How Julinka Went to School for the First Time and Oliver Back to Kindergarten

Julinka goes to school for the first time while Oliver returns to kindergarten after the holidays — and both discover that big days begin with small steps.

Once upon a time there was a morning that smelled of new crayons, snacks, and just a little bit of butterflies in the tummy.

In one little house lived two siblings: Julinka and Oliver.

Julinka was already a big girl. She had a new school bag, a pencil case full of crayons, and shoes that went down the hallway:

Tap, tap, tap.

Oliver was her smaller brother. He had his kindergarten backpack, his favorite little car in his pocket, and a smile that sometimes ran away and then came back again.

“Today I’m going to first grade,” Julinka said importantly.

“And I’m going back to kindergarten,” said Oliver. “I already know everything there.”

But even though he said it bravely, the little car in his pocket trembled a bit. Or maybe it was not the car. Maybe Oliver was a little excited and a little scared at the same time.

Mommy gave them each a kiss on the forehead.

“Big days are best handled in small steps,” she said.

First they went with Julinka to school.

The school was a big building with windows like eyes. It looked at the children and smiled with sunshine.

In front of the school stood many school bags, braids, caps, and moms and dads. Everyone rustled a little, chatted a little, and hugged a little.

Julinka squeezed Mommy’s hand.

“What if I don’t know where to sit?” she whispered.

Just then a little sparrow flew over to her and hopped along the fence.

“Chirp chirp,” he tweeted. “When you don’t know, ask. That is what teachers are for.”

Julinka smiled.

The teacher stood by the door and had a voice as soft as a blanket.

“Good morning, first-graders,” she said. “Come inside, the school is already looking forward to you.”

Julinka took her first school step.

Tap.

Then the second.

Tap.

And suddenly she was standing in the classroom, where name tags, crayons, and pictures were waiting on the desks.

Oliver waved from the door.

“Bye, Julinka! Don’t let your school bag run away!”

Julinka laughed.

“Bye, Oliver! Don’t let the dinosaurs at kindergarten eat your snack!”

Then Oliver went with Mommy to kindergarten.

Kindergarten was not new like school. Kindergarten was familiar. It had colorful doors, a coat hook with Oliver’s picture on it, and a carpet where little cars almost drove by themselves.

But after the holidays, everything was a little bit different.

“What if nobody wants to play with me?” Oliver mumbled.

From his pocket came a quiet:

Vroom vroom.

It was as if his little car was saying, “I’ll go with you.”

At the door stood his kindergarten teacher.

“Oliver! You came back to us!” she smiled. “The carpet is already waiting for races.”

And from the corner of the classroom, a friend waved.

“Oliver, come on! We’re building a garage for the firefighters!”

Oliver’s smile came back so quickly it almost jumped off his face.

“Mommy,” he said, “I have to go now. Firefighters can’t wait.”

And he ran into the classroom.

That day at school, Julinka discovered that letters are like little animals. Some are easy to catch and some hop across the paper, but all of them can be tamed.

She learned where her desk was, how to raise her hand, and that the teacher really would help when a person did not know.

At kindergarten, Oliver built a huge garage, drew a sun with enormous rays, and ate his snack before any dinosaur had time to find it.

In the afternoon, Julinka and Oliver met at home by the table.

“So, how was school?” asked Oliver.

Julinka took off her school bag.

“It was big. But I am big too.”

“And kindergarten?” Julinka asked.

Oliver put his little car on the table.

“It was the same. But I think I am a little bigger.”

Mommy poured them tea and Daddy smiled.

And then something magical happened.

Julinka pulled her first picture from school out of her school bag.

Oliver pulled a picture of the sun out of his kindergarten backpack.

They placed them side by side.

And suddenly it looked as if school and kindergarten belonged together on one great map of adventure.

“You know what?” said Julinka. “Tomorrow we’ll go again.”

Oliver nodded.

“But in small steps.”

And their shoes under the table quietly answered:

Tap, tap, tap.

Because even big days begin with a small step.

Good night, Julinka and Oliver. 🌙