Starting school with some laughs (ages 4 - 8)

Help ease the transition back to school by sharing these funny books with your children. They both provide a silly view of school routines, inspiring laughs and celebrating imagination.

A Pirate's Guide to First Grade
by James Preller
illustrated by Greg Ruth
NY: Feiwel & Friends, 2010
ages 4 - 8
available on Amazon or at your public library

Take a rollicking spin on the first day of school with James Preller's newest book, A Pirate's Guide to First Grade and follow a young boy narrating the story of his first day of school entirely in pirate lingo. As he wakes up for the day, he says “Me great scurvy dog slurped me kisser when I was tryin' t' get me winks!” This makes story for a great read aloud, hamming it up along the way. The illustrations show kids looking like real kids in bright, bold colors, and then faint ghosts of pirates that the narrator sees throughout his day. I absolutely loved the humor and the way it celebrates boys' imaginations. Preller is the author of many books, including the Jigsaw Jones series and several novels for older children. He really understands the inner workings of kids and how they see the world.

Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten?
by Audrey Vernick
illustrated by Daniel Jennewein
NY: HarperCollins, 2010
ages 4 - 6
available on Amazon and at your local library

Is your child a little bit nervous about starting kindergarten? This is a great book to ease their fears by making them laugh at the situations this silly buffalo gets into. I mean, look at the grin - you couldn't help but love a buffalo like that?!

Certain rules like No Grazing at recess might be hard for a buffalo to learn, but they will be great at hide-and-seek. Your buffalo will also have to learn about sharing and not losing his temper -- no butting heads in kindergarten! Not only does this book help little kids become more comfortable by laughing at the buffalo, it also helps them see the typical routines of the classroom.

The review copy of Pirates was shared by my local independent bookstore, the wonderful Mrs. Dalloway's Books in Berkeley. The review copy of Buffalo was kindly sent by the publisher. If you make a purchase on Amazon using a link from this page, a small portion will go to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you). Thank you for your support!