There’s a lot for kids to be nervous and/or excited about on the first day of school: different routines, strange names and faces, lots of noise, and new rules. Little kids tend to approach the start of the school year in a very different manner from middle school and high school kids, partly because they don’t have as much personal experience to help guide themselves through the process. Books like these can help them figure out what to expect and how to deal with problems that might come up. Even if your little one is already looking forward to their first day, they’ll enjoy these back-to-school stories.

First Day of Preschool:

Preschool Here I Come by David Steinberg

Ming Goes to School by Deirdre Sullivan

The Night Before Preschool by Natasha Wing

I Love You All Day Long by Francesca Rusackas

Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

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First Day of Kindergarten:

School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex

A New School Year: Stories in Six Voices by Sally Derby

The King of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes

Pirates Don’t Go to Kindergarten by Lisa Robinson

Edda: A Little Valkyrie’s First Day of School by Adam Auerbach

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Transferring to a New School:

Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend! by Cori Doerrfeld

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg

Marshall Armstrong is New to Our School by David Mackintosh

Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel by Nikki Grimes

The Truth About Dragons by Jaime Zollars

– Cindy Thomas