It’s back to school time! For our family, this time brings up lots of emotions for both the kids and the parents. We’re sharing seven of our favorites back-to-school books below to help navigate the ups and downs of first-day jitters. We hope they help your family navigate this time.
All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman shows how similar we all are despite our differences: in one scene all the kids in the cafeteria are eating bread but each has a different kind. All of the people in the book are diverse in lots of ways and our family found this message relatable in school and in the world.
School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex and illustrated by Christian Robinson tells how Frederick Douglas Elementary School- the building itself- is nervous about the first day of school. It’s fun and relatable, and – spoiler alert- the day doesn’t go perfectly but everyone has a good first day.
We are big fans of the pigeon books in our house, and this one had us rolling on the floor. The Pigeon Has to go to School is best read aloud with lots of exclamations and humor. True to form, Pigeon is nervous about the first day of school. He puts into (hilarious) words lots of things that a kid- or parent- might be nervous about and then works through it and ends up feeling better by the end.
Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López nailed the sentiment in The Day You Begin. This thoughtful and powerful story shows a kid who doesn’t think they fits in with their peers who have different experiences than they do until they take a brave step to share bits of themselves and finds points of connectedness. We read this book whenever we feel nervous about not knowing someone in a new place.
Splat the Cat doesn’t want to go to school on the first day. He comes up with every excuse under the sun (can I get a sympathetic eye roll, families?) to not go to school just to find that it’s a fun adventure after all. Rob Scotton also sneaks in a bit that helps kids be accepting of others, even when it goes against the norm, which this mom loves.
The Kracken’s Rules for Making Friends by Brittany R. Jacobs is so funny! The Kracken has a reputation he is trying to overcome and tries so hard to make friends. In the end the Kracken learns you don’t have to have all the friends- just one friend can make a big difference.
The King of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes and Vanessa Brantley-Newton walks kids through their first day of kindergarten, emphasizing the fun and exciting bits. I particularly appreciated the acknowledgement of how the families might feel on this big day, too. Kids will finish this book excited for their kindergarten experience.