Starting School: 10 favorite picture books (ages 3-6)

Starting school is a big deal in a little person's life. I love sharing these ten picture books with kids throughout the fall. In part, it's creating a shared experience--letting kids know they aren't the only ones going through these experiences. It's also a time to notice all the changes and talk about what's happening.

10 picture books for the beginning of school

• ABC, School’s for Me, by Susan B. Katz, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger
• Little Lola, by Julie Staab, illustrated by David Gothard
• Maple and Willow Apart, by Lori Nichols
• Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten, by Joseph Slate, illustrated by Ashley Wolff
• Mom, It’s My First Day of Kindergarten!, by Hyewon Yum
• Monkey: Not Ready for Kindergarten, by Marc Brown
• The New Girl… and Me, by Jacqui Robbins, illustrated by Matt Phelan
• Planet Kindergarten, by Sue Ganz-Schmitt, illustrated by Shane Prigmore
• Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes, by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean
• School’s First Day of School, by Adam Rex, illustrated by Christian Robinson
• A Tiger Tail (Or What Happened to Anya on Her First Day of School), by Mike Boldt
• Time for (Earth) School, Dewey Dew, by Leslie Staub, illustrated by Jeff Mack

Preschoolers will particularly like the energetic, sweet rhyming in Susan Katz's ABC, School's for Me and the fun song that goes along with Pete the Cat.

Kids new to kindergarten will be reassured that they'll quickly get used to kindergarten, just like monkey in Monkey: Not Ready for Kindergarten. Other new kindergarteners will love the out-of-this-world energy of Planet Kindergarten. My teenagers still smile at the classic ABC story of Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten.

If your little one is anxious, they might like the upbeat reassurance in Little Lola, or they might like the way Hyewon Yum turns the tables in Mom, It's My First Day of Kindergarten! showing how nervous parents are, even if the kids have everything under control.

Do you have any favorite books to share as your kids start the school year? I love adding to my collection!

The review copies were kindly sent by the publishers, Macmillan, Harper Collins, Chronicle, Penguin, Random House, Simon & Schuster and Boyds Mills. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books. Thank you for your support.

©2016 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books