Our Children and Youth team has updated our Starting School book list with some great new titles for kids and some for parents of children starting school.
Every 'starting school worry' for new school students or students moving to a new school is covered in the list below.
Share these books with your family to set the scene for their big first day and to help discuss any questions and concerns they may have.
Books for parents and carers of school children
This year, our Starting School booklist includes some fantastic books for parents, which you can find on this page.
Try the suggestions below, or browse our library shelves for numbers 370-372 for 'education'. Alternatively, use the advanced search tool in the library catalogue to search for subject: 'education - parent participation'.
If you have a specific issue you want more information about, please stop in and speak to our librarians who can help you find the right titles for your needs.
First day of school picture books
- My friend Ernest by Emma Allen
- Prince George goes to school by Caryl Hart and Laura Ellen Anderson
- The wild guide to starting school by Laura & Philip Bunting
- Madi starts school by Monique Cain (The everyday autism series)
- Lena’s shoes are nervous: a first-day-of-school dilemma by Keith Calabrese and Juana Medina
- I am too absolutely small for school by Lauren Child
- First day by Andrew Daddo
- Old friends, new friends by Andrew Daddo, Jonathan Bentley
- My magic family by Lotte Jeffs & Sharon Davey
- Pete the Cat: rocking in my school shoes by Eric Litwin and James Dean
- Pete the Kitty’s first day of preschool by Kimberly and James Dean XXX
- Wombat goes to school by Jackie French, Bruce Whatley
- Chu’s first day at school by Neil Gaiman
- Starting school by Jane Godwin
- Hello, my name is Tiger by Jennifer P. Goldfinger
- Little Tiger starts school by Sue Graves
- I love me by Marvyn Harrison & Diane Ewen
- We don’t eat our classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
- Your school's the best by Maggie Hutchings & Felicita Sala
- Your mind is like a garden by Shona Innes, Irisz Agocs
- The playground is like a jungle by Shona Innes, Irisz Agocs
- Ollie’s back-to-school bear by Nicola Killen
- The battle: Starting school can be scary sometimes by Ashling Kwok
- Lulu's first day by Anna McQuinn
- Monster school rules by Rory H. Mather & Carla Martell
- Mouse’s big day by Lydia Monks
- I love my teacher by Todd Parr
- The school book by Todd Parr
- Teachers rock! by Todd Parr
- Ready, set, big school: a play school mindfully me book about starting school by Play School
- I have to start at school today by Simon Philip
- Curious George’s first day of school by H.A. Rey
- My first day at school by Rosie Smith
- Starting school by Eleanor Taylor
- Harry and the dinosaurs go to school by Ian Whybrow, Adrian Reynolds
- The pigeon has to go to school! by Mo Willems
First day of school junior fiction
- The offline diaries: as told by Ade and Shanice by Yomi Adegoke & Elizabeth Uvibinene
- Peanut Jones and the illustrated city by Rob Biddulph
- How to be … the new person* by Anna Branford
- Freddy and the new kid by Neill Cameron
- Diary of an accidental witch by Perdita & Honor Cargill
- Monday by Eva Amores & Matt Cosgrove
- Paws by Kate Foster
- The goodbye year by Emily Gale
- Mr Bambuckle’s Remarkables by Tim Harris
- How to be brave by Daisy May Johnson
- The amazing Edie Eckhart by Rosie Jones
- Kit and Arlo find a way by Ingrid Laguna
- No words by Maryam Master
- What about Thao? by Oliver Phommavanh
- New teacher by Rebecca McRitchie
- Footprints on the moon by Lorraine Marwood
- A glasshouse of stars by Shirley Marr
- The beach shack café by Belinda Murrell
- Birdie’s bargain by Katherine Paterson
- Naughty dragons try school by Natalie Jane Prior
- New girl* by Laura Sieveking
- Tune it out by Jamie Sumner
- The small things by Lisa Thompson
- Luna Rae is not alone by Hayley Webster
- The edge of Thirteen by Nova Weetman
First day of school graphic novels
- Claudia and the new girl* by Gabriela Epstein
- Batman and Robin and Howard by Jeffrey Brown
- Other boys by Damian Alexander
- Science fair crisis by Derek Fridolfs
- Shirley & Jamila’s big fall by Gillian Goerz
- Just roll with it by Lee Durfey-Lavoie
First day of school YA fiction
- Are you there, Buddha? by Pip Harry
- Full disclosure by Camryn Garrett
- The passing playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons
- Ready to fall by Marcella Pixley
- Sadie Starr’s guide to starting over by Miranda Luby (ebook only)
Books for parents
- 12 ways your child can get the best out of school by Adrian Piccoli
- Becoming brilliant: what science tells us about raising successful children by Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, PhD and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, PhD
- Book smart: how to develop and support successful, motivated readers by Anne E. Cunningham
- Bringing up book monsters by Amber Ankowski
- Drawing a blank: improving comprehension for readers on the autism spectrum by Emily Iland
- Good ideas: how to be your child’s (and your own) best teacher by Michael Rosen
- How to help your children learn: uncovering your child’s hidden gifts by Bernadette Tynan
- I spy a great reader: how to unlock the literacy secret and get your child hooked on books by Jackie French
- 10 steps to develop great learners: visible learning for parents by John Hattie
- Is my child ready for school? An easy to follow guide for parents by Karen Senior
- Raising readers: how to nurture a child’s love of books by Megan Daley
- Reading in the wild: the book whisperer’s keys to cultivating lifelong reading habits by Donalyn Miller with Susan Kelley
- The enchanted hour: the miraculous power of reading aloud in the age of distraction by Meghan Cox Gurdon
- The read-aloud family: making meaningful and lasting connections with your kids by Sarah Mackenzie
- The story cure: an A-Z of books to keep kids happy, healthy and wise by Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin
- Wild things: how we learn to read and what can happen if we don't by Sally Rippin
More recommended reading
To see booklists on a variety of subjects, visit our Booklists page.
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