Our Favorite Back To School Books
Usually I look forward to the end of summer. By the time August starts I have had my fill of scorching temperatures and lazy summer days and get anxious to get back into more of a routine. But this summer feels a little different as August approaches, because our oldest is heading to Kindergarten and my mom heart is aching. She is ready for Kindergarten and to be honest, we are ready for this next phase for her, but that doesn’t lessen take the ache. I feel like a part of me is saying goodbye to her childhood, and she is on the fast track of growing up, which then brings up so many questions and feelings of guilt.
Did I teach her enough?
Did I spend enough time with her?
Did I create enough fun memories for her?
Did I do a good enough job of teaching her to believe in herself?
Is she ready to face the big wide world out there? The world I have tried to shelter her from the past 6 years?
Any other moms out there feel this same way? Any advice or coping mechanisms besides stuffing your face with chocolate?
To help ease us both into this next phase of life, we have been reading a lot of Back-To-School books to help get her ready. I wanted to share 8 of my favorite Back-to-School books that we have been reading and recommend adding to your shelf!
The Pout Pout Fish Goes To School
By: Deborah Diesen
The Pout Pout Fish books have been a big hit in our house so far – from the first board book to these new adventures. In this story, he recalls his first day of school – which starts out very rough. He gets lost and wanders into a random classroom and when he can’t do what the other students are doing he feels sad and counts off his troubles: “Trouble One: I’m not smart. Trouble Two: I’ll never get it. Trouble Three: I don’t belong. So four: I should forget it.” I love this little rhyme because all his troubles are feelings every kid will experience in school at some point. The troubles continue until he finds the right classroom and learns a new song from his new teacher, which helps him realize he is smart and he can do it!
By: Audrey Penn
This is such a sweet story of Chester who doesn’t want to leave his mom and go to school (insert mom sob here). To help him with this new transition Mrs. Raccoon shows Chester an old secret of the “kissing hand.” A way for Chester to feel his mom’s love wherever he goes. This book does such a good job of talking about all the fears and concerns of a child going to school for the first time. I get teary every time we read it because it is so relatable!
The School’s First Day of School
By: Adam Rex
This is such a clever story about the first day of school from the school’s perspective. The school is nervous as he sees the children arriving and doesn’t know what to expect. It does such a good job of expressing emotions (sadness, embarrassment, happiness, pride, etc) that a child feels, but from the clever viewpoint of the school. My 6 year old loved it so much we read it three times in a row. The illustrations are so detailed and there is so much to look at on each page.
Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes
By Erin Litwin
Do your kids love Pete the Cat as much as my kids do? I will admit, I was skeptical when we checked out our first Pete the Cat book at the library, until I saw how much our girls enjoyed reading the clever songs Pete sings. The best thing about the Pete the Cat series is that Pete never worries or loses his cool when he is faced with a challenge. Instead, he comes up with a song to help him feel “groovy.” He encounters a few challenges during his first day back at school, but his school shoes and tunes help him through.
By: Laura Numeroff
Our girls love the “If you . . ” book series and this one is no exception. They love seeing what kind of mischief the mouse gets into. These books are a little harder for my 3 year old to follow, although ironically I feel like these books sometimes describe her perfectly. In this book, Mouse wants to experience every part of school – lockers, math, science, lunch, playtime, writing, etc. and by the end of the day have completely exhausted the little boy.
By: Ellen Jackson
My oldest is a very curious child and loves to learn about other countries, so I was excited to see how we would enjoy this. It does a good job showcasing a variety of countries (Kenya, Kazakhstan, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, Peru, Germany, India, Russia, and US). There is a story for each country and then highlights from each country on their schooling as well, which was very interesting. This book is a little long, so we have been reading about one or two countries at a time. This was not as engaging for my 3 year old, who still stayed within earshot to hear the book, but wanted to play instead of sitting with us while we read.
How Do Dinosaurs Go To School?
By: Jane Yolen and Mark Teague
We love these books – my girls giggle every time we read them as they see how the dinosaurs are acting. I think they are missing some of the irony of their behavior that can sometimes be very similar to what the dinosaurs are doing. They love the illustrations and finding the name of the dinosaurs on every page.
By: Mike Austin
After our oldest asked to check this out three library trips in a row, I decided it was time to add it to our permanent collection. This book is so vibrant and full of color, which is part of the reason my girls love it so much. Blue is nervous to go to school and at first doesn’t understand why he has to go to school because he already knows his “ABGs, 413s and XYDs.” But during his first day of school he realizes all the fun subjects and experiences school has to offer. This book is full of clever writing that keeps myself and the girls entertained.