• Topic Guide
  • Staff-Created List

It's the First Day of School!

From the first day of kindergarten to the first day of school in a new country, these books are perfect for reading with your excited and/or nervous school-bound kiddo!

Library Staff
New Westminster Public Library

37 items

  • Fearless Dinosaur takes on new challenges as he starts preschool, from meeting new friends to pasting glitter and googly eyes, but one task requires assistance from everyone.
    BookNew York : Disney Hyperion, [2014] — PIC She
  • Kindergarten

    Where Kindness Matters Every Day

    Ahiyya, Vera,
    Leo, a quiet kid who is not ready for his first day of kindergarten, ends up having a great day when he makes a kindness pledge and discovers he knows a lot about being kind to others.
    BookNew York : Random House Studio, [2022] — PIC Ahi
  • Instilled with confidence by his parents, a young boy has a great first day of kindergarten.
    BookNew York : Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, [2019] — PIC Bar
  • This guidebook in verse spans the entire year of kindergarten, showing children how to be kind by doing such things as sharing, taking turns, and inviting someone to join in a game.
    BookNew York : Grosset and Dunlap, [2021] — PIC Ste
  • With each spread featuring a different kid-friendly, kindergarten-ready activity, this picture book, written in a call-and-response format, follows a diverse cast of soon-to-be kindergartners as they get ready for their first day of school.
    BookNew York, NY : Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2023] — PIC Fre
  • Monkey

    Not Ready for Kindergarten

    Brown, Marc Tolon
    Kindergarten is just a week away and Monkey is not ready, but with help and encouragement from family and friends, he begins to get excited.
    BookNew York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2015. — PIC Bro
  • When a group of children prepares for and experiences the first day of kindergarten, the parents are the ones who have trouble adjusting. Based on the poem, "The Night Before Christmas".
    BookNew York : Grosset and Dunlap, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, 2014. — PIC Win
  • Clover Kitty does NOT want to go to kittygarten! Although she might like a friend to play with, kittygarten feels overwhelming for a sensory-sensitive kitty like Clover. And when she arrives, it is exactly as she fears: her classroom is…
    BookNew York, New York : Two Lions, 2020. — PIC Sal
  • Dax and Zoe are twins. They go together like peanut butter and jelly. It's the night before the twins are starting kindergarten, and they have the just-about-to-start-school jitters. After all, they will be in different classrooms! What…
    BookNew York : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2017. — PIC Ehr
  • Rosie can't wait to start kindergarten--she's had her pencils sharpened and her backpack ready for weeks. But suddenly, on the night before the big day, her tummy hurts. Rosie's mom reassures her that it's just butterflies in her belly,…
    BookNew York, NY : Sterling Children's Books, an imprint of Sterling Publishing, [2019] — PIC Sil
  • Twenty young students, some eager, some nervous, some grumpy, prepare for their very first day of kindergarten
    BookNew York : Beach Lane Books, [2016] — PIC Ash
  • Fall in love at first blunder with a wisely foolish kindergarten teacher who makes the first day of school an experience to remember.
    BookToronto, Ontario : Pajama Press, 2020. — PIC Nel
  • Bear, feeling very grown-up, says goodbye to his stuffed rabbit, Floppy, and starts his first day of school but soon he is missing Floppy and worrying that he is not ready to be a big bear, after all.
    BookNew York : Bloomsbury, 2016. — PIC Yoo
  • Today is the very first day of school! Busy Bus is excited, but he also has some first-day jitters. Luckily, bus driver Ben knows just what to do to make sure that the school year gets off to a great start
    BookNew York : Beach Lane Books, [2018] — PIC Sha
  • Lola meets new friends and tries many new things on her fun but exhausting first day of school.
    BookWatertown, MA : Charlesbridge, [2019] — PIC Mcq
  • This energetic picture book prepares young readers for their first day of school with humor and encouragement.
    BookNew York : Abrams Appleseed, 2021. — PIC Moy
  • Children have fun at school experiencing familiar classroom activities for the first time
    BookNew York, NY : Nancy Paulsen Books, [2018] — PIC Bur
  • A class of adorable students gives tips and tricks for getting a teacher ready for the first day of school, and all the events and milestones that will follow (picture day, holiday concert, the 100th day of school, field day!). And along…
    BookNew York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2017. — PIC Rea
  • The first day of school can be scary for everyone--not just the students. As Mae gets ready for her very first day, she reflects on all the things she's afraid of. Instead of facing all the unknowns, she climbs up into her favorite tree.…
    BookNew York : Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2018. — PIC Ber
  • With a lot of support and encouragement from his minnow friend, Nugget, Fang the shark makes it through his first day at Mini Minnows Elementary.
    BookBoston ; New York : Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, [2019] — PIC Sau