Back to School

Hannah S. Campbell, Merriam-Webster

All the words a child needs to know for preschool in a big, busy, lapsized book from the experts at Merriam-Webster. Enter the world of Merriam-Webster's Ready-for-School Words and discover the people, places, and things in your community, and beyond! Featuring all the words a child should know before they start preschool, this charming book takes you from home, to the beach, the bank, the barber shop--all the way to outer space with objects clearly labeled and important terms defined in simple language. Children will start school with confidence and a brand-new vocabulary after exploring the colorful world in this fun-filled book, created by the word experts at Merriam-Webster. It has been over 50 years since Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever was released, selling over 5 million copies globally. Merriam-Webster Ready-for-School Words provides a modern update to the classic word book by featuring high-tech words, fresh and contemporary illustrations, and a diverse cast of human characters of all races, ages, abilities, gender expressions, and religions. Features simplified definitions from Merriam-Webster, including common words that are difficult to illustrate (creativity, pretend, allergy) with visual context clues. This book focuses on family and community. Each family depicted is made up of different family members (aunts, uncles, grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, etc.) so all children can see themselves and their families represented. In addition to learning new words, readers can follow characters throughout the book as they go about their daily routines. Multiple characters are included in each spread as families mix and mingle over the course of one day. The oversized format provides a satisfying lap book experience for parents and caregivers to read to children.

Vera Ahiyya

Written by kindergarten teacher and Instagram influencer affectionately known as the Tutu Teacher, comes a picture book about a class that creates a kindness pledge to ensure that their class is the kindest it can possibly be. It's the first day of Kindergarten and Leo isn't at all ready. Leo is a quiet kid and would prefer to stay home. Over the summer, his new teacher, Ms. Perry sent a letter asking her students to think about how to show kindness in school. She explained that they would be making a kindness pledge, and each student should bring one way to show kindness on the first day. As it turns out, Leo's classmates have lots of ideas about kindness: like raising your hand, never leaving anyone out, and apologizing if you hurt someone's feelings. At the end of the first day, Ms. Perry asks if anyone witnessed something they'd like her to add to the kindness pledge? Lots of hands shoot up in the air. Several classmates say they noticed Leo returning crayons to the box, holding the door for everyone, and helping a friend who fell. Leo smiles as he realizes he really does know a lot about kindness after all. A story reassuringly told by Vera Ahiyya and brought to exuberant life by illustrator Joey Chou, this story about a classroom coming together to make a kindergarten into a KINDergarten is sure to calm the nerves -and offer inspiration--to new kindergartners and the adults in their lives.

Pauline David-Sax

A shy girl who feels most at home in the school library gains the courage to extend herself to others when she encounters a group of unique, diverse, inspiring women at the diner where her mother works.

Willow Evans

Starting school is an adventure—especially when you have a magical unicorn friend by your side! Kids can conquer their first-day-of-school jitters with this colorful, beautifully illustrated storybook. It’s almost time for Evie to go to school, but thinking about it makes her feel nervous. Preschool was lots of fun, but big school sounds a little scary. When Evie gets ready for school, though, she makes a magical discovery. Hidden inside the pocket of her dress is Bobby—a tiny school unicorn! Bobby has a very important job—helping children feel brave when they go to school. With her new magical friend by her side, Evie soon learns that starting school is LOTS of fun! Written specifically for preschoolers, this magical tale of friendship will soothe your little one’s starting-school worries, and includes instructions on how to make your very own school unicorn!

Meg Fleming

Rhyming text follws these kids as they go back to school, make new friends, and build a community.

Siyuan Liu

Every morning, Leilong the school bus shuttles through the city, picking up children as he goes. But a brontosaurus longer than a tennis court causes big problems in the busy streets. The school decides he can't be the bus anymore. The children must find a way to help their long friend fit in.

Costantia Manoli

Tomatoes in My Lunchbox is a moving picture book from a debut author about the first day of school, layered with themes about the immigrant experience and the universal experience of feeling out of place. A child, newly arrived in another country, feels displaced, lonely, and a little scared on her first day of school. Her name doesn't sound the way she's used to hearing it. She knows she doesn't fit in. And when she eats her whole tomato for lunch, she can feel her classmates observing her—and not quite understanding her. But sometimes all it takes is one friend, one connection, to bring two worlds together, and gradually the girl, her tomato, and her full name, start to feel at home with her new friends and community. This emotionally sweeping debut picture book by Costantia Manoli, with vibrant art by Magdalena Mora, artfully captures feelings of displacement and the joy that comes from forging new friendships.

Megan Maynor

Alice thinks it's her lucky day when she wins a wagon full of lollipops, but sharing them with her classmates is more complicated than it seems. Can she find a fair way to divvy up the sweets? When Alice wins an enormous basket of lollipops in the raffle she's happy to share her good fortune with friends and classmates, but everyone seems to have a different opinion about how she should divide the bounty. Suddenly, Alice's big prize becomes a big conundrum. Should she give extras to her friends? Should she withhold lollipops from the kids who always hog the tire swing? As she weighs her options, the panic grows. What if there aren't enough to go around!? This hilarious and thought-provoking story uses lollipops in the school yard to illustrate how cooperation and generosity can make even the most daunting problems solvable.

