Fantastic Picture Books to Start the School Year Off Right

If you've been teaching a while, you probably have a nice little stack of books you have set aside each year for the back-to-school crowd. Maybe it includes some of these...

David Goes to School by David Shannon

How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? by Jane Yolk

If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff

Maisy Goes to Preschool by Lucy Cousins

Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin

The Pigeon Has to Go to School by Mo Willems

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdey

Here are some you might like that you may have missed...

Back to School Tortoise by Lucy M. George

Tortoise gets up. It’s the first day of school. But on the way to school, Tortoise begins to worry that he won’t be liked and he won’t have fun...

Rain School by James Rumford

A group of children are walking to school, excited about the start of classes. They walk and walk and finally they arrive. There are no books. There are no desks. There is no school building. The teacher is there. ‘’We will build our school,” she says. “This is the first lesson.”’

A Tiger Tail (or What Happened to Anya on Her First Day of School) by Mike Boldt

Anya wakes up on the first day of school and discovers she has a tiger tale. Eek. What to do? 

We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

Penelope the T-Rex can't wait to meet her new classmates on the first day of school. But is she ever surprised to find out they are all...children! And they look...delicious....

All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold

With a huge cast of amazingly diverse children, Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman create a school anyone would want to attend.

Truman by Jean Ready

Truman is the peaceful and pensive turtle of peaceful and pensive Sarah. But one day Truman infers from all the clues---a big backpack, a big bow, a brand new sweater, a big goodbye---that Sarah has gone somewhere much farther than usual, and that he needs to search for her. Truman bravely sets out. 

No Frogs in School by A. LaFaye

Bartholomew Botts loves pets, and he doesn't want to go to school without one.

In a lovely succession that children will adore, Bartholomew tries taking a frog, a salamander, a hamster, and a snake, all of which are epic school fails. But then Bartholomew gets an inspired idea....

The King of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes

It's the first day of kindergarten, and this little fellow is off to rule the school as King of Kindergarten. It's a day of happy surprises, and the new king reigns with benevolence and generosity.

Do you have other favorite picture books for back-to-school?

Other school-related lists:

Some of the Best Books Set in Schools

Teaching in Tough Schools...Some of the Best Stories

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.