The 6 Best Back To School Books for Kids

Start the school year by reading fabulous school-themed books that will grab kids’ attention and leave them smiling. Whether you’re looking for something fun or educational, I’ve got you covered! Read on to see some of the best back-to-school books for children.

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates By Ryan T. Higgins

4+

Going to a new place where you don’t know anyone can be scary. Higgins uses humor to show making friends can be easy….as long as you don’t eat your classmates! In the first book of Ryan Higgin’s Penelope Rex series, Penelope is excited to start school but is a little nervous about meeting her classmates and making friends.  Will her classmates be friendly? Penelope is in for a big surprise when she discovers that she goes to school with CHILDREN instead of dinosaurs and has to curb her appetite for kids to make new friends. This book could be a discussion opener about how to make friends and show them kindness.

Tags: Funny, Dinosaurs, School, Beginning of School year, Making Friends

The Pigeon HAS to Go to School By Mo Willems

3+

Pigeon’s anxiety about starting school changes to excitement when he discovers all the amazing things he will do there. This book normalizes the beginning of school jitters, identifying all the wonderful new experiences you will encounter. 

Tags: New Experiences, School, Nervous, Funny

Queen of Kindergarten By Derrick Barnes Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton

Ages 4+

What makes a queen? Someone who brightens a room is kind and helpful. MJ is ready to start her first day of kindergarten–she washed up, Momma braided her hair, and she looks good. She’s just missing one accessory–a tiara. A sweet story of how a mom prepares her daughter for the first day of school so she is confident and booming. The book is filled with fun, bright colors and follows MJ from school arrival to coming home at the end of the day. I also love the character illustrations, as readers may identify with Leo’s missing teeth, variety of skin tones, and hairstyles. I love how this book focuses on strategizing success rather than worrying about the unknown. When MJ walks through the doors of her new school, she is all set to have a great day (Daddy, on the other hand, like many parents, is a little apprehensive). 

Talk about After Reading: What are three easy things your child can do on the first day that will set them up for success? Like MJ, they can show kindness, be helpful, and brighten someone’s day with a smile. 

Tags: New School, Kindergarten, Trying something new, Kindness, Confidence, 

All Are Welcome By Alexandra Penfold Illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman

3+

All Are Welcome invites readers to spend a school day in a warm classroom where differences are celebrated,  happiness abounds, and students grow together. Kids (and grown-ups, too!) will love the fun, colorful illustrations. Kaufman does a beautiful job, including characters of different skin tones, abilities (there is a student with a wheelchair, a few wearing glasses), religions, and family makeup. This visual representation implies that everyone is unique and everyone matters. My favorite part of the book is when the kids are in the cafeteria at lunchtime. At the top of the page are various flags representing the nationalities of the students. At the lunch tables, every friend has a different type of bread they brought from home, representing their individual heritages. You see pita, baguette, the bagel–all yummy carbohydrates in different shapes.  I love how this recognizes the common denominator–bread–similarities and celebrates each unique flavor.

The book provides kids with what Rudine Sims Bishops, professor emerita at Ohio State University and dubbed “mother of multicultural children’s literature,” as this book provides readers a “mirror” to identify with the characters in the book and a “window” to learn about new cultures. All Are Welcome is a great first-day-of-school read, as the book celebrates individual identity and fosters a welcoming environment celebrating a safe space to learn and grow together. 

Tags: Inclusivity, Repetition, Rhyme, School, Respect

If I Built a School by Chris Van Dussen  

Age 5+ 

How would you design the perfect school if you were to build it? Would it be in a tree house? Will there be a helipad on the roof? Or would it be on the moon? Come along with Jack as he takes you on a tour of the fantastic school he designed, and check out the neat architectural features (part trampoline basketball court), furniture (love the hover desks!), and out-of-this-world playground!

I love the creativity Van Dussen incorporates throughout this book, no idea is too wild, and Jack’s School sounds fantastic! Jack’s creativity empowers readers to dig deep into their creative thoughts and explore their imaginations.

Extension Activity: How would you design a school? Who would you be developing the school for r? What features would it have? Inviting students to unleash their imaginations and plan the ultimate school is a fun beginning-of-the-year activity that can incorporate creative writing, drawing, and building. The kids will have fun, and the teacher will have insight into the child’s interests. 

Tags: Architecture, School, Design, rhyming, Imagination,  Art, Fun, 

Sideways Stories from Wayside School By Louis Sachar  Illustrated by Tim Heitz

Ages 7+

Wayside School was supposed to be one level with thirty classrooms. Instead, the builders stacked them on top of one another. They said they were sorry. It works out for the kids because the playground is super big. The silliness isn’t limited to the architecture, and one teacher has a habit of turning kids into apples! Each chapter of this wonderfully funny book will surely bring out giggles from everyone. As soon as you want to put the book down, I am sure you will hear, “just one more chapter, please!” Sideways Stories from Wayside School is a hysterically zany chapter book for first grade and up. This excellent back-to-school book will break the ice of first-day jitters with tons of belly laughs. 

Tags: Wacky, School, Humor, Classic, Laugh

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on these titles! 

Happy Reading!

XOXO,

Sheryl