Back-to-School Bonanza: Books for Reading Aloud
Joy Fleishhacker, Curriculum Connections -- School Library Journal, 8/4/2009
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This selection of kid-pleasing picture books is sure to calm first-day jitters and set the tone for a superlative school year. Whether children are feeling excited or anxious about the big day, there’s something for everyone here, as the featured characters face common challenges with individuality and élan. Showcasing an appealing array of storytelling approaches and artistic styles, these lively tales treat familiar themes with originality and flair.
Happy First Day!
All over town, children are waking up, getting ready, and heading out to school, where the smiling principal welcomes them with a tower of scrumptious cupcakes; students, families, and educators join together to blow out a candle and wish everyone a Happy School Year! (Scholastic, 2008; K-Gr 2). Susan Milord’s lively text and Mary Newell DePalma’s charming acrylic artwork follow the varying experiences and outlooks of several kids, all of whom settle contentedly into their classroom by story’s end. An author’s note provides background on First Day celebrations and highlights the benefits of hosting a similar event in your community.
Pamela Duncan Edwards’s Dinosaur Starts School (Albert Whitman, 2009; PreS-Gr 1) places a young boy in the role of comforter as he gently soothes his stegosaurus friend’s childlike fears about getting lost, speaking up in class, making friends, and more. Deborah Allwright’s whimsical artwork uses jewel tones and speckled textures to seamlessly merge the fantasy elements with realistic school scenes. Mr. Ouchy’s First Day (Putnam, 2006; K-Gr 2) shows children that they may not be only ones with going-to-school butterflies as a brand-new teacher prepares for his classroom premiere. B. G. Hennessy’s upbeat narrative and Paul Meisel’s colorful cartoons depict the young man’s concerns (“Will I be able to find the bathroom?”) and reveal that all will be well as teacher and students gear up for a great year.
After finding a kitten, Mr. and Mrs. Portly raise her like a cherished—perhaps even overindulged—child. When Minifred Goes to School (HarperCollins, 2009; Gr 1-3), the free-spirited feline gleefully flouts regulations and is sent to the principal’s office, where a consultation with "The Big Rule Book" reveals a startling—and smile-inducing—truth. Combining sprightly artwork and a pleasingly farfetched plot, Mordicai Gerstein’s winsome story is a great way to dispel tension…and maybe launch a discussion about classroom behavior.
From “First Day” to “Field Day,” Marilyn Singer’s First Food Fight this Fall and Other School Poems (K-Gr 4) presents 29 buoyant selections—written in the distinctive voices of several classmates—that delightfully delineate familiar school-themed experiences. Beginning with personality-filled “snapshots” of the young poets on the endpapers, Sachiko Yoshikawa’s lush-hued artwork depicts the children and their antics with warmhearted humor. Facing that dreaded first day, a young narrator describes Butterflies in My Stomach and Other School Hazards (Gr 2-4; both Sterling, 2008) as well-meaning adults pepper him with baffling figures of speech that he interprets quite literally—and humorously. Serge Bloch’s witty pen-and-ink drawings and collaged photos illustrate each idiom with both precision and panache.
Take a Friend, Make a Friend
Like many new-to-school youngsters, Splat the Cat (HarperCollins, 2008; K-Gr 2) thinks he might need some extra support on his first day and hides his pet mouse in his lunchbox (Splat is oblivious to the cats-chase-mice paradigm) causing pandemonium among his more savvy classmates at mealtime. Bursting with humorous high-jinx, Rob Scotton’s lively narrative takes several unexpected twists and turns—delightfully depicted in the hilarious monochromatic artwork—before everyone settles down to learn an important lesson about friendship.
Illustrated with engaging, pseudo-realistic paintings and told with a lighthearted touch, Nathan Hale’s Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School (Putnam, 2007; PreS-Gr 1) sets a cast of fantastical characters (human children, kid-size imaginary animals, even a robot) against a familiar backdrop. Yellowbelly, a fuzzy, monsterlike creature, shares his first day at Orchard Elementary with his beloved purple teddy bear. Things go smoothly until Plum gets lost during recess, an event that causes Yellowbelly a few frantic moments but eventually results 
in several new friends.
When John Hercules Po discovers that his kindergarten class consists of 19 Girls and Me (Philomel, 2006; PreS-Gr 2), his big brother worries that the boy will be turned “into a sissy.” Never fear, John leads his eager classmates in several daring imaginary adventures that soon have him thinking of his fellow students not as girls, or as tomboys, but as friends. Darcy Pattison’s inventive tale is enhanced by Steven Salerno’s mixed-media artwork, which blends playful (and play-filled) scenes with Madeline-esque nostalgia.
