Favorite Back to School Story Books

Cute back to school story books can go a long way in building the excitement of those early days and calming first day jitters, which all students have, regardless of the grade level. Admittedly, young children do tend to have butterflies in their stomachs a bit more than the older ones. Perhaps that's why there are so many books for the first days of school for this age group! 

There are so many cute back to school books to choose from! Below are a collection of our favorites. Sorry, we don't yet have individual reviews for these books, but that will be our next step.  For now, the links will take you to the Amazon page for that individual book. (Please note that if you purchase an item from Amazon, they give us a small referral fee. (This helps pay for site hosting costs, thus allowing us to keep everything free for site visitors!)  And, if there's one we've overlooked, please let us know.

David Goes to School
by David Shannon
(we read this after teaching
classroom rules--
fun discussion starter)
Preschool - 4th grade

The New Bear at School
by Carrie Weston
(provides a good example
on how to treat each other,
even those who seem
a little different than you)
Preschool - 2nd grade

Splat the Cat: Back
to School, Splat!
by Rob Scotton
(Splat can't decide what
summer adventure to share. Splat fans will like this cute
back to school story.)
Kindergarten - 2nd grade

The Kissing Hand
by Audrey Penn
(sweet story that's
been a classic in K-2
for decades)
Preschool - 3rd grade

Brand-new Pencils,
Brand-new Books
by Diane DeGroat
(Gilbert is excited--
but nervous--about the
new school year)
Preschool - 1st grade

Pete the Cat: Rocking
in My School Shoes
by James Dean
(Pete discovers the library,
lunch room, playground, and
other cool places at school)
Preschool - 3rd grade

If You Take a Mouse
to School
by Laura Numeroff
(this adorable back to school
story is perfect for introducing
kids to this unmissable series)
preschool - 2nd grade

This is the Way We
Go to School
(a book about children
around the world and the
many different ways they
get to school each day)
Preschool - 1st grade

My Teacher Is a Monster!
(No, I Am Not)
by Peter Brown
(playful story that humanizes
both teachers and students)
preschool - 3rd grade

I Am Too Absolutely
Small for School
by Lauren Child
(a boy tells his sister all the
great things about school)
preschool - 2nd grade

First Day Jitters
by Julie Danneberg
(a cute book that helps
kids realize it's normal to
be nervous on the first day)
Kindergarten - 3rd grade

Chrysanthemum
by Kevin Henkes
(a cute and honest story
about teasing, self-esteem,
and acceptance)
Preschool - 2nd grade

The Night Before Preschool, Kindergarten, First Grade
by Natasha Wing  (Three great additions to the fabulous 'Night Before' series. We
seriously read a book from this series for virtually every holiday! And these back to
school stories are just perfect. You can't go wrong with Night Before series books!)
Preschool - 1st grade

How Do Dinosaurs
Go To School?
by Jane Yolen
(a great discussion starter
about school behavior)
Preschool - 2nd grade

Kindergarten Rocks
by Katie Davis
(a child learns that school really
does ROCK! A simple but
comforting back to school story)
Kindergarten

Wemberly Worried
by Kevin Henkes
(a back to school favorite
about a worried little girl
facing her 1st day of school)
Kindergarten - 2nd grade

How To Be a Friend
A Guide to Making Friends
and Keeping Them
(so much good information
for ALL kids to remember)
Kindergarten - 3rd grade

Planet Kindergarten
by Sue Ganz Schmitt
(prepares young explorers
to boldly go where they
have never gone before)
preschool-Kindergarten

How I Spent My
Summer Vacation
by Mark Teague
(a kid goes a little over-
board retelling his
summer adventures)
preschool - 2nd grade

Butterflies in My
Stomach
by Serge Bloch
(adorable book that covers
start-of-school nerves
thru common idioms)
2nd grade - 4th grade

Kindergarten, Here I Come
by D.J. Steinberg
(fun poems about familiar
milestones & moments)
Kindergarten

This School Year Will
Be the BEST!
by Kay Winters
(kids come up with things
that will make the new
school year awesome!)
Kindergarten - 2nd grade

Things I Learned in
Second Grade
by Amy Schwartz
( captures the magic of
learning and growing during
second grade)
1st grade - 3rd grade

Justin Case: School,
Drool, and Other
Daily Disasters
(third grade in all its
complicated glory)
by Rachel Vail
2nd grade - 4th grade