September always seems to arrive with a mixture of excitement and nerves.

For many children, it means a new classroom, a new teacher or perhaps an entirely new school. Even children who are looking forward to returning may feel unsettled by different routines, unfamiliar faces and not knowing quite what to expect.

While working on the new hand-painted covers for my Roo’s Garden series, I have found myself thinking about this through one of my favourite characters: Sir Thaddeus Thistlewick III.

A frog who likes things just as they are

Sir Thaddeus is one of my favourite characters, both to draw and to write. He is a rather grand and grumpy frog who does not welcome change at all.

He likes familiarity. He likes knowing how things are supposed to be. When that comfortable world is disturbed, his first reaction is certainly not to embrace the possibilities.

I think that is one of the reasons I am so fond of him. Beneath his grumpiness is a feeling most of us recognise: uncertainty can be frightening.

Adults often reassure children that a change will be exciting or that they will soon get used to it. Usually, we mean well. But when a child is worried about starting school, moving into a new class or meeting a new teacher, excitement may not be what they feel at all.

Sir Thaddeus does not immediately decide that change is wonderful — and I would not expect him to. His story allows him to be cross, resistant and worried first.

Making room for difficult feelings

Children do not always need to be talked out of their nervousness straight away. Sometimes they simply need to know that feeling nervous is allowed.

A new school year can bring worries that seem quite small to an adult but feel enormous to a child. Where will I sit? Who will I play with? What if I cannot find the toilet? What if the work is too difficult? What if my teacher does not understand me?

Telling a child not to worry rarely makes the worry disappear. Talking about it, however, can make it feel more manageable.

Stories can help with that conversation. A child may not want to explain everything they are feeling, but they might be happy to talk about a character instead. Why is Thaddeus so unhappy? What does he think might happen? Have you ever felt like that? What could help him feel a little safer?

There is comfort in seeing a character struggle with change rather than sailing through it without a wobble.

Change does not have to happen all at once

Things do work out for Sir Thaddeus in the end, but that does not mean his original feelings were silly or wrong. He simply needs time to discover that a change can feel unfamiliar without being terrible.

That feels especially relevant at the beginning of a school year. A child does not have to love every new experience on the first morning. They do not have to feel completely confident by lunchtime. Settling in can happen gradually: one familiar face, one enjoyable activity and one successful day at a time.

Parents may need that reminder too. Watching a child walk into school with a worried expression can be difficult, particularly when we cannot follow them inside and make everything comfortable. Sometimes the best we can do is listen, acknowledge the worry and give them the chance to find their own way through it.

Painting Thaddeus again

As part of the Roo’s Garden redesign, I am repainting Sir Thaddeus for his new cover. It has been lovely to return to a character whose personality is so clear to me. His expression matters enormously: he needs to look unmistakably like Thaddeus — dignified, suspicious and not at all convinced by whatever is happening around him.

Reworking these books has brought its own changes. I am replacing familiar illustrations, trying new ideas and occasionally discovering that something I expected to work simply does not.

Perhaps that is another reason Thaddeus feels like the right character to feature now. I understand his reluctance to let go of what is familiar, even when a change may eventually make something better.

 For any children feeling nervous this September, I hope Sir Thaddeus offers a little reassurance. It is all right not to welcome change immediately. It is all right to need time. And it is entirely possible to begin with a worried wobble and still find that everything works out in the end.