15 Favorite First Day of School Books

You’re Finally Here! is one of my favorite first day of school books! The bunny in the story has been waiting and waiting for his readers to finally arrive, and he is so excited that they are here! But it has been hard waiting! This silly, engaging, and energetic story is perfect for enthusiastically welcoming new students to your classroom.

With its colorful pictures and adorable rhyming text, Our Class is a Family is a great first day of school book to start building a feeling of community in the classroom. This story discusses ways to make the classroom feel like a home that is inclusive of everyone. It’s a great read aloud option for younger elementary grades!

Everyone can relate to the nerves and jitters that come with the first day of school! In this favorite first day of school book, Sarah Jane Hartwell is worried sick about her first day of school. With a little encouragement from Mr. Hartwell, Sarah finally goes to school, but she is feeling pretty shy at the start. She finds a new friend, and readers get a surprise twist at the end of the story!

When a class of kindergarteners arrives on the first day of school, they can’t find their teacher. They only see a sandwich, a cup of coffee, and some papers on the teacher’s desk, and someone has written “Mr. S” on the chalkboard. Confused, the students come to the conclusion that they are being supervised by a sandwich named Mr. S, and they go about their lessons on their own. This book is sure to get some giggles from young readers on the first day of school!

Read this heartwarming picture book to your new students on the first day of school to help them feel welcome in their new classroom. This story is told through a letter from the point of view of the teacher, telling students about the bond that will be built throughout the school year. It helps students learn that teachers are not only there for academic purposes, but also as support people and cheerleaders in other aspects of their lives.

In this adorable first day of school book, a class of students shares tips and tricks for how to get your teacher ready for the new school year. The playful role-reversal will have your students laughing as they start to notice that getting the teacher ready is really helping themselves get ready for the year!

Students will learn that school is much more than just a building they go to each day in this story. It’s a place for community, and a place to feel safe and loved. Celebrate the positive atmosphere and people that make up a school to help children feel secure on their first day of a new school year!

In this beautifully illustrated, poetic text, a young boy takes a journey on a boat to reach his school on the first day. My First Day is a fantastic read aloud that will educate and inform children about the various ways that students travel to school around the world. Encourage your students to compare and contrast their first day of school with the main character’s first day in this story!

A new school has just been built and cared for over the summer, but the school is feeling nervous about its first day welcoming students. When the first day finally arrives, the school has a rough start, but as the day goes on, it finally starts to enjoy itself. School’s First Day of School is an interesting and humorous mirror of many students’ first days of school and all of the emotions that come with it!

The crayons from The Day The Crayons Quit are saying goodbye to summer and getting ready for the first day of school! Each crayon is looking forward to meeting new friends and learning about particular subjects in school. This lighthearted first day of school read aloud is a great way to start a discussion with your students about what they are most excited for this school year.

The Day You Begin explores some of the reasons that students may feel different on the first day of school. It can be challenging to enter an environment where no one really knows you yet. But, as the message of this story tells us, the day you begin is the day when you are able to embrace what makes you different and share those differences proudly with those around you. This story will help your new students see that our differences make us all special and unique.

The night before the first day of school, all of the animals are worried and full of nerves. Will sloth be able to get to school on time? Is kangaroo going to miss her mom too much? Will snake be able to get his backpack on? When they all arrive at school, they find out that their teacher is a bit nervous as well! After spending some time together, the animals realize they can all help each other to feel less nervous. This adorable story will help qualm your students’ first day jitters. It will get them giggling a bit as well!

Chrysanthemum loves her name–until she goes to her first day of school and gets teased. Soon, a new teacher helps Chrysanthemum realize the beauty of her unique name once again. Chrysanthemum’s classmates learn a lesson about their unkind behavior. This beloved story provides a great way to start a discussion about treating others with kindness in the classroom. It can also help students appreciate their own and each other’s unique qualities.

When Mae’s first day of school rolls around, she insists she is not going. She’s worried that the other kids won’t like her or that she’ll be the only one who doesn’t know how to do something. However, when she meets Ms. Pearl and Rosie, she learns she isn’t alone in feeling nervous. Together, they conquer their fears and anxieties about school. Students will undoubtedly relate to the characters’ feelings about the first day of school in this story. They will learn ways to overcome these feelings and enjoy school!

I love starting off the year with a book that promotes growth mindset! Your students might not be able to do everything they want to be able to do right now, but this book helps students understand that they will be able to do things when they work hard at it. The illustrations are fun and colorful, and the message about the Magical Yet is inspiring!