In Hyun Young Lee’s Something for School (Kane/Miller, 2008; PreS-Gr 1), Yoon’s first day of kindergarten results in tears when everyone mistakes her for a boy. Though she makes a statement about her gender the next morning by donning her sister’s fancy headband, Yoon realizes that her classmates are willing to accept her for who she is, not what she looks like. This warmly illustrated import from South Korea provides a look into another culture and proves that going-to-school concerns are universal.
Reassurance for the Little Ones (PreS-K)
On that hectic first day, many children find it difficult to part from their parents when the time comes to say goodbye. Though Llama Llama Misses Mama (Viking, 2009) when he first arrives at school, the tentative youngster soon becomes happily swept away in a whirlwind of activities. Anna Dewdney’s staccato rhymes and endearing color-drenched paintings delightfully depict the childlike protagonist’s gradual adjustment to his unfamiliar environment.
Carol Hunt Senerak’s main character deals with her separation anxiety by imagining that she can go to school with a wished-down-to-small-size Mommy in My Pocket (Hyperion, 2006). Told through gently rhyming couplets, this comforting fantasy starring a sweet-faced rabbit is illustrated with Hiroe Nakata’s sunny paintings. It’s Your First Day of School, Annie Claire (Abrams, 2009) consists of a conversation between mother and daughter as a brown-furred, blue-eyed pup anticipates the big event. Enhanced by Margie Moore’s warm-hued watercolors, Nancy White Carlstrom’s reassuring rhymes feature an appealing combo of realistic and slightly silly scenarios.
Youngsters whose tastes run more toward comic books than cute critters will be attracted to Michael Wright’s story of first-day jitters. The morning Jake Starts School (Feiwel & Friends, 2008), the terrified boy clings desperately to his parents who patiently remain with him (and physically attached to him) until the teacher finally convinces Jake to let go (literally and figuratively). Featuring googly-eyed cartoon characters with thumb-shaped heads, the droll graphic-style cartoons perfectly match the amusingly exaggerated storytelling. When Enrico Starts School (Dial, 2004), the usually self-confident five-year-old is unsure about how to make friends, until his little brother gives him some sensible advice: “He told Enrico to try just…being himself.” Charlotte Middleton’s simple-yet-wise tale is illustrated with vibrant collages featuring cool cat characters.
In Marilyn Janovitz’s We Love School! (2007; In Spanish, ¡Nos Encanta la Escuela!, 2009; both North-South), winsome critters exuberantly introduce the ins and outs of a typical day, from show-and-tell to snack time. The brief rhyming text makes a cheery read-aloud, and the sturdy pages and detailed cartoon artwork encourage individual perusal.
Transitioning to First Grade
From Anna, who plans to bring home “zillions of books” to share with her little brother, to Mr. Zimmerman, kind-hearted principal of Elm School, everyone is getting ready to go Off to First Grade (S & S, 2008). Showcasing animal characters with names from A to Z, Louise Borden’s lively single- and double-page vignettes, sweetly illustrated by Joan Rankin in an eye-appealing pastel palette, offer a wide array of first-day perspectives.
Longing for the comfort of kindergarten and frustrated by new rules and a no-nonsense classroom approach, Haley declares, First Grade Stinks! (Peachtree, 2006), but before the day is out, an understanding teacher bolsters the pig-tailed youngster’s spirits with a promise of the wonders to come. Mary Ann Rodman’s childlike text and Beth Spiegel’s bright-hued cartoons express common concerns and an upbeat resolution. Gilbert, a glasses-wearing hedgehog, soon finds that there’s more to first grade than Brand-new Pencils, Brand-new Books (HarperCollins, 2005) as he faces first-day worries and becomes situated in an unfamiliar classroom. Diane deGroat’s colorful artwork and adept storytelling relate the animal characters’ emotions in a believable and buoyant manner.
In The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School (S&S, 2009), a girl’s “wild and beautiful” bright red mane (which can “turn on the TV, pour a glass of juice, pet the cat, and play the computer—all at the same time”) gets her into trouble with her strict first-grade teacher; however, despite some trials and tribulations, Zoe and Mrs. Trisk gradually come to an understanding. Laurie Halse Anderson’s narrative sparkles with exuberant language and exaggerated humor and Ard Hoyt’s jaunty artwork is filled with flowing lines and comical touches. This creative tale touches upon pertinent themes, such as the challenges of adjusting to new situations, the importance of persisting in problem solving, and the magic that happens when teachers and students learn from each other.
Click here for additional, irresistible back-to-school book suggestions for students in kindergaren through grade five.
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