John Schu

A moving celebration of school and all it may signify: work and play, creativity and trust, and a supportive community that extends beyond walls A school isn't just a building; it is all the people who work and learn together. It is a place for discovery and asking questions. A place for sharing, for helping, and for community. It is a place of hope and healing, even when that community can't be together in the same room. John Schu, a librarian and former ambassador of school libraries for Scholastic, crafts a loving letter to schools and the people that make up the communities within in a picture book debut beautifully illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison.

Anoosha Syed

Mirha questions her name after her classmates continually pronounce it wrong on the first day of school so her mother helps her to learn the significance of her name and to be proud of it.

Candice Ransom

It's time for school in this Step 1 reader featuring the family from Pumpkin Day!, Apple Picking Day!, Garden Day, Snow Day, and Beach Day! The start of the new school year means new friends and new experiences! It's big sister's first day of 3rd grade, but it will be a cinch for her to show little brother the ropes on his first day of kindergarten. She already knows where all the rooms are, who the teachers are, and where to go and when at their school! It's great to have a sibling to rely on when starting something new! A day with family is always a great day! Read all the Day books: Apple Picking Day Pumpkin Day Garden Day Beach Day Snow Day Grandparents Day Step 1 Readers feature big type and easy words. Rhymes and rhythmic text paired with picture clues help children decode the story. For children who know the alphabet and are eager to begin reading.

John David Anderson

From John David Anderson, acclaimed author of Posted, comes a ghost story pulled from the darkest shadows of middle school. Riley Flynn is alone. It feels like she's been on her own since sixth grade, when her best friend, Emily, ditched her for the cool girls. Girls who don't like Riley. Girls who decide one day to lock her in the science closet after hours, after everyone else has gone home. When Riley is finally able to escape, however, she finds that her horror story is only just beginning. All the school doors are locked, the windows won't budge, the phones are dead, and the lights aren't working. Through halls lit only by the narrow beam of her flashlight, Riley roams the building, seeking a way out, an answer, an explanation. And as she does, she starts to suspect she isn't alone after all. While she's always liked a good scary story, Riley knows there is no such thing as ghosts. But what else could explain the things happening in the school, the haunting force that seems to lurk in every shadow, around every corner? As she tries to find answers, she starts reliving moments that brought her to this night. Moments from her own life...and a life that is not her own.

Rob Buyea

Readers on the cusp of adolescence will find much to love in this middle grade novel from the author of the beloved MR. TERUPT series that follows three kids who come to realize that letting go of childhood means boldly taking risks to face the future while learning from the past. Loretta and her twin brother, Waylon, are headed to middle school. Loretta has always been quick with her fists and her wits. Since Waylon is on the small side, Loretta doesn’t let anyone mess with him. But now she worries he won’t survive without her by his side. Her secret plan: bulk him up with muscle over the summer. Little does she know that Waylon has a plan of his own. He’ll show his sister he can take care of himself. As each puts their strategy in motion, Loretta and Waylon spend the summer going into the woods behind their house, even sneaking there in the dead of night. That’s where they first encounter Louie, who is about their age but noticeably bigger. Louie is homeschooled, he explains when Loretta gives him the third degree. Loretta, Waylon, and Louie soon fall into a comfortable friendship and continue their nightly forest adventures. When they unearth a mysterious box, the past collides with the present, propelling the trio on a quest that will forever change their lives. Rob Buyea’s spirited dual narrative drives this funny, touching brother-sister story, where even the best-laid plans sometimes backfire and feelings may get bruised, but family and friends always count. Letting go of childhood means boldly taking risks to face the future while learning from the past.

Kate Egan

A middle grade novel by Kate Egan, Golden Ticket, explores friendship, academic anxiety, and what it means to be special. “It’s practically like a private school,” Mrs. Silver said bitterly. “The best teacher, for such a tiny group of students. Who wouldn’t succeed in a class like that?” She took off her sunglasses to glare at the dad. “Those kids get picked out when they’re seven years old, and they get handed a golden ticket. Of course they become stars.” Eleven-year-old Ash McNulty is one of the “gifted and talented” kids at her school, spending most of her day in a special class with a few other advanced students. As the end of fifth grade rolls around, she should be on top of the world. According to everyone, she’s going to rock junior high! But Ash has a secret: She can’t keep up with her advanced classmates anymore. The minute she asks for help though, everyone will know she’s not who they think she is. She’s not so smart. She might not even be that special. And her parents will be crushed to discover the truth. If Ash can win the Quiz Bowl, though, that will show everyone that she is still on top. If she gets a lucky break ahead of time, all the better. Except that “lucky break” backfires . . . And Ash is left to question everything she thought she knew about school, friends, and success.

