Some Great Books about Starting School

Best Children's Picture Books About Starting School
Kids' Books About Preschool, Kindergarten, First Grade

By Elizabeth Kennedy, About.com Guide

I Am Too Absolutely Small for School

Young children worried about starting preschool or kindergarten will be reassured when you read the picture book I Am Too Absolutely Small for School by Lauren Child to them. Lola is sure she is "too absolutely small for school," but Charlie, her older brother, humorously and patiently convinces she's not. Charlie gives Lola all kinds of funny reasons that stretch the imagination about why she needs to go to school. Child's mixed media artwork definitely adds to the fun. (Candlewick, 2004. ISBN: 9780763628871)

First Day Jitters

This is an excellent book for the child who is worried about changing schools. The author is Julie Danneberg and the colorful and comic illustrations in ink and watercolor are by Judy Love. It’s the first day of school and Sarah Jane Hartwell does not want to go. She will be going to a new school and she is scared. This is a funny book, with a surprise ending that will cause the reader to laugh out loud and then go back and read the entire story again. (Charlesbridge, 2000. ISBN: 158089061X)

The Kissing Hand

Transitions, like starting school, can be very worrying for young children. Audrey Penn's The Kissing Hand provides comfort and reassurance to children 3 to 8. Chester Raccoon is scared about starting kindergarten, so his mother tells him a family secret - the story of the kissing hand. Knowing her love will always be with him is a great comfort to Chester, and the story may provide similar comfort to your apprehensive little ones. (Tanglewood Press, 2006. ISBN: 9781933718002)

 

Sam and Gram and the First Day of School

This picture book was written by Dianne Blomberg and has engaging watercolor illustrations by George Ulrich. The American Psychological Association published Sam and Gram and the First Day of School under its auspices. The book was written specifically to help parents prepare children for kindergarten or first grade. In addition to the story about Sam and his experiences on the first day of school, there are two sections of information for parents. (Magination Press, 1999. ISBN: 1557985626)

Wow! School!

If you are looking for a reassuring book about starting school (preschool or kindergarten) that will give you lots to talk about with your child, I recommend Wow! School! by Robert Robert Neubecker. This almost wordless picture book features big, bold and bright illustrations. It's Izzy's first day of school and there's so much for the little red-haired girl to see and do. Each of the book's double-page spreads has a Wow! caption and a very detailed colorful and childlike illustration of some aspect of classroom and school activities.
The first spread, Wow! Classroom, shows the entire room, including all the centers and bulletin boards, as well as the children playing and the teacher welcoming Izzy. Other illustrations include: Wow! Teacher!, Wow! Art!, Wow! Books!, Wow! Lunch!, Wow! Playground! and Wow! Music! This is such a positive book and gives such a detailed look at what to expect that it should be a big hit with children ages 3 to 6. (Disney, Hyperion Books, 2007, 2011 Paperback. ISBN: 9781423138549)

 

A back-to-school favorite
Wemberly worried about spilling her juice, about shrinking in the bathtub, even about snakes in the radiator. She worried morning, noon, and night. "Worry, worry, worry," her family said. "Too much worry." And Wemberly worried about one thing most of all: her first day of school. But when she meets a fellow worrywart in her class, Wemberly realizes that school is too much fun to waste time worrying!

WEDNESDAY: Weekly Library Lessons (for the last week of school) AND an END OF YEAR LIBRARY TO DO DOC

Here are some picture books that discuss the last day of school that would be fun to read to your students AND AT THE END OF THIS POST, DON'T MISS THE END OF YEAR DOC FOR LIBRARIANS.  

Recommended Books for school year's end:

Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the Last Day of Kindergarten

by Joseph Slate, Illustrated by Ashley Wolff
Age Level: 3 and up/ Grade Level: Pre-K and up

Miss Bindergarten and her class have had a great year in kindergarten! They have gone on a field trip, marked the 100th day, created a circus, and even survived a wild day. But now the school year is over, and it?s time to remember, to celebrate, and for Miss Bindergarten to say, ?Good-bye, kindergarten. It?s been a special year.? The bestselling Miss Bindergarten series comes to a sweet and jubilant conclusion by honoring an important passage: the last day of kindergarten. Filled with last-day classroom ideas, it?s also a perfect gift to honor graduation and moving-up ceremonies. Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the Last Day of Kindergarten is the perfect way for teachers and students to commemorate their own end-of-the-year festivities.

   Last Day Blues     Author: Julie Danneber, Illustrator: Judy Love

     Publication Date: January 30, 2006 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

It's the last week of school and Mrs. Hartwell's class is excited to leave for summer vacation, but they don't want their teacher to miss them while they're gone.

The Last Day of School Louise Borden (Author), Adam Gustavson (Illustrator)

Publication Date: March 7, 2006 | Age Level: 7 and up

The shool year is coming to an end, and everyone at Albert E. Chapman Elementary School is counting down, including Mrs. Mallory's third grade class. In the last weeks of school there is much to be done, from putting away supplies to cleaning out desks to finding a summer home for the class pet, Rhoda.  Now -- finally -- the last day is here! Matthew Perez, one of Mrs. Mallory's students, has a perfect good-bye gift for his teacher, and he can't wait to give it to her. But when is the right time? Not in the morning when other kids are giving their gifts. Not during the Last Day fun of kickball and ice-cream treats. Will Matt get his chance before the school day is over?

The last Day of School will resonate with all children who know the excitement, energy, and bittersweet emotions that the final days of a school year bring.

NOW GO TO: http://elementarylibraryroutines.wikispaces.com/End+of+the+Year
AND VISIT NANCY ALIBRANDI'S END OF YEAR DOC WHERE SHE OUTLINES ON AN EXCEL SPREAD SHEET SOME OF WHAT YOU MAY NEED TO DO TO GET YOUR LIBRARY READY TO SHUT IT'S DOORS (FOR THE SUMMER).  THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR DOC WAS TREMENDOUSLY HELPFUL.  THANK YOU NANCY, IT WAS VERY HELPFUL AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR!!  THIS WEBSITE INVALUABLE THANKS TO A FEW GREAT LIBRARIANS OVER THERE!!!!!!!!!!!

Cherished Picture Book of the Week

I went to DI again today, (the second hand stores in Utah), and I found another of my favorite books, by one of my favorite authors ever, Kevin Henkes!  "Wemberly Worried"!  It's a must have, especially for Pre-K/Kinders or to read to any child who is nervous about starting school.

Wemberly worries about everything.  Big things, little things and things in between.  She worries that she may shrink and go down the drain in the bath tub, that the big tree in the front yard will fall on her house and that something might find its way out of the crack in her wall!  She especially worries about her doll "Petals".  Soon however, Wemberly has a new worry:  school!

"What if no one else has spots?  What if the teacher is mean?  What if I can't find the bathroom?"  Wemberly learns that making friends helps alot and it's not as hard as it may seem.  At the end of the first day of school she turns to her teacher and tells her not to worry, because she will be back tomorrow!

I wish I had had a copy of this book when I was 5, because I had a bad case of homesickness when I started school and I was a worry wart, just like Wemberly!  What a great book to help young children see that we all have worries and worries can be fixed!