Is your child excited for the new school year or dreading it? Maybe even a bit of both! Starting school is a big milestone and can be filled with overwhelming emotions, especially for young children. Whether they are starting school for the first time or moving up a grade, reading with your child about school can help them process these big feelings and prepare them for what school might be like.
Not sure where to start? Here are 10 picture books to help your child start their school year off on the right foot!
by Anna Dewdney
It's Llama Llama's first day of preschool! But after mama leaves, Llama Llama is sad. Can the other children and his teacher help him enjoy school even though he misses his mama? A classic selection for kids who experience separation anxiety. // Ages 3-5 (PreS-K)
by Mo Willems
Pigeon does not want to go to school and he’s going to tell you why. What if math is too hard? The backpack will be too heavy! Will the other kids like him? Humor is a wonderful way to ease the first-day-of-school jitters, and this silly, relatable story captures many common school anxieties. It's also a great way to help kids open up about their own fears of starting school. // Ages 3-6 (PreS-1)
by Vera Rosenberry
The first day of school can be both thrilling and scary. Vera cannot wait for the day when she starts school, but the first day does not go exactly as she has planned. With charm and gentle humor, Vera explores all the different feelings associated with this important milestone. // Ages 4-6 (PreS-1)
by Derrick Barnes
Inspire confidence in your little one with this upbeat story following a young boy as he conquers his first day of kindergarten with courage and kindness. // Ages 4-5 (K)
by Jory John
It's almost the first day of school, and the animals are nervous, each with their own worries about how school will go. Can the animals learn to help one another through their jitters to make sure school isn't so scary after all? // Ages 4-8 (K-3)
by Connie Schofield-Morrison
Send your kid off to school eager and bursting with optimism as a young girl enthusiastically spreads school spirit from home to school and back again. Each lively illustrated spread features a simple sentence with an accompanying sound effect that makes reading aloud especially fun. // Ages 4-6 (PreS-1)
by Ame Dyckman
The new girl is... weird. She doesn’t wear shoes, howls, and kids say she even has fleas! Follow the narrator as he learns about getting to know someone different than himself when he is paired with the new kid during a science project. // Ages 4-7 (K-2)
by Bob Shea
Concerned about losing friends during the first week of school, Unicorn upgrades his fabulousness. But when his plan backfires, Unicorn learns about who real friends are and the importance of being true to oneself. // Ages 4-8 (K-3)
by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Saddened by her classmates' and teacher's mispronunciations of her name, Kora-Jalimuso is empowered as she and her mom celebrate the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latine, and Middle Eastern names. A beautiful and heartwarming story about honoring identity and cultural heritage. Pronunciations included to help the reader "sing" each name aloud. // Ages 5-10 (K-4)
by Jacqueline Woodson
This touching read acknowledges the times when children feel different or misunderstood and encourages them to share their stories, so the world can "open itself up a little wider to make some space" for them. // Available in English and en Español // Ages 5-10 (K-4)