Back to School Books for Kids

If Jack built a school, there would be hover desks and pop-up textbooks, skydiving wind tunnels and a trampoline basketball court in the gym, a robo-chef to serve lunch in the cafeteria, field trips to Mars, and a whole lot more.

Not every child learns by sitting still and staying quiet. Some kids learn by jumping and tapping their feet. Others by building, drawing, or making a joyful mess. However they learn, all kids deserve to feel proud of and confident in themselves! This book celebrates the many brilliant and beautiful ways kids take in the world, helping them feel seen, supported, and loved.

It’s natural for children to feel anxious about the first day of school, just like the kid in this story. Good thing many people are there to help her feel more comfortable so she can have the best first day!

From the author-illustrator team of Welcome to Dinosaur School comes a story that will help prepare your little unicorns for their own first day at school! Packed with adorable illustrations and easy-to-read rhyming text, this picture book is perfect for sparking conversations about first-day worries.

Meet Cantaloupe and HoneyDo. Cantaloupe brings the caution and HoneyDo the confidence. Together, these two hilarious melons try new things in the picture book series from the bestselling illustrator of I Don’t Want to be a Frog. Climb aboard as they learn how to take the bus to school!

Get ready for First Grade in this exciting new series for kids embarking on new adventures—written by an actual teacher! Vera Ahiyya, the Tutu Teacher, knows all about what your child can expect on their first day … and how to make the experience an empowering one for new students!

Introducing a mantra for first day — and any day — worries, Breathe Like a Bear: First Day of School Worries uses an easy-to-follow breathing exercise, mindful prompts, and a soothing mantra that will help kids navigate their anxiety long after the final page.

Welcome to The Caring Classroom! A new series that gives kids the building blocks they need to be a kind and caring person in the classroom and beyond, from a trusted expert in social development. In book one, a young perfectionist learns from her mistakes when her first week of school turns into a perfect mess! But it turns out, a little mess is the perfect way to bring this caring classroom together!

Getting your octopus to school won’t be easy. He would much rather stay home with you and play hide-and-seek or dress-up. But you know your octopus will love school if he gives it a chance. And you’ll tell him that … as soon as you can find him …

Starting a new school year can be scary, but your teacher is here for you! Come along with the kids from the bestsellers All Are Welcome and Big Feelings as they learn to work together, try new things, and — with the support of their teacher — soar!

Whether the reader is a child who is eager to return to school or a younger one trying to imagine what school is like, this upbeat and lyrical ode — the fourth in the And Then Comes series — holds sure appeal for returning students and first-timers alike.

National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson and two-time Pura Belpré Illustrator Award winner Rafael López have teamed up to create a poignant, yet heartening book about finding courage to connect, even when you feel scared and alone.

Join a young boy as he takes readers through his day at school in this charming Spanglish picture book companion to Laurenne Sala’s Mi Casa Is My Home.

It’s the night before preschool, and a little boy named Billy is so nervous he can’t fall asleep. The friends he makes the next day at school give him a reason not to sleep the next night, either: He’s too excited about going back! The book’s simple rhyming text and sweet illustrations will soothe any child’s fears about the first day of school.

Newbery Honor-winning author Derrick Barnes’s empowering story will give new kindergarteners a reassuring confidence boost, and Vanessa Brantley-Newton’s illustrations exude joy. Young readers will also love the companion, The Queen of Kindergarten!

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 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.

Froggy’s mother knows that everyone’s nervous on the first day of school. “Not me!” says Froggy, and together they leapfrog to the bus stop — flop flop flop. Froggy’s exuberant antics will delight his many fans and reassure them that school can be fun.

This hilarious new early-reader graphic novel series follows the adventures of two best friend school supplies: Pencil and Eraser!

It’s the start of a new school year, and the duo are ready for anything. Except when Pencil notices her point has dulled. That’s never happened before and she feels … pointless. Can she and her bestie Eraser find a sharpener before the kids return from recess?