Are you nervous about the upcoming school year? Need to get your little ones prepared? I have put together part 2 of my Back To School book list! Fear not, just read these to your kids or let them try to read themselves.
A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech: One day, Mr. Keene called all the students and teachers together and said, "This is a fine, fine school! From now on, let's have school on Saturdays too." And then there was more.
School all weekend. School on the holidays.
School in the SUMMER!
What was next . . .
SCHOOL AT NIGHT?
So it's up to Tillie to show her well-intentioned principal, Mr. Keene, that even though his fine, fine school is a wonderful place, it's not fine, fine to be there all the time.
All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold: A warm, welcoming picture book that celebrates diversity and gives encouragement and support to all kids.
Follow a group of children through a day in their school, where everyone is welcomed with open arms. A school where kids in patkas, hijabs, and yamulkes play side-by-side with friends in baseball caps. A school where students grow and learn from each other's traditions and the whole community gathers to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
All Are Welcome lets young children know that no matter what, they have a place, they have a space, they are welcome in their school.
Be Big!: Beatrice’s First Day Of First Grade by Katie Kizer: Be Big! tells the tale of sweet Beatrice, a little girl in a blue tutu who is afraid of being her unique self in the brand new world of first grade. Set against a gorgeously-illustrated backdrop, this story will encourage little ones to face their fears and be brave, be bold, and be big. Follow Beatrice as she embarks on her first day of first grade alongside Benjamin the butterfly, who encourages Beatrice to be big and reminds her that she is not alone.
Be Big! is a dazzling tale that will inspire families to discuss how children can overcome their fears and still take up space, with a sense of community all around them.
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes: Written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes, the nationally bestselling and celebrated creator of Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Owen, and Kitten's First Full Moon, Chrysanthemum is a funny and honest school story about teasing, self-esteem, and acceptance to share all year round.
Chrysanthemum thinks her name is absolutely perfect—until her first day of school. "You're named after a flower!" teases Victoria.
"Let's smell her," says Jo.
Chrysanthemum wilts. What will it take to make her blossom again?
The Buddy Bench by Patty Brozo: A school playground can be a solitary place for a kid without playmates; in one survey, 80 percent of 8- to 10-year-old respondents described being lonely at some point during a school day.
Patty Brozo’s cast of kids brings a playground to raucous life, and Mike Deas’s illustrations invest their games with imaginary planes to fly, dragons to tame, and elephants to ride. And these kids match their imaginations with empathy, identifying and swooping up the lonely among them.
Buddy benches are appearing in schoolyards around the country. Introduced from Germany in 2014, the concept is simple: When a child sits on the bench, it’s a signal to other kids to ask him or her to play.
Chu’s First Day Of School by Neil Gaiman: It is Chu's first day of school. Chu is nervous.
He hopes the other boys and girls will be nice. Will they like him?
What will happen at school today?
Will Chu do what Chu does best?
The Colour Of Home by Mary Hoffman: Hassan feels out of place in a new cold, grey country. At school, he paints a picture showing his colourful Somalian home, covered with the harsh colours of war from which his family has fled. He tells his teacher about their voyage from Mogadishu to Mombasa, then to the refugee camp and on to England. But gradually things change. When Hassan's parents put up his next picture on the wall, Hassan notices the maroon prayer mat, a bright green cushion and his sister Naima's pink dress - the new colours of home.
Daddy Long Legs by Nadine Brun-Cosme: Daddy drives Matthew to kindergarten in his old green car. “See you this afternoon,” says Daddy when he drops off Matthew at kindergarten. But Matthew says, “What if, this afternoon, the old green car doesn’t start?” Thus begins a series of what-ifs that Matthew poses to all of Daddy’s ideas about how he’ll fetch him, each one more fantastic than the last: he’ll come by teddy bear, by the wings of birds, by dragon! Finally, Daddy says he’ll use his own two long legs, the ultimate reassurance that he’ll come back for Matthew, no matter what!
Author Nadine Brun-Cosme's endearing picture book offers warm comfort to young children that their parent can always be counted on. With gentle and imaginative humor, the father's increasingly wilder ideas about how he will make his way to his son prove the steady and unwavering certainty of a parent's commitment to a child. The whimsical artwork by Aurélie Guillerey plays lightly with the father's flights of fancy, keeping the tone of the book just right for a storytime read-aloud. Filled with the love between the boy and his father, this is a perfect book choice to address separation issues common to kindergartners and preschoolers who have difficulty saying goodbye to their parents.
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson: National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson and two-time Pura Belpre Illustrator Award winner Rafael Lopez have teamed up to create a poignant, yet heartening book about finding courage to connect, even when you feel scared and alone.
There will be times when you walk into a room
and no one there is quite like you.
There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it's how you look or talk, or where you're from; maybe it's what you eat, or something just as random. It's not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it.
Jacqueline Woodson's lyrical text and Rafael Lopez's dazzling art reminds us that we all feel like outsiders sometimes-and how brave it is that we go forth anyway. And that sometimes, when we reach out and begin to share our stories, others will be happy to meet us halfway.
Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.
Going To School by Rose Blake: Spend the day at school and join the little girl in everything she does in a day—from breakfast to bedtime. Meet her classmates and try to spot what each friend is up to in every lesson throughout the book. Can you guess what they want to be when they grow up? This reassuring introduction to the school day for little ones has bright, friendly artwork and is perfect for children about to go off to school for the first time.
*Book descriptions provided by Good Reads
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