Our Youth Services team have updated our Starting School book list for 2020, with some great new titles for kids and some for parents of children starting school.
Every 'starting school worry' for new primary school students is covered in the list below. 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
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.
Celebrate teachers with Teachers rock! and learn about making new friends with Hello, my name is Tiger or First day. For younger children, try Pete the Kitty’s first day of preschool or George’s first day at playgroup.
Books for parents and carers of school children
This year, our Starting School booklist includes some fantastic books for parents. Try the suggestions below or browse the shelves for numbers 370-372 for 'education'. Alternatively, use the advanced search tool in the 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.
'Special times, special needs’ series
This is one of our ‘Special times, special needs’ booklists, put together by our Youth Services librarians to help parents and carers support their children through difficult 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.
Books to share with children
- The school book by Todd Parr
- Teachers rock! by Todd Parr
- I am too absolutely small for school by Lauren Child
- 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
- George’s first day at playgroup by Neville Astley and Mark Baker
- Prince George goes to school by Caryl Hart and Laura Ellen Anderson
- Curious George’s first day of school by H.A. Rey
- Harry and the dinosaurs go to school by Ian Whybrow, Adrian Reynolds
- Mouse’s big day by Lydia Monks
- Hello, my name is Tiger by Jennifer P. Goldfinger
- Not this bear by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
- Wombat goes to school by Jackie French, Bruce Whatley
- Just Jack by Jane Tanner
- Lena’s shoes are nervous: a first-day-of-school dilemma by Keith Calabrese and Juana Medina
- Your mind is like a garden by Shona Innes, Irisz Agocs
- The playground is like a jungle by Shona Innes, Irisz Agocs
- Chu’s first day at school by Neil Gaiman
- Madi starts school by Monique Cain (The everyday autism series)
- Whiffy Wilson: the wolf who wouldn’t go to school by Caryl Hart
- Starting school by Jane Godwin
- First day by Andrew Daddo
- Old friends, new friends by Andrew Daddo, Jonathan Bentley
- Mina shang xue de di yi tian = Mina’s first day of school by Katrina Liu
- We don’t eat our classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
- My friend Ernest by Emma Allen
- The pigeon has to go to school! by Mo Willems
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 view booklists on a variety of subjects, visit Booklists from our librarians.