Though summer has only just started, teachers and librarians are already hard at work preparing for the new academic year. We’ve gathered a list of some back-to-school stories to help kids transition into the classroom.
K.L. Going, illus. by Reggie Brown. Little, Brown, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-316-50977-0. Ages 4–8. A diminutively scaled narrator reflects on what it means to be a “big kid” in this straightforward account of overcoming first-day fears. Brown’s painterly digital renderings add visual variability with textures throughout scenes that abundantly amplify the size disparity between the small younger students and the oversize older kids.
Embarrassed Ferret (Forest School of Big Feelings #1)
Lisa Frenkel Riddiough, illus. by Andrea Tsurumi. Disney Hyperion, $17.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-368-09976-9. Ages 3–7. This buoyant series starter focused on social-emotional development kicks off with the eponymous protagonist feeling cool and confident—walking to school “in style,/ all silky fur and cheerful smile,” writes Frenkel Riddiough in smartly scanning rhymes. But things go downhill fast via a set of mishaps.
Ibi Zoboi, illus. by Juanita Londoño. Versify, $19.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-0630-7888-8. Ages 4–8. This uplifting picture book visualizes the first day of school for children the world over. Beginning in Africa, where the rising sun eases “over Kenya and Tanzania,/ Uganda and Somalia,” communal lines read, “ ‘Habari za asubuhi!’ We sing in Swahili, welcoming the morning air.” As the narrative moves across continents, Zoboi references cultural elements such as food, language, song, religion, and music.
James Kwan. Abrams, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4197-7114-9. Ages 4–8. An intrepid youth describes life among alien peers in this interstellar journal account turned school tale. Clad in an astronaut get-up, the human narrator anthropologically details the differences that abound. Finding themself “not slimy enough,” the subject struggles to feel a sense of belonging, but show-and-tell provides an opportunity for connection.
Mao Mao’s Perfectly Imperfect Day
Laan Cham. Random House, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-71004-3. Ages 4–8. The arrival of a new student challenges panda Mao Mao’s narrow quest for perfection in this picture book about frustration, release, and individual natures. When human classmate Olivia is seated next to the meticulous panda and promptly dumps out her backpack’s contents, then spills paint water across the table, Mao Mao’s concern is evident. Then an idea forms: “To help Olivia ease into her new environment, he will show her the art of how to be... PERFECT!”
Vanessa Roeder. Dial, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-85850-9. Ages 3–7. A narwhal named Hugo navigates classroom life with a “BIG, TALL” tusk in Roeder’s lightly comedic animal story. By the end of school’s first week, Hugo still runs into “tusk troubles,” but he also has friends to help him navigate them—leading to an easygoing conclusion that emphasizes themes of community support.
Niña Mata. HarperCollins, $19.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-0633-1825-0. Ages 4–8. Mata’s introspective solo picture book debut centers new-kid-at-school experiences while imagining many possibilities for the word new. Close observations and anticipations are rendered in full color, until arrival at school establishes a shift to desaturated hues. There, at last, a new pal returns bright moments to the telling; though the two speak different languages, their initial encounters blossom into friendship.
Dan Gill, illus. by Susan Gal. Little, Brown, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-316-55269-1. Ages 4–8. Per an author’s note, Gill draws from a childhood experience of being excluded because of his race in this affecting dual-timeline story about acceptance. The book’s framing narrative describes how grown-up Daniel—now a teacher, Mr. Gill—leaves an empty chair at the front of his classroom as a welcoming symbol: “No one will say there are no more chairs. All are welcome here.” The book received a starred review from PW.
Chelsea Lin Wallace, illus. by Thyra Heder. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-8234-5704-5. Ages 4–8. Mr. Jay commands School Bus 3—and the 18 kids on the route adore him. Starring a beloved adult who brings everyone together, this jubilant picture book hails its school-commute VIP accordingly: “When problems happen on the road,/ when little things make heavy loads,/ there’s nothing like a trusted guide/ to keep you safe inside the ride.” The book received a starred review from PW.
Lane Smith. Abrams, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4197-7689-2. Ages 4–8. Ever the troublemaker, Smith stages a jubilant, eye-popping, and highly interactive mutiny against the tyranny of strictly scheduled fun, declaring recess an anytime, anywhere affair. It’s a playful work that suggests an effective educational strategy can consist of knowing when to momentarily abandon ship. Characters are portrayed with a range of fanciful colors.
Sammy and Sunny’s First Day of School
Nina LaCour, illus. by Elizabeth Lilly. Rocky Pond, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-5936-9575-3. Ages 3–6. It’s day one of kid school for Sammy, and day one of puppy school for family dog Sunny. After each drop-off, mild anxiety follows: Sammy looks a little lost amid the cubbies, and Sunny howls a mournful “AAAWOOOOOOO.” But both have calm, welcoming teachers, and the story’s gentle developmental parallels offer a measure of sweetly comic reassurance for first-day jitters.
Korena Di Roma Howley, illus. by Joowon Oh. Candlewick, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5362-3231-8. Ages 3–7. In an uplifting authorial picture book debut, Di Roma Howley introduces a spirited protagonist whose innovative idea helps forestall the closing of the school in her seaside South Korean village. Oh’s carefully lit digital illustrations emphasize Sarang’s sunny optimism, and fond intergenerational interactions depict shared learning and wisdom at every age. The book received a starred review from PW.
Scarecited on the First Day of School
Alliah L. Agostini, illus. by Lala Watkins. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-374-39002-0. Ages 3–6. Vocab mash-ups propel this emotionally aware first-day-of-school tale. Narrator Afua, portrayed with brown skin, starts off experiencing emotions including “scarecited” (“scared and excited”) and “shurious” (“shy but curious”). But roll call leads to Afua’s feeling “sadbarrassed” after the teacher mispronounces their name.
Teacher Jitters
Julie Danneberg, illus. by Judy Love. Charlesbridge, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-62354-434-8; $8.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-62354-435-5. Ages 5–8. In this installment of the popular The Jitters series, students help calm their favorite teacher Mrs. Hartwell’s nerves before a teacher training day.
Tiny T. Rex and the First Day Oopsies
Jonathan Stutzman, illus. by Jay Fleck. Chronicle, $16.99 (52 p) ISBN 978-1-79723-320-8. In this addition to the Tiny T. Rex series, Tiny is sure he's ready for anything at his big new school—but learns that even the best-prepared dinosaur will still meet some "oopsies" along the way.
Today at School: With Yesterday and Tomorrow
Jessica Young, illus. by Renée Kurilla. Knopf, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-81275-4. Ages 4–8. In this allegorical picture book, animal siblings Tomorrow, a bird, and Yesterday, a bear, navigate dual perspectives on their first school day. The sisters’ differences are immediately on display as they head off, and their conflicting sensibilities build to a head at lunch. Just in time, a new friend appears: Today, a fox, proves just the in-the-moment companion the siblings need.
Elizabeth Weiss Verdick, illus. by Jeff Harter. Beach Lane, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-66594-849-4. Ages 4–8. Weiss Verdick’s rhythmic onomatopoeia-filled lines narrate yellow school bus Trusty’s jam-packed workday in this safety-oriented picture book. After an opening systems check, Driver Dee, a brown bear, takes Trusty out on his route picking up various fully anthropomorphized critters.
Chelsea M. Campbell, illus. by Charlene Chua. Feiwel and Friends, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-250-29301-5. Ages 3–6. Finding “no vacancy” at an overcrowded local school, a group of human children head to dragon school, instead—an adventurous-sounding conceit that belies a deeper takeaway about finding common ground.
