“Where do you eat lunch?”
“How do you find your classroom?”
“Do you miss your mommy?”
These are just some of the sweet questions that my five year olds dictated to their older, wiser almost first grader pen pal a few weeks before they started Kindergarten.
When my twins started Kindergarten in New York City they were eagerly crossing off days on the calendar to reach that big First Day, but they had worries.
A lot of these worries evaporated on the first day when they meet their teacher and learn the routines, but I wanted to help them feel confident walking out the door on that first day. One of the ways I helped them was to talk about their fears and concerns with books.
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10+ Best Books to Discuss First Day of School Worries
1. Pirates Don’t Go to Kindergarten
by Lisa Robinson and illustrated by Eda Kaban
I love this book for kids who went to Preschool before starting Kindergarten. We feel like Kindergarten shouldn’t be a huge transition for them but somehow it does still feel so different to them. The star of this book loved her pirate themed preschool, especially her pirate captain teacher, but going to the space themed Kindergarten doesn’t sound like a good idea. I think kids relate to these worries but also enjoy the imagination filled way with which they are discussed.
2.Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
This one is for the kiddos who didn’t go to Preschool or who are starting Preschool this year. This is a very first school experience book – or for kids who just worry more than the average kid (I have one of those!) Wemberly is a champion worrier and starting school has given her even more worries than usual. This is just the sweetest book about worrying, new schools, and those perfect friends who make everything okay. One of my all time favorite books and perfect for the New School Year occasion.
3. Truman
by Jean Reidy illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins
One of the most delightful and unexpected back to school books I have ever read. This is Sarah’s first day of school, but it is told through the eyes of her sweet turtle, Truman. Sarah leaves and it feels different this time and Truman decides to go after her. The world through the eyes of a turtle is so dear and their relationship even more so. A great story to share any time of the year, but particularly when one must be brave before a first day.
4. The Kissing Hand
by Audrey Penn
This is a classic and addresses that concern of leaving mom for the first time. Kindergarten year my daughter adored this book and gave me a kiss to save on my hand every night before she went to bed.
5. David Goes to School.
by David Shannon
For a kid that worries about the rules of school this is the perfect book with brief text and lots of humor. Oh David. I love this one less for kindergarteners and more for kids starting first grade and beyond.
6. I Hate English!
by Ellen Levine
Mei Mei speaks Chinese and is a great student until her family moves to New York. In her new school everything is in English and she hates it. This book beautifully articulates the challenges of attending school in a new language and the struggle to hold onto yourself even as you adapt. A wonderful story for any English language learner starting school or changing to a new school.
7. The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade
by Justin Roberts
Kids are sometimes mean. This is an unfortunate reality of school but the smallest girl in the smallest grade has some thoughts about this. By far the most unique book I have read about Kindergarten and a testament to the power of the very small.
8. Llama Llama Misses Mama
by Anna Dewdney
Another book about missing mama. It is aimed at the preschool audience, but I think Kindergarteners relate just as much. The raw emotion that burst off the page through the character of sweet Llama Llama is something to which every child can relate.
9. Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse
by Kevin Henkes
I’m admittably Kevin Henkes biased, but his characters and stories are just delightful. Lilly is a favorite and in this tale she brings her brand new purple plastic purse to school and causes all kinds of drama. My children both like to cart their little prized belongings with them everywhere so this one is helpful in explaining why sometimes that isn’t the best idea.
10. Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!
by Nancy Carlson
Henry is ready for his first day of school in this book. While he gets ready and walks to school, his parents talk with him about what to expect. I think most fears about the First Day of School come from not knowing what to expect. This isn’t exactly a guidebook, but it helps to fill in some of the mystery.
11. Kindergarten, Here I Come!
by D. J. Steinberg
Another great books about what to expect in Kindergarten. This one is a collection of poems that breaks down the different parts of the day from loosing a tooth at lunch to getting to be the line leader. Big and small, this one covers the Kindergarten basics.
12. Did You Hear What I Heard? Poems about School
by Kay Winters
A wonderful collection of poems about school for the first day, but also the entire year. I would love to share the poems about rushing out the door, riding the bus, and being the new kid for the first day of school. The poems capture the humor, frustration, fears, and moments of a school year and a school child delightfully. A great collection to have on your shelf.
13. It’s Your First Day of School, Busy Bus!
by Jody Jensen Shaffer
illustrated by Claire Messer
What a fun, fresh look at the first day of school. In this book you follow Busy Bus and his driver as they get prepared for the first day of school and Busy Bus tries to calm his first day jitters. The sweet, gently textured illustrations add wonderful warmth to this book and it’s main character. Kids who are fascinated by buses and other vehicles will be fascinated by how buses are readied for the day and all kids will empathize with Busy Bus’s first day worries. A good book to have on your shelf each year before kids head to school.
14. We Don’t Eat Our Classmates
by Ryan T. Higgins
It is hard enough to start school but imagine being a dinosaur in a classroom full of yummy humans. Yikes. This story is hilarious – from the title to the cover and all the way through. It’s a great read aloud for preschool and kindergartners, but even my almost third graders find it amusing. Don’t worry – no humans are actually harmed in the making of this book.
15. School of Fish
by Jane Yolen
illustrated by Mike Moran
Bright and cheerful, this is a fun back to school book to hand your first or second grader who is beginning to read a little more independently. This little fish experiences all the ups and downs in emotions that come with a First Day of School. The text is fairly brief on each page but the page count is a little higher than some early readers. We particularly loved that a shark encounter is thrown in since we discovered it during our July shark week obsession. A fun back to school early reader!
16. Let’s Play! A Book About Making Friends
by Amanda McCardie
illustrated by Colleen Larmour
For kids learning to be a friend, teachers looking for stories that can help with social role playing – this is a great book. It has straightforward text and clear examples of how to make and be a friend. The illustrations are bright and cheerful. As the author notes in the back, these are primarily positive examples of friendship. The main character confronts a little teasing and rejection, but for the most part it is the example of what friendship “should” look like in a perfect world. I can see this working well with a preschool classroom or with a small group of children working on social skills.