Margaret Peterson Haddix

From master of suspense author Margaret Peterson Haddix comes another page-turning stand-alone adventure perfect for fans of Cog and Bad Magic. No matter what anyone tells you, I'm real. That's what the note says that Max finds under his keyboard. He knows that his best friend, Josie, wrote it. He'd know her handwriting anywhere. But why she wrote it--and what it means--remains a mystery. Ever since they met in kindergarten, Max and Josie has been inseparable. Until the summer after fifth grade, when Josie disappears, leaving only a note, and whispering something about "whatnot rules." But why would Max ever think that Josie wasn't real? And what are whatnots? As Max sets to uncover what happened to Josie--and what she is or isn't--little does he know that she's fighting to find him again, too. But there are forces trying to keep Max and Josie from every seeing each other again. Because Josie wasn't supposed to be real. This middle grade thriller from Margaret Peterson Haddix delves into the power of privilege, the importance of true friendship, and the question of humanity and identity. Because when anyone could be a whatnot, what makes a person a real friend--or real at all?

Natalie Lloyd

From the bestselling author of A Snicker of Magic comes a heartfelt story about a girl who -- armed with her trusty, snazzy wheelchair -- refuses to let her brittle bone disease stand in the way of adventure Twelve-year-old homeschooled Olive is tired of being seen as “fragile” just because she has osteogenesis imperfecta (otherwise known as brittle bone disease) so she’s thrilled when she finally convinces her parents to let her attend Macklemore Elementary. Olive can’t wait to go to a traditional school and make the friends she’s always longed for, until a disastrous first day dashes her hopes of ever fitting in. Then Olive hears whispers about a magical, wish-granting hummingbird that supposedly lives near Macklemore. It’ll be the solution to all her problems! If she can find the bird and prove herself worthy, the creature will make her most desperate, secret wish come true. When it becomes clear that she can’t solve the mystery on her own, Olive teams up with some unlikely allies who help her learn the truth about the bird. And on the way, she just might learn that our fragile places lead us to the most wonderful magic of all . . .

Maleeha Siddiqui

It's Nimra Sharif's first time going to public school. Nimra's nervous, but as long as she has her best friend, Jenna, by her side, she figures she can take on just about anything. Unfortunately, middle school is hard. The teachers are mean, the schedule is confusing, and Jenna starts giving hijab-wearing Nimra the cold shoulder aorund the other kids. Desperate to fit in and save her friendship with Jenna, Nimra accepts an unlikely invitation to join Barakah Beats, a band mad up of popular eighth-grade boys. The only problem is, Nimra was taught that music isn't allowed in Islam, and she knows her parents would be disappointed in her. So she devises a plan: join the band just until she wins Jenna back, then quit before her parents find out. but Nimra's lies quickly start to unravel. And as she grows to care about her bandmates, Nimra has to decide whether to betray her new friends or herself.

Alice Schertle

Ride along to school with the #1 New York Times best-selling Little Blue Truck and meet Blue's new friend: a bright yellow school bus. Beep-beep! Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are excited to meet a bright yellow school bus on the road. They see all the little animals lined up in the school bus's many windows, and Blue wishes he could be a school bus too. What a fun job--but much too big for a little pickup like Blue. Or is it? When somebody misses the bus, it's up to Blue to get his friend to school on time. Beep! Beep! Vroom! Also enjoy Blue's bedtime ride in Good Night, Little Blue Truck and his trip to the city in Little Blue Truck Leads the Way.

Nancy J. Skarmeas

Daniel liked preschool just fine, but he is not so sure he wants to go to kindergarten.

Rosemary Wells

Timothy starts school happily, but then he meets Claude, the smartest kid and the best at everything, and Timothy is miserable until Violet becomes his friend, in a new edition of a title first published in 1981.

Marilyn Janovitz

Simple rhymes and illustrations describe what kittens like about going to school. By the creator of We Love Christmas!

Moses and his friends enjoy the first day of school at their special school for the deaf and hard of hearing, where they use sign language to talk to each other.

Todd Parr

Beloved and New York Times bestselling author Todd Parr uses his signature blend of playfulness and sensitivity to introduce readers to all the wonderful things they can do at school, where everyone is welcome! With his trademark bright colors and bold lines, Todd Parr introduces readers to a perennial source of childhood anxiety and excitement both: school! From morning routines to meeting new people to learning and playing together, Todd explores all the different things that can happen in school, all the while sharing a cheerful, child-friendly message of sharing, inclusion, and community. Welcome to school-- a place for everyone to grow!

Vera Rosenberry

Everything seems to go wrong for Vera on her first day at a new school, until a classmate shares one of her mishaps.

Rosemary Wells

Edward, a shy, young bear unready for play school, feels out of place surrounded by students who are ready, busy, and happy.

Michael Wright

Wright presents a laugh-out-loud look at one family's first day of school andthe dilemma of separation. Full color.