Every 'starting school worry' is covered in the below list for new primary school students. Share these books with your child to set the scene for their big first day and to help discuss any questions and concerns they may have.
Stories about starting school
Mouse is nervous and doesn't want to go to school but soon finds some new friends in Mouse’s big day, and Little Owl doesn't want to leave his mum and brother in Little Owl’s first day. Friends go to different schools in Knight school and we follow the experience of five different students with Starting school. Introduce school with One keen koala, a fun counting story, and enjoy rhyming and a school birthday party in The school by a favourite, classic author, Dick Bruna.
'Special times, special needs’ series
This is the first of our ‘Special times, special needs’ booklists, put together by our Youth Services librarians to help parents and carers support their children through those tricky times.
Sharing stories is a great way to explore challenging issues with children. Using gentle, age-appropriate picture books can help start conversations, encourage questions, reassure children that others have faced the same problems or give them a preview into an upcoming situation they may be worried about.
Starting school booklist
- Archie’s first day at school by Emma Brown
- Betty and Jim go to school by Margot Channing
- Birdie’s first day of school by Sujean Rim
- Chamelia and the new kid in class by Ethan Long
- Dinosaur vs school by Bob Shea
- First day by Andrew Daddo
- First day by Margaret Wild
- Hello, my name is Tiger by Jennifer P. Goldfinger
- How do dinosaurs go to school? by Jane Yolen
- I am too absolutely small for school by Lauren Child
- I don’t want to go to school! By Stephanie Blake
- I’ll never let you go by Marianne Richmond
- It’s your first day of school, Busy Bus! by Jody Jensen Shaffer
- Knight school by Jane Clarke and Jane Massey
- Lena’s shoes are nervous: a first-day-of-school dilemma by Keith Calabrese and Juana Medina
- Little Owl’s first day by Debi Gliori
- Maddie’s first day by Penny Matthews
- Madi starts school by Monique Cain
- Mae’s first day of school by Kate Berube
- Ming goes to school by Deirdre Sullivan
- Monster Academy by Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple
- Mouse’s big day by Lydia Monks
- Mum at school by Eric Veille
- My first day at a new school by Charlotte Guillain
- My first day at school by Meredith Costain
- My first day at school by Rosie Smith
- My friend Ernest by Emma Allen
- Noni is nervous by Heather Hartt-Sussman
- Not this bear by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
- Oliver and his alligator by Paul Schmid
- One keen koala by Margaret Wild
- Otto goes to school by Todd Parr
- Ruby Rose: off to school she goes by Rob Sanders
- The school by Dick Bruna
- The secret life of squirrels: back to school! by Nancy Rose
- Splat the cat and the cool school trip by Rob Scotton
- Starting school by Jane Godwin
- Sunday Chutney by Aaron Blabey
- Teachers rock! by Todd Parr
- Twig by Aura Parker
- We don’t eat our classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
- Whiffy Wilson: the wolf who wouldn’t go to school by Caryl Hart
Reserve a book on the list
To reserve a book, click on the title and use your membership number and PIN to place a reservation.
For more recommended reading, see Booklists.