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Books Take Children Back to School
By Holly E. Newton

“Is it time, already, to go back to school?” Kids all over are asking that question. But there is one group of children who have been looking forward to this time for many years ? kindergarteners. I have compiled some outstanding back-to-school picture books that will surely get your little one excited for the coming school year.

Has your child ever thought about the fact that it’s the first time for others in the same class? A Very Full Morning, written and illustrated by Eva Montanari, is the cutest story about a rabbit, Little Tooth, who can’t seem to sleep the night before the first day of school. When morning finally comes, she selects a dress from her closet and begins to eat her specially prepared breakfast. Then she begins her walk to school.

She follows the many backpacks that are on the backs of many children and heads into the school where she sees many doors along the hallway. When she finally finds her class, she opens the door to discover many other rabbits already sitting at the many desks. She finds her desk, but it’s full of books. Do you know why?

You’ll have to read this darling picture book to discover the nice surprise waiting at the end. The pastel full page paintings throughout are a perfect combination, making this picture book perfect for the day before school begins!

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Are you looking for a book that covers correct behavior in the classroom? Jane Yolen and Mark Teague have teamed together again for another great book in their popular dinosaur series. How Do Dinosaurs Go To School? has the large yellow and blue striped Ceratosuarus running towards the school bus. “Does he drag his long tail? Is he late for the bus? Does he stomp all four feet? Does he make a big fuss?”

This rhyming tale has different types of dinosaurs attempting to make wrong choices. There’s the large Centrasaurus interrupting the class to show his "show-and-tell," and the Stygimoloch racing up the stairs as the tardy bell rings. The story is great fun but also teaches youngsters proper behavior in school.

The questions proposed throughout the first half of the story are answered with a no in the middle and then proceed to show the correct ways to behave. Now the dinosaurs take turns, help other classmates, keep their desks clean and enjoy recess while being polite to others. The artwork has the dinosaurs painted with lively colors and the front and end pages are full of small dinosaurs along with their scientific names.

How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?, How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms? and How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends? are a few of the other books available in this outstanding series.

Is your child anxious about school and leaving home and all with which he or she is familiar? Little Tad Grows Up, written and illustrated by Giuliano Ferri, is all about change and learning to accept it. Little Tad is learning how to move with his small little tadpole body. He loves his tail and how it propels him through the water. But just when he thought all was perfect, his body begins to change and the tail he loved is getting smaller and to make things worse he is growing legs. He keeps exclaiming, “I don’t want to grow up!” But he soon realizes that he can adapt and make the best of all circumstances. This is the perfect book to teach children about dealing with life’s changes.

Now here are two humorous books on the subject. Let’s Take Over the Kindergarten, by Richard Hamilton, and brightly illustrated by Sue Heap, is a funny story about a classroom of kindergarteners who go a little wild when their teacher gets stuck in the classroom jungle gym. They decide to do what they want to do and pour water and glue everywhere. They paint on the floor, windows and even on each other. But things get out of control without teacher’s control and it’s not long before someone gets hurt. And now many of the children are upset and want their teacher unstuck. It’s soon all resolved but the lessons learned here are many, especially cooperation and behavior.

I was really surprised when I read the ending of this last book. Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready For School?, written and illustrated by Barney Saltzberg, is the second book about this funny pig, Cornelius. It begins with Cornelius’s mom asking him if he knows what time it is. He definitely knows the time. The next page has mom asking him if he’s up. The picture has him floating upside down with balloons tied to his feet and he answers in the affirmative. This picture may not make sense to the reader. But there will be many more pictures that may seem strange. For instance, when mom asks him if he packed his lunch, you see Cornelius with a large box full of snow cones. But, by the time you get to the end papers, the entire book will make sense and completely surprise you. There’s no doubt this book will be revisited many times and laughter is guaranteed.

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