Never Give a Baby a Library Card by Erin Sandberg ©2025 illustrated by Tom Booth

It may be August, when the days are spent on the final days of summer, but for us, it’s always time to write a love letter to libraries, books, reading, literacy, and that hallmark of the fall season, back-to-school—even if you’re 60 years post-kindergarten.

However, this is no starry-eyed mission from a book nerd who wants to share. This love letter is statistically backed. For too many children, walking into a school or library represents their very first encounter with books. Not their first time reading independently—their first time “seeing” books at all.

Although SLJ is replete with librarians, authors, and illustrators who grew up surrounded by bedtime stories and weekend library trips, we know there are other children who discover the magic of the written word only when they step through a classroom door. Sixty-one percent of low-income families have zero children’s books in their homes. In some communities, the count is one age-appropriate book for every 300 children.

This is a crisis hiding in plain sight. We already know that when children encounter books early, the impact is extraordinary. Measurable, life-changing, future-altering extraordinary.

Children who grow up with lots of books but only finish high school become as literate as college graduates who grew up with few books. The presence of books—just having them around, creating that “bookish atmosphere”—acts like additional years of education.

Bookish environments—that’s what we celebrate in this article. 

The books in this list don’t just provide stories—they provide first contact with literacy itself. They tell children, “Words matter. Stories matter. You matter.”

When we talk about loving books, loving libraries, loving schools, we’re not being sentimental or idealistic. We’re talking about equity. We’re talking about providing every child with the fuel they need to succeed, regardless of what they encounter—or don’t encounter—at home. 

Books aren’t decorative. Libraries aren’t luxuries. Schools aren’t just academic institutions. They’re the places where children who might otherwise never discover the power of literacy get their first, crucial taste of what books, school, and reading can do for them. And that changes everything. 

Welcome to August.

ABBAS, Marzieh. The Camel Library: A True Story from Pakistan. illus. by Anain Shaikh. Feiwel & Friends. 2025. ISBN 9781250322029.
K-Gr 1–With his livelihood threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic, a firewood seller in rural Pakistan repurposes his pack animal as a mobile library and pivots from delivering wood to delivering books. Sharp-eyed readers may spot a few favorite titles among the collection. This celebration of creativity and resilience is a first purchase for school libraries.

ADCOCK, Maria Wen. My Name Is Ai Lin. illus. by Yu Ting Cheng. Sleeping Bear. 2025. ISBN 9781534113114.
PreS-Gr 3–Ai Lin does an admirable job with explanations of why everyone should learn how to pronounce her name; lovely, muted artwork shows her loving family and her joy at being a respected part of the school community. This would be an excellent book for the beginning of the school year and pairs well with other books about names like Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes.

AMAVISCA, Luis. We Love You, Teacher. illus. by Mar Ferrero. NubeOcho. 2024. ISBN 9788419607034.
PreS-Gr 2–A showcase of a day at school among thoroughly contented teacher and students. One morning, when Miss Gazelle is not there, the worried students head to her home with cards and gifts and, most importantly, to read her a story. The final image mirrors an earlier spread of story hour at school—now with the students reading to their teacher.

ARNALDO, Monica. Mr. S. illus. by author. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen. 2023. ISBN 9780063003958.
PreS-Gr 1–There’s nothing like the first day of school to send children teetering on the fine line between anticipation and terror. This book makes the classroom seem thrilling.

BECKMEYER, Drew. The First Week of School. illus. by author. S. & S./Atheneum. 2024. ISBN 9781665940429.
PreS-Gr 1–Beckmeyer creates detailed images in crayon for a tale that readers can experience again and again, as if they’re anticipating (or reliving) their first weeks of school.

CARTER, Leigh Anne. Yeti Is Not Ready for School. illus. by author. Random. 2025. ISBN 9780593808078.
PreS-Gr 2–Does the first day of school give everyone the shivers? Carter’s colorful cartoon illustrations are bold and bright. Front endpapers depict Yeti’s cherished memories before her first day of school and back endpapers depict the new memories she creates.

EMMONS, Lauren. No Cats in the Library. illus. by author. S. & S./Paula Wiseman. 2024. ISBN 9781665933681.
PreS-Gr 1–With therapy animals making a positive impact in educational spaces, especially when it comes to libraries and emerging readers, it is only natural that a book would come along that reflects the joy of reading to a pet.

FERRY, Beth. Roar for Reading. illus. by Andrew Joyner. S. & S. Sept. 2024. ISBN 9781665940559.
PreS-Gr 2–Why are there lions in libraries? According to this charming book, they are there as protectors. With so many libraries and librarians under attack, this is a wonderful story to help teach why libraries exist and why there should be different kinds of books on the shelves, even when the stories are uncomfortable.

KOSTER, Gloria. Overdue: The Misadventure of Bob the Book. illus. by Pawel Gierlinski. Capstone. 2024. ISBN 9781684469208.
PreS-Gr 3–A must-have book for libraries; educators and storytellers will want to use it for read-alouds to teach library book etiquette. Koster knows her subject and exactly how to give it plenty of kid-appeal with talking points that go down smooth.

LAROCCA, Rajani. Fall Is for Beginnings. illus. by Abhi Alwar. Abrams. 2025. ISBN 9781419777400.
PreS-Gr 1–A bossy girl and others are the perfect casting for this back-to-school story. Several pages include delightfully rich details for observant readers to discover. All kids will relate to Ellie.

MATA, Niña. New. illus. by author. HarperCollins. 2025. ISBN 9780063318250.
PreS-Gr 2–A girl whose family is from the Philippines imagines her first day in a new school, expecting to meet friends and to have a wonderful time. Instead, she finds no one who looks anything like her, and her unfamiliarity with the school’s culture marks her as a stranger. For students entering a new school, and anyone who has felt like an outsider.

PRITCHARD, Caroline Kusin. The Keeper of Stories. illus. by Selina Alko. S. & S. 2025. ISBN 9781665914970.
K-Gr 2–The true story of a devastating 1966 fire in the library of New York’s Jewish Theological Seminary, and the rescue of its 170,000 surviving books. It’s an inspirational story, well-told, that truly makes the case for books as vessels for uplifting lives.

SANDBERG, Erin. Never Give a Baby a Library Card. illus. by Tom Booth. Abrams. 2025. ISBN 9781419774713.
PreS-Gr 2–Despite clunky rhymes and broad humor that borders on trope, this is a head-shaking funny book that will have children laughing. By the end, readers will be in total agreement: babies and library cards don’t mix. Or do they?

SANDERS, Rob. Book Comes Home: A Banned Book’s Journey. illus. by Micah Player. Random. 2025. ISBN 9780593813683.
PreS-Gr 4–A banned book is the lucky focus of school children, who organize a protest to unban the book, and all the books are freed from their censorship prison. Anti-censorship posters in the background enhance the story’s message.

YOUNG, Jessica. Today at School: With Yesterday and Tomorrow. illus. by Renée Kurilla. Knopf. 2025. ISBN 9780593812754.
PreS-Gr 2–A gentle celebration of yesterday, today, and tomorrow for the novice or experienced school-bound child. Kurilla portrays adorable forest animals wearing typical preschool clothing. One school friend is depicted using a wheel-chair. The illustrations, especially the recess time in a field of flowers, are delightful and add a touch of whimsy.