Back To School Books (Unit Study)

This charming and familiar story will delight readers with its surprise ending. Everyone knows that sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach just before diving into a new situation.

Sarah Jane Hartwell is scared and doesn’t want to start over at a new school. She doesn’t know anybody, and nobody knows her. It will be awful. She just knows it.

With much prodding from Mr. Hartwell, Sarah Jane reluctantly pulls herself together and goes to school. She is quickly befriended by Mrs. Burton, who helps smooth her jittery transition.

Follow a group of children through a day in their school, where everyone is welcomed with open arms.

A school where kids in patkas, hijabs, and yarmulkes play side-by-side with friends in baseball caps.

A school where students grow and learn from each other’s traditions and the whole community gathers to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

It’s the night before the Big Day -first grade! Penny is excited to start the year with her best friend right beside her in the same classroom.

This humorous take on Clement C. Moore’s classic tale has a perfect twist ending that will surprise readers as well as the “heroine” of the story and help all about-to-be first-graders through their own back-to-school jitters.

Chrysanthemum thinks her name is absolutely perfect—until her first day of school.

“You’re named after a flower!” teases Victoria. “Let’s smell her,” says Jo. Chrysanthemum wilts.

What will it take to make her blossom again?

Pete the Cat is rocking in his school shoes. Pete discovers the library, the lunch room, the playground, and lots of other cool places at school.

And no matter where he goes, Pete never stops moving and grooving and singing his song…because it’s all good.

It’s the first day of school at Frederick Douglass Elementary and everyone’s just a little bit nervous, especially the school itself.

What will the children do once they come? Will they like the school? Will they be nice to him?

The school has a rough start, but as the day goes on, he soon recovers when he sees that he’s not the only one going through first-day jitters.

Being the new kid in school is hard enough, but what about when nobody can pronounce your name? Having just moved from Korea, Unhei is anxious that American kids will like her.

So instead of introducing herself on the first day of school, she tells the class that she will choose a name by the following week.

Her new classmates are fascinated by this no-name girl and decide to help out by filling a glass jar with names for her to pick from. But her classmates comes to her neighborhood and discovers her real name and its special meaning.

On the day of her name choosing, the name jar has mysteriously disappeared. Encouraged by her new friends, Unhei chooses her own Korean name and helps everyone pronounce it—Yoon-Hey.

D. J. Steinberg’s heartfelt, relatable, and silly poems bring to life the highlights of second grade—reading those big-kid books, trying out for the school play, and even dance breaks to wiggle “arms and legs and kaboodles… like a big bunch of second-grade noodles!”

Covering an entire school year of holidays, memorable moments, and important life lessons, this is perfect for soon-to-be second graders!

It’s Llama Llama’s first day of preschool! And Llama Llama’s mama makes sure he’s ready. They meet the teachers. See the other children. Look at all the books and games.

But then it’s time for Mama to leave. And suddenly Llama Llama isn’t so excited anymore.

Will Mama Llama come back? Of course she will. But before she does, the other children show Llama Llama how much fun school can be!

On the first day of school, new classmates are asked to share what they would most like to happen in the upcoming year. Some kids’ hopes are familiar while others are off-the-wall.

Whether it’s looking good on picture day or skateboarding at school, everyone’s wishes are shown in humorously exaggerated illustrations.

As the first day draws to a close, there can be no doubt—this school year will definitely be the best!

It’s the first day of school and there’s only time for Splat to share one of his summer adventures with the class.

Will it be the time he went searching for pirate treasure? Or the time he went swimming with sharks in the ocean?

Before the end of the day, Splat knows exactly what to talk about—and it’s the biggest surprise of all!

Filled with charming role-reversal humor, this is a playful and heartwarming celebration of teachers and students, and the perfect gift for back-to-school readiness or graduation.

Written in tongue-in-cheek instructional style, 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!).

Along the way, children will see that getting their teacher ready is really getting themselves ready.

School’s in session! When it comes to surviving school, Percy’s at the head of the class.

If you can follow his ten simple rules, making the grade will be a piece of cake (and school will be a lot of fun).

But there’s more to school than showing up on time and staying awake in class. If you have any doubts, Percy also shows exactly what not to do.

The first day of school is an event that brings mixed emotions to children everywhere. There is excitement in seeing old friends and it’s nice to begin a new year with a new teacher and good intentions. But first day feelings are mixed.

Will last year’s friends still be friends? What if the new teacher doesn’t like me? Or what if the work is too hard?

Ellen Jackson and Jan Davey Ellis portray children from eleven different countries experiencing their first day back at school.