August Book Selections

Back to School

In the first month of school, I like to read stories that set the tone for the school year and highlight any big emotions my little students might be feeling. The following are my favorite back to schoolbooks.  

Penn, A., Harper, R. E., & Leak, N. M. (2021). The kissing hand. Tanglewood Press.

My first selection is the classroom classic, The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. This is the heart-warming story of little Chester the raccoon who is feeling anxious about starting school. His mama shares a family secret called "the Kissing Hand" to remind him of her love to provide him with reassurance when they are apart. Ruth Harper’s warm and delightful watercolor illustrations support the telling of this story and its calming and comforting message. This is an excellent story for the first day of school, especially for our Kindergarten students. 

Dewdney, A. (2022). Llama Llama misses mama. Viking.

It's Llama Llama's first day of preschool and everything and everyone is strange and new. The teacher and the other children show Llama Llama how much fun school can be.  This story probably echoes many of the feelings and thoughts of the students in the first few days of school. Many of my students recognize Llama Llama for the Llama Llama book series from Anna Dewdney which features 50 stories. 

Beaumont, K., & Catrow, D. (2021). I like myself! Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

This is a fun story of a little girl who uses her imagination to express her healthy self-esteem and teaches children to love themselves.  The story features silly and colorful illustrations and fun rhyming words. It’s the perfect story to help children feel more comfortable and confident in themselves as we start the new school year. This book is perfect for children ages 4-8 and a fun read to help “break the ice”. 

Ways to expand on the books

• Have children look in a mirror and draw a self-portrait. I like to frame these portraits and display on a wall for the whole year. 

• Have children write about how they felt on the first day of school.

Questions to ask your students

• Ask the children if they can think of a time when someone might feel all alone because they miss someone special.

• What does Chester do when he feels lonely and needs his mom?

• What do you like about yourself?