Get your kids in the back-to-school spirit (or prepare them for their first year) with these favorite school-themed picture books for kids!
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In a blog post a couple of weeks ago about how to prepare for your kids’ first year of school, and then again in last week’s post about back-to-school traditions, I mentioned reading school-themed picture books to your kids. The great news is there are lots of wonderful options to enjoy! Check out the list below for some delightful books to help get your kids ready for school.
The Best School-Themed Picture Books
Get your kids in the back-to-school spirit (or prepare them for their first year) with these favorite school-themed books for kids!
P.S. These would also make fantastic gifts to add to your kids’ classroom libraries!!
A Letter From Your Teacher: On the First Day of School
From the author and illustrator of Our Class is a Family, this heartwarming picture book helps teachers in welcoming their new group of students on the first day of school. Through a letter written from the teacher’s point of view, students are given the message that their new teacher is someone they will get to form a special bond with. Their teacher is not only there to help them academically, but also to cheer them on, and to provide a caring, safe environment for them to learn and grow.
Butterflies on the First Day of School
Rosie can’t wait to start kindergarten—she’s had her pencils sharpened and her backpack ready for weeks. But suddenly, on the night before the big day, her tummy hurts. Rosie’s mom reassures her that it’s just butterflies in her belly, and she’ll feel better soon. Much to Rosie’s surprise, when she says hello to a new friend on the bus, a butterfly flies out of her mouth! As the day goes on, Rosie frees all her butterflies, and even helps another shy student let go of hers, too.
It’s the first day of school at Frederick Douglass Elementary and everyone’s just a little bit nervous, especially the school itself. What will the children do once they come? Will they like the school? Will they be nice to him?
The school has a rough start, but as the day goes on, he soon recovers when he sees that he’s not the only one going through first-day jitters.
On the First Day of Kindergarten
Perfect for nervous/excited kids about to go to kindergarten (and their parents!). This engaging adaptation of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” convinces parents and children alike that there is no place cooler than a kindergarten classroom.
Curious George’s First Day of School
It’s the first day of school, and George has been invited to Mr. Apple’s class to be a special helper. George is just the right monkey for the job—that is, until he starts to make his usual mischief.
A mixture of red and yellow paint makes orange . . . a mixture of yellow and blue makes green . . . and a mixture of all the paint colors makes a big mess! After a speedy adventure up and down the halls of the school, George and Mr. Apple clean up the classroom—with a little help from George’s new friends.
Your little monkey will enjoy giggling at George’s back-to-school mischief, as well as the satisfying happy ending.
The Berenstain Bears Go to School
Come for a visit in Bear Country with this classic storybook from Stan and Jan Berenstain. All the cubs in Bear Country are ready for the new school year . . . except for Sister Bear. She is about to start kindergarten, but can’t stop worrying about what it will be like. Will her teacher be nice? Will she make friends? What will she do all day in class? This book is a great read-aloud to cure first-day-jitters in or out of the classroom.
Our Class is a Family & Our School is a Family
Teachers do so much more than just teach academics. They build a sense of community within their classrooms, creating a home away from home where they make their students feel safe, included, and loved.
With its heartfelt message and colorfully whimsical illustrations, “Our Class is a Family” is a book that will help build and strengthen that class community. Kids learn that their classroom is a place where it’s safe to be themselves, it’s okay to make mistakes, and it’s important to be a friend to others. When hearing this story being read aloud by their teacher, students are sure to feel like they are part of a special family.
The crayons are getting ready to go back to school, and each crayon has a subject they’re looking forward to the most. They’re also ready to meet new friends. . . and let loose during their very favorite time of day: art class. A humorous, small hardcover back-to-school story from everyone’s favorite school supplies.
Time For School, Little Blue Truck
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are excited to meet a bright yellow school bus on the road. 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. Beep! Beep! Vroom!
School is starting soon and Turkey can’t wait. Each day, he and his barnyard friends practice their writing and math. But when the school bus rolls up, they are booted off. It turns out that animals aren’t allowed to attend school. Pig calls it “hogwash,” and Turkey agrees. All he has to do is find a way to show the students and the principal that turkeys―and their friends―do belong in school. With a gobble, gobble here; a gobble, gobble there; and a few clever costumes, he just might.
Summer days are getting shorter and it’s almost time for the first day of school for Llama! But Llama Llama isn’t ready for summertime to end. It’s been full of backyard camping, family picnics, and ice cream with friends. All he wants is for summer to go on forever! He’s anxious about his first day back at school but maybe, with some help from his friends and Mama Llama, going back to school will be fun after all!
The Pigeon HAS to Go to School
Why does the Pigeon have to go to school? He already knows everything! And what if he doesn’t like it? What if the teacher doesn’t like him? What if he learns TOO MUCH!?! Ask not for whom the school bell rings; it rings for the Pigeon!
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. The inventive boy who described his ideal car and house in previous books is dreaming even bigger this time.
The class pets escaped from their cages and are running loose in your school! Lizards, hamsters, rabbits, and birds are on the loose… and a bearded dragon is leading the hilarious escape. Join the fun and find out if YOU have what it takes to catch these riotous pets on their wild field trip! Featuring an approachable school theme that kids will relate to plus cute animal characters and clever rhymes, this silly story will inspire repeat reads again and again.
How the Crayons Saved the School
Oh no, the school has lost all its color! In a quiet town, a wave of gray has swept over a little school. Happy kids are now bored, bored, bored. Charming halls and play grounds are now dull, dull, dull. Buzzing teachers are now tired, tired, tired. Something has to be done! On another long, gray afternoon, a student gets a surprise gift that can help save the day: a box of seven special crayons! With the charm, determination, and cleverness of these peppy crayons and their unique personalities, the students and teachers work together to make their school magnificent. The crayons use their funny antics and extraordinary determination to show them how colorful and exciting the world can be when everyone works together.
What Should Danny Do?: School Day
Danny is back in an all new adventure! In this follow up to the #1 Amazon Best Seller, What Should Danny Do?, your children will get to decide how Danny’s day at school will end! Children love being able to make all the choices for this Superhero-in-Training and control the outcome of the book, while parents and teachers love the lessons the book teaches! Try to reach all 8 endings in this “Choose Your Own Story” adventure!
If you take a mouse to school, he’ll ask you for your lunch box. When you give him your lunch box, he’ll want a sandwich to go in it. Then he’ll need a notebook and some pencils. He’ll probably want to share your backpack, too. The famous mouse from If You Take a Mouse to the Movies and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is back for his first day of school. Only Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond could make school this much fun!
In this exuberant picture book from the bestselling Hello!Lucky team, a friendly narrator prepares young readers for their first day of school with humor and encouragement. A fifth color throughout makes School Is Cool! the perfect back-to-school gift for those gearing up for their big day, whether they are worried about not knowing the rules, how to make friends, or how to fit in.
SHARE WITH US: What other great school-themed picture books do you love? Tell us in the comments!
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
- 8 Ways to Prepare for the First Year of School
- 15 Back-to-School Traditions Your Family Will Love!
- 10 Ways to Prepare for Back to School
- How to Have Stress-Free School Mornings
- Our Favorite Picture Books for Kids
Share your thoughts!