While the back-to-school season can be exciting and fun for some, it can also be anxiety-inducing and scary for others.
Check out these books to make the transition back to school a happy moment for all!
‘Getting Ready for Kindergarten: A First Day of School Book’ (2024)
For the child that’s all new to the whole idea of school, “Getting Ready for Kindergarten: A First Day of School Book” by Vera Ahiyya, illustrated by Debby Rahmalia (Random House Books for Young Readers, $5.99) will get them excited for what’s ahead. It’s a cute little story of Cynthia and all the things she’ll need for school, and it includes a punch-out First Day of School sign you can use for the next 13 years!
‘Make New Friends: A Picture Book’ (2025)
Elementary-age children will enjoy reading “Make New Friends: A Picture Book” by Joshua David Stein, illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio (Abrams Books for Young Readers, $18.99). Young Tomasso is new at school and it’s hard to make friends, so he comes up with a creative solution for when his father asks about Tomasso’s friends. So what will he do when his secret is about to be discovered?
‘The Academy’ (2024)
Middle-grade is hard, so the sports-minded tween will like reading “The Academy” by T.Z. Layton (Sourcebooks Young Readers, $9.99). It’s the story of 12-year-old Leo who loves soccer, and he’s excited when an elite team invites him to play. Competition is fierce and that’s tough on a kid who feels like he doesn’t measure up. Will he be good enough to make the team? Meant for 7-to-13-year-olds, this is the first in an intended series.
‘Slow Violence: Confronting Dark Truths in the American Classroom’ (2025)
As parents work to keep a pulse on their children’s education, “Slow Violence: Confronting Dark Truths in the American Classroom” by Ranita Ray (St. Martin’s Press, $30) may raise some eyebrows. In 2017, Ray entered a classroom in Las Vegas to study resources in the public schools there. What she learned was shocking: teachers, even well-meaning ones, sometimes seemed to put minority students on what Ray calls a “slow violence” track that became a major detriment to their education. The overall results of her research are a clarion call to parents of all school-age children, especially those in the tender lower grades.