Williams-Garcia’s ONE CRAZY SUMMER. I named Afua after the youngest sister, Afua ‘Fern’ Gaither, as a tribute to her given name.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alliah L. Agostini is the author of Junior Library Guild Selection Big Tune: Rise of the Dancehall Prince, Scarecited on the First Day of School, The Juneteenth Story, The Juneteenth Cookbook, Great Idea Malia!, and more joyful books for children. Alliah and her work have been featured on Essence.com, TODAY with Hoda & Jenna, and more. She lives with her family in New Jersey.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Scarecited on the First Day of School by Alliah L. Agostini; illustrated by Lala Watkins
Ages 3-6
For fans of School’s First Day of School, this is a picture book about a young girl who is feeling mixed emotions about her first day of school.
Some feelings are so big, one word just doesn’t cut it.
It’s the first day of school for Afua! There’s no one word to name her feelings. Is she scared? Excited? Oh wait, she’s scarecited! Her own combination of both. Why should she have to choose?
Scarecited on the First Day of School is a charming picture book that reminds us all that having the courage to be our authentic self is always just enough, and you can feel more than one big emotion at the same time. But if there isn’t one word to describe those feelings . . . there’s beauty in making it yourself.
