Back to School Books for Kids

If Jack built a school, there would be hover desks and pop-up textbooks, skydiving wind tunnels and a trampoline basketball court in the gym, a robo-chef to serve lunch in the cafeteria, field trips to Mars, and a whole lot more.

It’s natural for children to feel anxious about the first day of school, just like the kid in this story. Good thing many people are there to help her feel more comfortable so she can have the best first day!

From the author-illustrator team of Welcome to Dinosaur School comes a story that will help prepare your little unicorns for their own first day at school! Packed with adorable illustrations and easy-to-read rhyming text, this picture book is perfect for sparking conversations about first-day worries.

Introducing a mantra for first-day—and any-day—worries, Breathe Like a Bear: First-Day-of-School Worries uses an easy-to-follow breathing exercise, mindful prompts, and a soothing mantra that will help kids navigate their anxiety long after the final page.

A little hippo finds that looking out for a new friend can turn shyness into bravery in Jaime Kim’s sweetly illustrated story about the first day of school.

Getting your octopus to school won’t be easy. He would much rather stay home with you and play hide-and-seek or dress-up. But you know your octopus will love school if he gives it a chance. And you’ll tell him that . . . as soon as you can find him . . .

Starting a new school year brings a variety of emotions for children, especially if it’s their first time experiencing formal schooling. This uplifting, diverse picture book celebrates the first day of school and the many activities that are shared on this special day.

Whether the reader is a child who is eager to return to school or a younger one trying to imagine what school is like, this upbeat and lyrical ode—the fourth in the And Then Comes series—holds sure appeal for returning students and first-timers alike.

National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson and two-time Pura Belpré Illustrator Award winner Rafael López have teamed up to create a poignant, yet heartening book about finding courage to connect, even when you feel scared and alone.

Corduroy has a lot to do at school today. This lovable, cuddly bear, is just the right, reassuring presence to make children feel comfortable with all the new experiences school can bring.

Lola is not so sure about school. After all, why would she need to count higher than ten when she never eats more than ten cookies at a time? Once again, it’s up to ever-patient big brother Charlie to persuade Lola that school is worthwhile — and that her invisible friend, Soren Lorensen, will be welcome, too.

It’s the night before preschool, and a little boy named Billy is so nervous he can’t fall asleep. The friends he makes the next day at school give him a reason not to sleep the next night, either: he’s too excited about going back! The book’s simple rhyming text and sweet illustrations will soothe any child’s fears about the first day of school.

Newbery Honor-winning author Derrick Barnes’s empowering story will give new kindergarteners a reassuring confidence boost, and Vanessa Brantley-Newton’s illustrations exude joy.

D. J. Steinberg celebrates all the landmark moments of preschool. Because the year is full of so many firsts, this collection of funny, joyful poems is a must-have for all small scholars in the making.

Froggy’s mother knows that everyone’s nervous on the first day of school. “Not me!” says Froggy, and together they leapfrog to the bus stop — flop flop flop. Froggy’s exuberant antics will delight his many fans and reassure them that school can be fun.