Books About Starting School

I meant to get this posted a few weeks ago but life has been busy. Besides being a mother of three, managing a household and running a company, I am also a writer. So I apologize that I didn’t get this posted sooner but I wanted to make sure that I got my favorite children's books about starting school posted.

 My Favorite Children's Books about Starting School

1. Amanda's First Day of School written and illustrated by Joan Elizabeth Goodman

2. We Like Kindergarten by Clara Cassidy illustrated by Eloise Wilkin

3. Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready For Kindergarten by Joseph Slate illustrated by Ashley Wolff

4. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn illustrated by Ruth E. Harper and Nancy M. Leak

5. First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg illustrated by Judith Dufour Love

6. First Day of School by Mercer Mayer

 

I'm pretty sure that every kindergarten classroom has the book "Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten" by Joseph Slate illustrated by Ashley Wolff. If you are unfamiliar with the book, it is an adorable tale about how the teacher sets up her classroom while the kids each prepare for their first day as well. The words rhyme and each letter is represented by an animal. (Adam the alligator, Brenda the beaver, etc.)

 

Two classics that my parents read to me when I went to Kindergarten (yes I still have them), both by Little Golden Books are: "Amanda's First Day of School" by Joan Elizabeth Goodman; and "We Like Kindergarten" by Clara Cassidy illustrated by Eloise Wilkin. These books are still fantastic today! My daughter was nervous about starting kindergarten tonight. After reading these two books she calmed down. Amanda in "Amanda's First Day of School" is scared when her mom goes to leave but she soon makes friends and learns that kindergarten is a lot of fun. Carol in "We Like Kindergarten" does many of the same things that my daughter knows she will be doing in her class (ie. hang up her coat, paint, read, etc.) and then goes home to be the "teacher" to her little sister, pets and teddy. This comforted my daughter because she saw that other kids are having the same emotions as her and it showed her that she will learn another role to pretend play at home with her little sister.  (Thanks Mom and Dad)

 

The Kissing Hand was given to my daughter by one of her aunts. (Thank you Auntie Christy!) To be honest, I had never heard of it until she gave it to my daughter, but it has become one of our household favorites. It is about a little raccoon that doesn't want to go to school. He wants to stay home with his mom. His mom kisses the inside of his left hand and tells him to hold it to his cheek to feel her love. A very sweet story. My daughter was begging to stay home with me, so I grabbed this book and she giggled when I read the words and said, "Look he says what I said."

 

First Day Jitters is an adorable story about how everyone is encouraging this person to start at a new school and that she'll make new friends. You finally see at the end that it is the teacher that is new and anxious about starting at a new school. A very cute lesson for kids to learn that they aren’t the only one’s nervous on a first day.

 

I have to say that I adore anything by Mercer Mayer. The wording is always right on and the pictures are entertaining yet not overwhelming.

Please feel free to comment on your favorite children's book about school.

 

On a side note, I just want to say – Good luck to all the kids starting school and to all the teachers that teach them.  May you all have a fantastic school year!  To all the parents that have to say Good Bye to their babies walking into kindergarten – Be proud and teach them to walk with their heads held high.