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11 Awesome Books for Back to School

The back to school season is officially upon us. During the first few weeks of school, I love sharing books with my students that they can connect with on how they’re feeling during those exciting and nerve-wracking first few days of school. Some of my favorite books for back to school include ChrysanthemumFirst Day Jitters, and A Bad Case of the Stripes. Now, while I love those stories, I wanted to incorporate a few different books into my lineup as well. Read on for 11 of my favorite back to school books that kids (and teachers!) are sure to love!

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Books for Back To School

11 Books for Back to School

I’ve added each of these back to school books to my shelf in my own classroom and I believe these are must-haves for every primary teacher. These books focus on a variety of topics and themes, such as kindness, listening, diversity, dreaming, community, and making all children feel safe at school. Let’s dive in!

#1: Wordy Birdy

The first of my favorite books for back to school is Wordy Birdy, by Tammi Sauer. This book is absolutely adorable and a total kid-favorite. It’s funny and entertaining while also focusing on the importance of listening. It can be used during the back to school season or anytime throughout the school year.

It’s about a silly bird who talks way MORE than she actually listens. One day, Wordy Birdy is so caught up in the excitement of all the things around her that she doesn’t listen to her friends’ warnings and ends up in a tricky situation. Luckily, Wordy Birdy’s friends are there to save her from danger! Does this change Wordy Birdy? No, she still LOVES to talk and talk and talk, but she also learns that she likes to listen to others too. 

Wordy Birdy

#2: Be Kind

This book fits its title perfectly and is an excellent way to teach and reinforce kindness to young children. Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller, is about a little girl who questions how to respond when she sees a friend spill grape juice on herself. While others laugh, she did not think it was so funny.

She goes on to think about different ways that she can be kind to others in ways that young children can relate to such as helping others, giving, paying attention, or just saying hello. It really focuses on how small acts of kindness can lead to making a huge difference. 

Be Kind

#3: All Are Welcome

The book All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold is the perfect back to school book. It lets young children know that no matter what, they have a special place at school and are always welcome.

It walks through the school day of a diverse classroom where each child learns from each others’ backgrounds and traditions. 

All Are Welcome

#4: Alma and How She Got Her Name

Up next on my list of back to school books is Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal. This beautiful story is about a young girl named Alma who learns the identity of her name. She has six to be exact!

One day, Alma complains to her dad that her name is so long that it “never fits”. Her dad then shares stories about where her long name came from and the family members it represents. Alma learns that her name just might be perfect after all and realizes that one day she will have a story to tell. 

Alma and How She Got Her Name

#5: Most People

In the story Most People by Michael Leannah, it shares that the world can be a scary place, but that in the middle of that scariness, most people are good people.

With the kid-friendly illustrations, this book follows two siblings through the city for a day where they encounter people of all kinds (bikers, mohawks, etc.) who are doing nice things for other people. It teaches kids that despite all the bad, most people in the world want to help others and share goodness too. 

Most People

#6: This Is How We Do It

This Is How We Do It by Matt Lamothe takes you around the world with seven real kids from different countries where they share their day. The book shows each child’s family, school life, chores, what they eat for dinner, and how they play.

It gives students an inside look on cultures and traditions, showing them that may look different than their own, and that is the beauty of this world! 

This is how we do it

#7: The Sandwich Swap

The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania of Jordan Al Abdullah and Kelly DiPucchio is a sweet book about the power of friendship. It follows best friends Lily and Salma, who like to do all the same things. However, when they sit down at lunch with two different types of sandwiches, it leads to an all-out food fight.

This book is all about putting your differences aside and coming together in the spirit of accepting others’ differences.

The Sandwich Swap

#8: Our Class Is A Family

Up next on my list of back to school books is Our Class Is A Family by Shannon Olsen. This heartfelt book is all about the sense of community, safety, inclusion, and love that teachers create in their own classrooms. They do so much more than teach reading, writing, and math. They create a home away from home where all students feel welcome.

This is a great book to read at the beginning of the school year to let each student know that they belong, they are loved, and they are part of your classroom family.

Our Class Is a Family

#9: Our School Is A Family

Our School Is A Family is a follow-up book from the previous back to school book by Shannon Olsen. This book goes beyond the classroom and talks about the extended family each student has at school to help support them.

I love this book because it focuses on ALL of the people that make up the heart of a school, including administrators, librarians, counselors, speech pathologists, secretaries, custodians, reading specialists, cafeteria workers, parent volunteers, and more!

This book helps students get to know each person’s role in the school, allowing them to feel even more safe, loved, and supported at school. This would be a great book to have one of those special people come read to your class in the first days of school.

Our School Is a Family

#10: The Magical Yet

The Magical Yet by Angela DiTerlizzi is one of my favorite back to school books. This story has a funny, rhyming theme to it and is perfect for children who may be a little frustrated about what they can’t do… YET.

In the story, it talks about how we are all born with a special companion – the YET. No matter what you can’t do, the YET is always there to help you along the way until you CAN. This is the perfect book for teaching growth mindset and helping students turn negatives into positives when faced with challenges.

The Magical Yet

#11: We’re All Wonders

The last on my list of 11 books for back to school is We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio. This book was inspired by the movie Wonder, and is an amazing book for celebrating kindness, friendship, empathy, and belonging.

This book follows an ordinary young boy named Auggie and his beloved dog, Daisy as they go through life in a world where he isn’t always seen like other children around him. In the book, kids will learn about everyone’s desire to belong and be seen exactly as they are.

We're all Wonders

Add These Back To School Books To Your Library

I hope this post inspires you to add some of these back to school books to your classroom library. You can find all of them linked in my Amazon storefront here.

For more book recommendations and math read alouds, check out the Books section on my blog here.

Do you have another back to school books favorite? Leave me a comment below so I can add it to my read aloud list!

11 back to school books
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