My youngest starts school in September, how did that happen? We’ve been reading starting school books with her to prepare her for the change. As you know we love children’s books so I’m sure it comes as no surprise to you that we used children’s books to prepare our eldest for starting school too. Find all the best children’s books here.
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Some of these books were sent with me for review. They are marked with a #. All thoughts, opinions and photos are my own.
Books about starting school
I am too absolutely small for school, Lauren Child
We love Charlie and Lola books so I knew we had to bring this one home from the library. Lola is about to start school but she is absolutely too small and too busy to start school. Luckily Charlie is on hand to convince her why she should go.
She comes up with all sorts of excuses such as not liking school dinners or not needing to know how to write or count to a hundred. Thankfully Charlie is able to persuade her that she could benefit from being able to write letters to Father Christmas and read secret messages written on the fridge.
The book finishes at the end of her first day where we learn she made a new friend and enjoyed school. Perfect for any Lauren Child fan.
Available to * buy now from Amazon.
When a dragon goes to school, Carly Hart
We love this book. The illustrations are cute and colourful and the book is written in rhyme which is a pleasure to read and listen to. It’s the perfect introduction to school life for little ones as it goes through many of the school essentials. It teaches little ones what is expected of them and what kind of activities they should expect at school.
Available to * buy here.
Starting school, Janet and Allan Ahlberg
In this book, we follow 8 children who start school together. It starts from their first day and runs right up to the Christmas holidays. It covers all the things that children can expect in their first week (classroom essentials, school activities, school dinners, playtime) and also the first term (Halloween and the Nativity).
The illustrations are plentiful and beautiful too and the words have a good rhythm to them. It might be a classic but it hasn’t dated and it’s great for helping children start to understand what school life involves.
Available to * buy here.
Busy people Teacher, Lucy M George
Follow Miss Betts through a typical working day at school. This isn’t just any day though, today the class have an extra special visit from Kelly Jones, a local athlete. I love that this book not only gets children familiar with the school routine but also teaches them about trying their best and the importance of not giving up.
At the end of the book, there are a few suggestions for building on the learning. These ideas are discussion points to get children talking about the book and the ideas it brings up. We love this series of books (other busy people include firemen, doctor and astronaut).
Available to * buy here.
Hugless Douglass goes to little school, David Meiling
Another lovely book from the Hugless Douglass series. Hugless Douglass if starting little school and he’s excited to meet his new teacher and friends. When Miss Moo-Hoo asks the class what they enjoy doing, she’s in for a big surprise. I’m sure you’ve guessed that Hugless Douglass enjoys giving hugs and of course, he gives his teacher a big one followed by all his new friends. The illustrations are colourful and show lots of funny scenes that we love to look at and talk about. A really charming book for children starting preschool or school.
Available to * buy here.
Welcome to Alien school, Caryl Hart
This might not be a realistic school book but it makes a nice change and is really fun. Albie is off to school but not just any school, today he’s off to alien school. This fun book follows the usual school day with all the familiar activities (lessons, play and dinner time) but in outer space.
The pictures are bold and colourful and the story funny. My daughter still loves this book and thinks it looks really fun going to school in space. If you’ve got a space-loving child, they’re sure to enjoy this book. I can’t wait to explore more books about Albie as this book is part of a series.
Available to * buy here.
The starting school book, Sarah Ockwell-Smith #
Here’s one for you. If your first child is starting school this September then you might have lots of questions and worries. This book is a fantastic resource, packed with information on everything from how to prepare your child for starting school, tips for dealing with separation anxiety, friendship issues and so much for. The perfect guide to help you through your first year as a school mum. Find a full review here.
Available to * buy now.
I’d love to hear from you if you have any favourite books about starting school that I’ve not mentioned.
Other posts you might find useful
- What to expect during the first half term in reception. I wrote this post 3 years ago when my eldest was at this stage.
- Back to school tips – I think we’ll all need all the help we can get this September!
- Find out more about how to prepare your child for school here.
- Start teaching your child phonics – find my review of Read Write Inc phonics my reading and writing kit and find more phonics resources too.
- Make sure your child can do these key skills before they start school
Pin for later:
Thanks so much Claire for featuring Alien School in your list. My boys absolutely love the Albie series.
You’re welcome. Thank you for introducing us to the Albie series.
I love reading books that teach the kiddies about something new! We have books for going to the doctor, going on an airplane etc. I think they learn with such ease & don’t realize it’s learning either! These are some great choices, I will look for them for my youngest 🙂
I agree. Books are a great way of introducing new experiences.
I never used going to school books when my daughter’s started school but they are such a good idea to help ease anxiety. I do like a bit of Charlie and Lola so i think i would have chosen this one as my go to book. Good luck to F starting School 🙂
Thank you. Charlie and Lola is great.
I’m sure he’d love it. I think it must be a bit easier moving from preschool to school but still a big step.
I hope starting school goes well for you. I think books are a great way to introduce new experiences.
Good luck for next week. Sounds like my daughter. I love that she’s excited. Thanks for pinning.
Thank you. It’s lovely when kids enjoy reading.
This is such a useful post – my son will be starting school next year and books have always been a great way to prepare him for new experiences. I remember Starting School from when I was little – it’s clearly a classic!
I love books for preparing children for new experiences. It’s a classic for a reason. A lovely book.
You’re welcome. I hope she settles in well.
What lovely books. My youngest is starting school next year and these would be great to prepare her for it. Books are a great way to do that. She loves charlie and lola, so that will be popular x
I think baby are a great way of preparing kids.
I’m a big fan of using books to help little get used to a big life change, these all look fab. I love how fun the alien one looks.
The alien one is fun.
We just had one book for my daughter, an Usborne one with all different words in the classroom and around the school. These all look fantastic though, especially Charlie and Lola, those books are always brilliant 🙂
I think I’ve seen that one around. We only bought one of these books, another was sent for review and the other 3 are library books. Charlie and Lola are great books.
I’m glad it is useful. I read one book to F (can’t remember what now) and it was so focused on being nervous I never read it again!
I’m sure you’ll find one that is good for your child.
Lol, you never know!
I love Alien School and you can’t beat a bit of Charlie and Lola! Thanks for sharing with #readwithme
There are so many great starting school books, we love the Charlie and Lola book too. I have a starting school blogpost on Story Snug and also two posts where I asked book bloggers to recommend their favourite starting school books.
I hope your little girl has a great first day, it sounds like she’s excited :o)
#ReadWithMe
They sound like great posts. I’ll go and have a read. Thank you, I hope so too.
I had no idea Charlie and Lola had been around that long. It really stands the test of time.
There are lots of great school books out there.
Great choices! We have Starting School and Hugless Douglas in our list of school books over on our blog too. I can’t believe I’ve never read the Charlie and Lola one, will have to get a copy. #readwithme #kltr