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.
Stories about starting school
Bring some humour to the starting school experience with The pigeon has to go to school! or We don’t eat our classmates.
Try well-loved classics such as I am too absolutely small for school, Curious George’s first day of school and Wombat goes to school.
For older readers, try junior fiction such as How to be … the new person* by Anna Branford, The edge of Thirteen by Nova Weetman or The amazing Edie Eckhart by Rosie Jones.
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
- George’s first day at playgroup by Neville Astley and Mark Baker
- Peanut Jones and the illustrated city by Rob Biddulph
- 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
- 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
- I love me by Marvyn Harrison & Diane Ewen
- Whiffy Wilson: the wolf who wouldn’t go to school by Caryl Hart
- We don’t eat our classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
- Your schools 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
- Mina shang xue de di yi tian = Mina’s first day of school by Katrina Liu
- 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
- Curious George’s first day of school by H.A. Rey
- Harry and the dinosaurs go to school by Ian Whybrow, Adrian Reynolds
- Not this bear by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
- Just Jack by Jane Tanner
- 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
- 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 (and eaudio)
- 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 Cameron 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
- Bright kids who can’t keep up, help your child overcome slow processing speed and succeed in a fast-paced world by Ellen Braaten and Brian Willoughby
- 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
- 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 importance of being little: what young children really need from grownups by Erika Christakis
- 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
- You, your child and school: navigate your way to the best education by Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica
More recommended reading
To see booklists on a variety of subjects, visit our Booklists page.