Fall is one of my favorite times of year. As a child, while I hated the idea of summer ending, I was always really excited by the thought of starting school again. I loved back to school shopping and looking forward to the new beginnings in a new year in school. So to get your children just as excited as I used to be about the prospect of going back to school, here's a list of my five favorite picture books about starting school.
Written by Alexandra Alessandri
Illustrated by Courtney Dawson
Sleeping Bear Press, 2021. Picture Book.
Isabel is going a new school, where instead of speaking Spanish like she loves, she'll have to speak English which sounds wrong to her ears. A girl in her new class asks Isabel if she would like to be friends, but Isabel doesn't understand the question. As she draws her new friend a picture, she realizes that not everything has to be communicated in words. This book will show kids that a new year is a new chance to make friends, even those who are different from themselves.
Written by Lula Bell
Illustrated by Brian Fitzgerald
Tiger Tales, 2021. Picture Book.
If "I don't want to go to school" is a common phrase used around your house, this is the book for you. On the first of school, a gray mouse teacher and a blue dinosaur student are afraid to go to school. The tales are told side-by-side, which lets you compare and contrast the reactions of the student and teacher as the day goes along. Luckily, despite their reluctance at the beginning of the day, both enjoy school and are excited to go back the next day.
Written by Jess Hernandez
Illustrated by Marinano Epelbaum
Capstone Edition, 2021. Picture Book.
Milly is excited to be accepted to Unicorn School, which teaches "only the best and brightest unicorns" but she has a secret: she is actually a donkey with a party hat, NOT an actual unicorn. She's nervous to start school and worried that someone will find out her secret. On the first day of school she runs into a goat with a plunger on her forehead and other animals impersonating unicorns that all look nervous, just like her. She finds that everyone is special and unique in their own way, even if they aren't unicorns. Give this funny story to your child if they're worried about making friends on their first day of school.
Written by Connie Schofield-Morrison
Illustrated by Frank Morrison
Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2020. Picture Book.
This book is about a girl who is actually excited for the first day of school! In this rhyming story, a girl explains all the ways she has school spirit: wearing her new clothes, getting on the bus, meeting new friends, and enjoying her class. Your kids will have fun making the noises interspersed throughout the book with you as you read along.
Written by Megan Maynor
Illustrated by Alea Marley
Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021. Picture Book.
Going to school for the first time isn't just hard for the child entering school, it's an adjustment for the whole family. In this book, Henry is used to doing everything with his older sister Liza. When she starts kindergarten, he has to play alone for the first time. He's angry with Liza for leaving, but eventually finds that it's okay for them to do some things separate from each other.
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