It’s hard to believe it, but school is just around the corner! This change can be uncomfortable for kids of any age, whether they’re starting school for the first time, going to a new school, or starting a new grade. Books are a great way to help kids learn what to expect when it’s time to hit the books again, so we have put together a list of books for young readers about starting school. These books are great for kiddos that while it’s okay to be nervous about school, there are all kinds of fun things to learn and do there. In No School for Me! (Change Is Hard) by Natasha Yim and illustrated by Cory Reid, Little Turtle is upset about starting preschool. The change is scary, and Little Turtle just wants to stay home. But when Mama Turtle drops Little Turtle off at school, Little Turtle soon learns that change can be fun, too! Little Turtle makes friends and can’t wait to go back to school to eat snacks, make art, and play outside. Yim validates the nervous feelings young readers may have about school by showing Little Turtle’s reluctance, but she slowly shows how fun school can actually be. Reid’s full-color, pastel illustrations pair well with Yim’s text to create a comforting story about all the different ways that change can feel.
Check out more back to school books below!
Getting Ready For First Grade
Written by Vera Ahiyya, The Tutu Teacher
Illustrated by Debby Rahmalia
Published by Random House PICTUREBACK
Available now!
Gus & Sully: Ready for School
Written and illustrated by Steve Light
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now!
No School for Me! (Change Is Hard) (Chicken Soup for the Soul Babies)
Written by Natasha Yim
Illustrated by Cory Reid
Published by Charlesbridge
Available now!
Today at School: With Yesterday and Tomorrow
Written by Jessica Young
Illustrated by Renee Kurilla
Published by Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!
Trusty Bus
Written by Elizabeth Weiss Verdick
Illustrated by Jeff Harter
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Available now!
3…2…1…Circus and Early Rider
Wegman’s children’s literature output has been spottier of late, though experiments with a new style, inserting digital images of the dogs into scribbly, painterly paintings, have produced some recent charmers, including two board books out this month. 3…2…1…Circus! sees the dogs in all manner of circus scenarios, beginning with ten and counting down to a literal, lone puppy blast-off. Early Rider sets the puppies to get about in all manner of transportation, from pogo stick to hot-air balloon, described in rhyming couplets. The production values here are pleasantly rough, with sketchy objects on even sketchier backgrounds, offering a pronounced contrast to the digital clarity of the puppy pics. And Wegman’s ability to interpret the puppies’ playful positions, painting them into cockpits and clown suits, adds lots of dynamic energy.
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