Whether it's their first year or their 5th, back to school season can bring up a lot of emotions for both children and adults.
Excited or nervous about schooling? We've got a few book recommendations for that!
Here are our Top 9 Books for Back to School:
1. All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold
All Are Welcome lets young children know that no matter what, they have a place, they have a space, they are welcome in their school.
Follow a group of children through a day in their school, where everyone is welcomed with open arms. A school where kids in patkas, hijabs, and yamulkes play side-by-side with friends in baseball caps. A school where students grow and learn from each other's traditions and the whole community gathers to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
2. Shy and Mighty: Your Shyness is a Superpower by Nadia Finer
Our noisy world sometimes feels like it's not made for shy people. This book will help children understand shyness and find their inner voice.
Shy And Mighty offers an insightful way of looking at the subject that will comfort and reassure shy children and can help them to overcome the aspects of their shyness that are holding them back, without pretending to be something they're not.
3. KINDergarten by Vera Ahiyya
This is a story about a classroom coming together to make a kindergarten into a KINDergarten and is sure to calm the nerves and offer inspiration to new kindergartners and the adults in their lives.
4. If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen
A student fantasizes about his dream school--from classroom to cafeteria to library to playground. The rhyming and illustrations alone would result in 100% attendance to this school!
5. Time for School, Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
Perfect for the younger crowd, you'll ride along to school with Little Blue Truck and meet Blue's new a bright yellow school. They see all the little animals lined up in the school bus’s many windows, and Blue wishes he could be a school bus too. What a fun job—but much too big for a little pickup like Blue. Or is it? When somebody misses the bus, it’s up to Blue to get his friend to school on time.
6. The Oldest Student by Rita Lorraine Hubbard
In 1848, Mary Walker was born into slavery. At age 15, she was freed, and by age 20, she was married and had her first child. By age 68, she had worked numerous jobs, including cooking, cleaning, babysitting, and selling sandwiches to raise money for her church. At 114, she was the last remaining member of her family. And at 116, she learned to read. With perseverance and dedication, Mary proved that you're never too old to learn!
7. Little Bat in Night School by Brian Lies
Little Bat can't wait for his first night of school. He is excited about his new school supplies, learning amazing things, and making new friends. But when he finally arrives, his world turns upside down. With the help of Little Bat and his adorable classmates, readers will see that spreading your wings is easy when you listen, act with kindness, and take a chance on new friends.
8. How to Get Your Teacher Ready by Jean Reagan
This humorous book takes readers through a fun and busy school year. Written in tongue-in-cheek instructional style, a class of adorable students gives tips and tricks for getting a teacher ready for the first day of school, and all the events and milestones that will follow (picture day, holiday concert, the 100th day of school, field day!). And along the way, children will see that getting their teacher ready is really getting themselves ready.
9. The Queen of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes
This is the perfect book to reinforce excitement and build confidence in the newest students. MJ is more than ready for her first day of kindergarten! With her hair freshly braided and her mom's special tiara on her head, she knows she’s going to rock kindergarten. But the tiara isn’t just for show, it also reminds her of all the good things she brings to the classroom, stuff like her kindness, friendliness, and impressive soccer skills, too!