Kindergarten Kids: Books for a New School Year

Even if a child has experienced preschool, starting full-day kindergarten is a huge step! We have many outstanding stories that will help ease the transition:

Follow the Line to School is a fun interactive tour of a school: when readers follow the line, they "explore" the classroom, library, art room, cafeteria, and more.

If you're familiar with Jane Yolen's How Do Dinosaurs...? series, you know that the books present incorrect and correct manners in a funny and lighthearted manner.  How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? illustrate what to do (have fun playing with friends at recess) and what not to do (jump on your desk!) in the series' usual hilarious way.

Ollie's School Day: A Yes-and-No Book is another interactive book that's sure to spark some giggles and conversation. Ollie has several choices to make about his school day, such as what to wear...should he wear a bathing suit? A police officer's uniform? Of course not!

School's First Day of School  takes the "first day of school" concept with a different twist; instead of presenting children who are nervous about starting school, we see the SCHOOL express worry about the new school year. Will the students like him? Be nice to him? Adam Rex's wacky humor is on full display here, with charming results.

This is My Home, This is My School is one of the few picture books that address homeschooling; through a young boy's perspective, readers follow a large and active family through a typical school day. This is a followup of sorts to Jonathan Bean's darling Building Our House.

Looking for more "back to school" books? Check out my recent ALSC post featuring unique books about schools in different countries.

Jennifer Schultz, Youth Services Librarian, Fauquier County Public Library