First Day of School Books

As a teacher and a principal, I’ve been a part of lots of first days of school!  The day is generally filled with excitement and a good dose of anxiousness on the student, parent, and educator end.  As with any new experience, reading books for kids on the topic can help ease the transition into a new situation.

Today I’m sharing some new first day of school books along with some old favorites!  Whether a child is starting preschool or kindergarten for the first time or just heading back to school, these books will help get ready for the big day.

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Perfect First Day of School Books for Any Age

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Little Lola by Julie Saab and David Gothard is the tale of a little cat who has a big to-do list for the day.  One of those things is to have an adventure.  So, she boards the school bus and heads off to school.  Boy oh boy, does she love school.  There is reading, subtracting, singing and best of all show-and-tell.   Well, Lola’s show-and-tell causes a bit of trouble!

Chu’s First Day of School by Neil Gaiman is the story of Chu the panda who is a bit nervous about starting school for the first time.  He wonders if the boys and girls will like him.   He’s curious what will happen during the day.  Beautifully illustrated by Adam Rex.
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Monsters Love School by Mike Austin is also about starting school for the first time.  Going to school can be a lot of fun for a group of monsters.  I recently recommended Monster Colors also by Austin that you might want to check out.
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First Day at Zoo School by Sarah Dillard is a tale of finding, making, and keeping friends.  Amanda Panda is ready for school.  Alfred the Alligator isn’t very excited about starting school.  Amanda sees that everyone has a friend and she doesn’t, so she makes Alfred her best friend.  But, what does it mean to be a best friend?  Alfred helps Amanda make that discovery.
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This School Year Will Be The Best! by Kay Winters is about all the things kids wish and hope for in a new school year such as getting the best seat on the bus and looking good for school pictures.  It’s a fun book to read before doing some goal setting with the kids for the new year.

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[easyazon_link identifier=”1510700501″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Ming Goes to School[/easyazon_link] by Deirdre Sullivan is the story of Ming who learns to say hello and good-bye.  She meets lots of new friends.  She does art and pretend play.  But, she just isn’t quite ready for the big red slide.

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Sweet Briar Goes to School by Karma Wilson (one of my favorite authors!) tells the story of a sweet little skunk who is venturing to school for the first time.  Unfortunately, being a skunk comes with being a bit smelly.  Her classmates tease her about her scent and Sweet Briar quickly starts to dislike school.  Then, Sweet Briar uses her scent to rescue a classmate from a wolf.  Her classmates realize that Sweet Briar really is sweet and decide to accept her strong scent.  This is a wonderful read for teaching kids to accept others who are different.
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It’s Back to School We Go! by Ellen Jackson takes a look at how kids around the world prepare to go back to school.  I love that  the kids can see that they are not the only one going through the process.  Kids around the world are heading to school just like them.
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Bunny School by Rick Walton highlights all the learning fun associated with school.  Beautiful illustrations capture all the fun details of going to school.
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Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes is a classic.  If you have a little one worried about going to school, this is the book to help soothe those worries.

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[easyazon_link identifier=”1681198282″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Superhero vs. School[/easyazon_link] by Ethan Long takes the superhero power approach to tackling the first day of school.  But what is better than one superhero?  Well, a whole team of superhero friends of course.

First Night of Howlergarten by Benson Shum is the story of Sophie who is nervous for her first night of howlergarten.  She’s worried she won’t be able to learn to transform into a werewolf. Does she have the werewolf skills or will she be a human forever.

Printable First Day of School Book List

Grab a printable copy of the book list.

What is your favorite back to school book?

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