School time is already here and that means making new friends and learning new things. I have some wonderful picture books to help explore this new adventure for your children, ages five through eight unless otherwise indicated.
The First Week of School by Drew Beckmeyer takes young readers through the exciting and eventful first days of kindergarten.
The First Week of School, by Drew Beckmeyer, is a delightful look at each day of the first week in kindergarten. Monday involves show and tell, recess and the extensive car pickup. The rest of the book takes you through each day of this first week making this a perfect read for children beginning kindergarten. There is a clever side-story involving a cute little alien from outer space and a classmate’s invention of a satellite. The full-page illustrations are wonderfully colorful made with crayon.
Hello, Crayons! And Other School Friends, by Hannah Eliot and brightly illustrated by Anna and Daniel Clark, is a board book introducing school supplies with a rhyming text. We’re your school supplies,/ We’re a really great team, we’ll help you recharge your dreams! This cute little book is perfect for toddlers.
How to be Confident in Kindergarten: A Book for your Backpack and How to Be Kind in Kindergarten, both by D. J. Steinberg and colorfully illustrated by Ruth Hammond, are small paperback books that will easily fit in your child’s backpack. Both books are encouraging with short rhyming statements to inspire the best in your five-year-old.
The Ballad of Cactus Joe by Lily Murray tells the story of a prickly character learning the joys of friendship in this lively rhyming adventure.
The Ballad of Cactus Joe, by Lily Murray and perfectly illustrated with humor and bright colors by Clive McFarland, is a perfect rhyming read aloud especially for a family or classroom. Cactus Joe is prickly and prefers life alone until small critters talk their way onto parts of his plant. He soon learns that having friends makes life much better.
Life’s Little Lessons: Loud Louis, by Amber Stewart and illustrated with much expression by Sandie Sonke, is the perfect book to help youngsters to adjust to use their inside voice. Louis uses his shouting voice inside and outside until he meets a girl who teaches Louis how to manage his voice correctly. Check out Stewart’s other book about learning to share: The Sharing Star
Ruby’s Tools for Making Friends, by Apryl Stott, showcases how tools can help kids overcome anxieties. Ruby is at her new school and is nervous but her tape measure helps her count her breaths; her pliers help her be flexible; and her safety goggles help her see things in a new way. Ruby finds that making friends can be made without her tools. The beautiful art was created with watercolor paint and digital ink.
You Are Brave by Margaret O’Hair inspires children to believe in themselves and embrace new challenges with courage.
You are Brave: A Book About Trying New Things, by Margaret O’Hair and brightly illustrated by Sofia Cardoso, is a perfect book to encourage kids to believe in themselves, to have confidence, to try new things and to stand up to bullies. When you finally succeed at something that challenged you, you should feel proud!
Chloe and Maude: 3 Stories About Two Friends, by Sandra Boynton, was first published in 1983 and has been redrawn and redesigned by the author/illustrator. These three stories are classics about these adorable kitten friends. The three stories, The Art Lesson, Chloe, Maude, and Sophia, and Overnight are all about the antics and adventures about dealing with friendship.
Ursula Upside Down, by Corey R. Tabor, celebrates being unique. Ursula is a catfish who loves life and being innovative in her own way. Kids will love flipping the book upside down as they read through this cute story. The pictures are bright and fill the open page.
You Broke It! by Liana Finck uses clever illustrations and humor to teach children about understanding social cues and rules in a fun and engaging way.
You Broke it, by Liana Finck, is a very unique and clever look at life as a child when being disciplined. Each open page displays a simple illustration of an animal or another object and the simple text displays the dichotomy of exclamation. But each example is actually quite hilarious with the contrary obvious exhibit. For example, the large frog is exclaiming to the small leaping frog, “Careful! You’ll get wet!” The large white cloud telling the dark, small rainy cloud, “Stop crying!” This book could be a useful tool helping children understand when they need to conform in the classroom. The simple illustrations are a perfect match with the theme of this book. They were created using a gel pen.
