Accessibility Tools

Web Accessibility plugin by DJ-Extensions.com
Skip to main content
Cover of Batter Up for the First Day of School. Boy and girl are high fiving on the cover, both wearing baseball uniforms. They are smiling. The book also has a baseball, bookbag, books, and crayons placed around the title of the book.

Back to School Books

Written by alamancelibraries on . Posted in Book Reviews.

As our littlest patrons get ready for another school year, here are some great books to read with them!

Cover of Batter Up for the First Day of School. Boy and girl are high fiving on the cover, both wearing baseball uniforms. They are smiling. The book also has a baseball, bookbag, books, and crayons placed around the title of the book.

Hegedus, Bethany. Batter up for the first day of school! New York, N.Y. : Viking an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2025.

If your little slugger is anxious about the start of school, this fun rhyming book full of baseball terms and silly puns will make them feel better before sliding into first (period)!

Cover of Big Kids. There is a giant kid holding a sign that says "Happy First Day of School." He is towering over a small boy, who is depicted as standing below his legs. The small boy is looking up at the tall boy and the big kid is smiling at his new friend.

Going, K. L. Big Kids. New York, NY : Little, Brown and Company, 2025.

If your preschooler or kindergartener is scared of the “big kids” at school, this book will set their mind at ease! Big kids are paired with the little kids, and help them with everything from finding their class to getting a pudding cup.

Cover of Fall is for Beginnings. There are children running into a school, which has a "Welcome Students" banner. In the front is a boy jumping in a leaf pile. There is another boy behind him that is being pulled along by a girl who looks very excited to be at school.

LaRocca, Rajani. Fall is for beginnings. New York, N.Y. : Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2025.

For Ravi, fall means school supplies and hanging out with his best friend Joe. But what happens when there’s a new girl, Ellie, who wants to be friends with you, too? At first, Ravi isn’t sure, but with a little help from his sister, he discovers that new friends can be pretty great, too.

Cover of How to Grow a Family Tree. The cover is mostly a light yellow color. There is a young girl in the left foreground, holding a flower in a bubble. There are other bubbles and flowers on the stylized tree behind her.

Birdsong, Bea. How to grow a family tree. New York : Holiday House, 2025.

Emmylou has a small family. It’s just her and her mom. The family tree assignment has her grumpy and feeling horrible – how can she not have anyone else to add to her tree? But then she realizes that the people she and her mother choose to spend time with and love are her family. This is a great book for any child with a different type of family.

Cover of New. There is a young girl in a green happy face t-shirt and a red jacket, looking up at the sky. Behind her are four girls, whispering with each other. It is assumed that they are talking about her.

Mata, Niña. New. New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2025.

What does new mean? For a young Filipina girl, it means new city to navigate, and new stares from people. But it also means new beginnings and a new adventure. Kids beginning a new school will understand how new can feel both scary and exciting.

Cover of Scarecited on the First Day 0f School. Young girl is smiling a scared smile in the center of the cover. She has stars around her, and some school supplies on the table in front of her.

Agostini, Alliah L. Scarecited on the first day of school. New York, NY : Farrar Straus Giroux, 2025.

Scarecited may be a made-up word, but every kid knows exactly how it feels! Afua feels both scared and excited to be starting school. Can she find the courage to be herself and share her fears and her joy at school?

Mary Beth A. is the Community Engagement Librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries.

Leave a Reply