✦ Free for Educators ✦
Classroom Resources for Story Lantern
Free curriculum for educators seeking back-to-school books for kindergarten and PreK–Grade 2. Bring Omar and the SuperTails into SEL lessons with resources supporting Common Core ELA, TEKS-connected instruction, ADHD and neurodiversity, and disability inclusion.
✦ Free Downloads ✦
Everything Free for Your Classroom
No prep required · Print-ready · Instant access
Full Educator's Guide
8-page complete classroom kit
Discussion questions (Before/During/After), vocabulary, writing prompts, CASEL competency connections, Common Core ELA Connections, and character activity — all in one beautifully designed guide.
Open GuideADHD & Counselor's Corner
Neurodiverse learners guide
Supporting students with ADHD, counselor's corner, 4-week small group framework, emotional check-in questions, and read-aloud tips for mixed classrooms.
Open GuideLesson Plan — Friendship & Belonging
Common Core K–2 aligned PDF
A complete classroom lesson plan exploring friendship, courage, and what makes us unique. Aligned with Common Core ELA standards. Personalized copy sent to your email.
Coloring Activity Sheet
SuperTails Characters
A fun coloring sheet featuring Omar, Milo, Ellie, Gary, and Lola! Great for after a read-aloud or as a classroom reward. Download emailed to you instantly.
In-Person Author Visits Available
Nicky Girl is based in San Antonio, TX and visits schools across the Greater San Antonio area, Hill Country, and South Texas — with virtual visits available nationwide. Visits are interactive, age-appropriate, and TEKS-connected.
Discussion Questions
Before · During · After Reading
Designed for PreK–Grade 2 · No prep required
Look at the cover — what do you notice about the animals? What do you think makes each one special?
Has anyone ever had a first day somewhere new — school, a sport, a new neighborhood? How did it feel?
For PreK: "Can anyone tell me something they felt nervous about before?"
What does the word "superpower" mean to you? Does a superpower have to be magical?
Look at Omar on the cover. What do you think he might be feeling right now?
✦ Vocabulary Words ✦
8 Words to Teach Before or After Reading
Grades K–2 · Grade-appropriate definitions with discussion starters
Doing something even when you feel scared or nervous.
"Can you think of a time you showed courage?"
The feeling of being welcome and accepted in a place or group.
"Where is a place YOU feel like you belong?"
One of a kind — different from everyone else in a special way.
"What makes YOU unique?"
Making sure everyone is invited, welcomed, and included — no one left out.
"How can we practice inclusion in our classroom?"
A special strength or ability — it doesn't have to be magical. Kindness, creativity, and empathy are superpowers too.
"What's your superpower?"
The things that make us unlike others — differences can be things we see or things we feel.
"Name one difference between two of the SuperTails."
Understanding how someone else is feeling, and caring about it.
"How did the SuperTails show empathy toward Omar?"
A feeling of worry or being unsure — butterflies in your stomach.
"What does nervous feel like in your body?"
✦ Writing & Journaling ✦
Prompts for Every Grade Level
PreK–Grade 2 · Zero prep · Print-ready
"What is YOUR superpower? Draw a picture of yourself using it."
For PreK/K: let children draw and dictate one sentence.
"Omar almost didn't go through the door. Write about a time you did something even though you were nervous. What happened?"
Sentence starter: "I was nervous when..."
"Draw a picture of a time you helped someone feel like they belong. What did you do?"
Great for morning meeting or circle time share-out.
"Which SuperTail is most like you, and why? Use at least two details from the book."
Connects to RL.1.3 — describing characters using story details.
"If YOU were a new SuperTail, what would your superpower be? Describe yourself as a character in the story."
Excellent creative writing extension — can be turned into a class book.
"What does it feel like when someone makes you feel included? What does it feel like when someone leaves you out?"
Pairs well with a feelings chart for PreK–K.
✦ Character Activity ✦
Which SuperTail Are You?
PreK–Grade 2 · Great for morning meeting, SEL check-ins, and class displays
Shows up even when he's scared. Brave enough to walk through the door.
Full of excitement and enthusiasm. Never stops moving — and that's a gift.
The first to welcome, the last to leave. Has a heart as big as she is.
Sees the world differently. Uses his uniqueness to make something beautiful.
Thoughtful and careful. Knows that thinking before acting is its own strength.
Classroom Activity Steps
Extension: Create a class wall display — "Our Class of SuperTails" — with each student's character and superpower. Transforms the room all year.
After reading, display or hand out the character cards.
Each student chooses the SuperTail they feel most like — and explains why.
Students draw themselves as that character with their superpower labeled.
