We’re back to school again, and it’s a different experience for everyone.
Coming back to a well-loved teacher or friends you have missed over the summer, or to a familiar school building, usually brings a sense of reassurance and happiness. The very first year in school, or in a new school, can be scary. Here are some books that can ease the transition.
Picture Books:
Dog Day by Sarah Hayes
Ben and Ellie have a new teacher. But wait a minute the new teacher is a dog named Riff!
I am Too Absolutely Small for School by Lauren Child
(A Charlie and Lola Book)
Lola is not so sure about school. After all, why would she need to count higher than ten when she never eats more than ten cookies at a time? And why write letters when you have a telephone?
Kindergarten Rocks! by Katie Davis
Sure, some kids are a little afraid of going to kindergarten, but not Dexter. No, he’s not a bit afraid . . . he’s terrified.
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
A mouse named Wemberly, who worries about everything, finds that she has a whole list of things to worry about when she faces the first day of nursery school.
Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth by Alison McGhee
A first grader is frightened on her first day of school after hearing a rumor that her teacher is a 300-year-old alien with a purple tongue who steals baby teeth from her students.
Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
When Chester the raccoon is reluctant to go to kindergarten for the first time, his mother teaches him a secret way to carry her love with him.
Take a Kiss to School by Angela McAllister
There is so much to learn on Digby’s first day at school. Will he remember where to hang his jacket and to listen for his name? Digby’s mother has some special help for her boy who doesn’t feel quite brave enough for school.
I Love You All Day Long by Francesca Rusackas
When a little pig worries about being apart from his mother when he goes off to school, she reassures him.
First Grade Stinks by Mary Ann Rodman
On her first day of first grade, Haley discovers that the routines are much different and decidedly less fun than kindergarten. She gets only one recess, no sharing time, a room without the familiar decorations, a teacher who is less demonstrative than her beloved Ms. Lacy, and, worst of all, a read-aloud that isn’t even finished.
Chapter Books:
Stuart Goes to School by Sara Pennypacker
Stuart worries about getting stuck in the boys’ bathroom, about not having anything to show for show-and-tell, but most of all, about not making any friends. With his cape, though, Stuart is bound to have a day full of wacky adventures.
Back to School, Mallory by Laurie Friedman
Summer is over and that can only mean one thing for eight-year-old Mallory McDonald–she has to go back to school. But not just any school, a new school with all new kids in it. To make matters worse, her mom is going, too!
Ellie McDoodle, New Kid in School by Ruth McNally Barshaw
When Ellie’s family moves to a new town, she’s sure she won’t fit in. Nobody else likes to read as much as she does, and even the teachers can’t get her name right.
Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa: School Days by Erica Silverman
n this third collection of stories about the cowgirl and her horse, school begins. When Kate leaves on the bus, Cocoa follows it like Mary’s little lamb, much to the other children’s enjoyment and Kate’s embarrassment.
Mostly Monty by Johanna Hurwitz
Six-year-old Monty doesn’t have a brother, a sister, or a pet. What he does have is asthma, which sometimes makes it hard to breathe and often makes him feel like he’d rather be somebody else. And now that he’s starting first grade, he’s very nervous about being with all those kids he won’t know.