Share out in a circle: "I am most like [character] because…"
✦ Standards & Alignment ✦
Aligned with CASEL's Five SEL Competencies
Share this with your SEL coordinator or curriculum director to get Omar adopted school-wide
Omar recognizes his own feelings of nervousness and smallness. Learns his differences are strengths, not weaknesses.
"Omar feels small…" / Discovering his superpower
Each SuperTail models a unique difference or strength — wheelchair use, glasses, ADHD, height, and more. Omar learns to see and honor others.
Meeting each SuperTail for the first time
The SuperTails model friendship built on celebrating difference rather than sameness. Omar learns to build belonging.
The SuperTails welcoming Omar to their group
Omar manages first-day anxiety by showing up anyway. Models that courage is action despite fear.
Omar walking through the school doors
Omar chooses connection over isolation. Models prosocial choices — reaching out, trusting others, building community.
Omar joining the SuperTails at the end
✦ Neurodiversity Inclusive ✦
Supporting Students with ADHD
Omar and the SuperTails includes joyful ADHD and neurodiversity representation through Milo, whose energy and big, fast thinking are framed as strengths — not problems to fix.
The book frames differences — including high energy, boundless curiosity, and thinking differently — as strengths, not problems. Many children with ADHD may not often see their energy and thinking style reflected positively in picture books. Watch for recognition.
The character isn't "fixed" or "managed" — they're celebrated. Use this directly: "This character is a lot like you — and the whole group needs what they bring."
The rhyming, rhythmic text keeps high-energy learners anchored. Movement-friendly pauses and illustration prompts make this ideal for classrooms with active learners who benefit from movement-friendly read-alouds.
When the whole class reads about a character with ADHD traits being celebrated, it shifts the social narrative. Students learn to see energy and difference as contributions — not disruptions.
Read-Aloud Tips for Neurodiverse Classrooms
Allow students to hold a fidget toy or stress ball during the read-aloud — participation stays high without requiring stillness.
Build in movement breaks between every 3–4 pages: stand up, stretch, name one thing you noticed.
Seat high-energy learners closest to you so you can use proximity and eye contact naturally.
Use the rhyming text as a clapping or tapping rhythm — keeps auditory learners fully engaged.
Pause at each SuperTail introduction and ask: "What's different about this character? What's their superpower?" — short, concrete responses work best.
For students with attention difficulty: pre-teach 2 vocabulary words before reading (courage + superpower) so they're already engaged when those moments arrive.
Discussion Prompts for Students with ADHD
"One of the SuperTails has big, fast ideas and lots of energy. Do you ever feel like that? What's amazing about that?"
"Sometimes Omar felt like being different was hard. When does being different feel hard for you — and when does it feel like a superpower?"
"The SuperTails never asked anyone to change. They said: you're perfect as you are. Who in your life makes you feel that way?"
"If YOU were a SuperTail, what would your superpower be called? What makes YOUR brain or body special?"
"What would you want your classmates to understand about you that they might not know yet?"
"Omar and the SuperTails beautifully highlights inclusion and diversity among children, offering a reminder that even we adults can learn from, especially when we find ourselves settled too comfortably within our own cultural spaces."
Endorsed by Karla S. Lloyd, Ph.D., School Psychologist
✦ Counselor's Corner ✦
For School Counselors & Psychologists
School counselors use picture books differently than classroom teachers — for emotional processing, small group check-ins, and individual sessions where a child needs to see themselves in a story.
Any student nervous about starting something new — new school, new class, new grade. Omar's first-day story mirrors exactly what they're feeling.
Students who feel "different," excluded, or like they don't fit in. The SuperTails model what it looks like when a community chooses inclusion.
Students who have been told their differences are problems. Use this book to reframe: their traits are superpowers, not deficits.
Students who struggle with confidence or feel "less than." Omar's arc from feeling small to discovering his worth mirrors the journey you're guiding them through.
Whole-class SEL lessons on inclusion, kindness, and celebrating difference. Works beautifully alongside classroom community-building at the start of the year.
Children who move frequently and face "first days" repeatedly. Omar's courage to walk in the door again is especially resonant for these kids.
Use before or after reading in individual or small group sessions
"Omar and the SuperTails: First Day of School is a great choice for families, classrooms, and caregivers looking for a story that promotes kindness, inclusion, and self-confidence. A lovely and empowering read for young children."
— Dr. Melvia Scott, Former Executive Director of Programs, Lincoln Memorial Academy
✦ Schools & Libraries ✦
Need a School Bundle?
Custom classroom kits including all resources, class sets of the book at bulk pricing, and a live author visit. Contact us for a custom quote.
✓ Purchase Orders (POs) accepted · ✓ Title I funding compatible · ✓ Invoice available on request