Back-to-school books for kids

"The Berenstain Bears Go To School," Stan Berenstain (author), Jan Berenstain (author): A colorful picture book highlighting on Sister Bear's first day of school and how she conquers her fears of starting kindergarten. A story that can help kids calm their fears of the first day; First Time Books, $6.99.

"The Class," Boni Ashburn (author), Kimberly Gee (illustrator): Kids can get ready for their first day with this read that will have them counting with twenty students getting ready for day one of kindergarten. When the alarm clocks go off, students are eager, nervous and grumpy for the big day but they get dressed, eat breakfast, pack their backpacks and meet their wonderful new teacher and class; Beach Lane Books, $17.99.

"Daniel Plays at School," Daphne Pendergrass (adapter), Jason Fruchter (illustrator): In this story about learning how to compromise with friends, Daniel Tiger and Miss Eliana are playing together when Daniel wants to build a train and Miss Eliana wants to build a spaceship. Their teacher encourages them to solve their problem together and they'll feel proud when can they work out an arrangement that both of them will be happy with; Simon Spotlight, $3.99.

"Bear's Big Day," Salina Yoon (author): It's a big day for Bear as he starts his very first day of school. He decides that he wants to be grown up on his first day so he leaves his stuffed bunny, Floppy at home and soon realizes that starting something new and leaving behind the familiar can be scary. This book will touch upon themes that all kids can relate to with growing up but will realize that these are things that everyone goes through; Bloomsbury USA Childrens, $14.99.

"Ming Goes to School," Deirdre Sullivan (author), Maja Löfdahl (illustrator): Ming is fearless when she goes to school. She meets new friends, walks a plank while being held at sword point and touches worms with her bare hands, but when it comes to the big red slide- she's not ready quite yet. Kids will love being able to relate to Ming who reassures young ones that the everyone has fears but they can be conquered with a little bravery; Sky Pony Press, $16.99.

"Sophie's Squash Go to School," Pat Zietlow Miller (author), Anne Wilsdorf (illustrator): In this story, Sophie learns that making friends at school takes time, like growing her baby squash friends in her garden did. While Sophie doesn't have an interest in making friends in the classroom, she may discover that it may be nice to have some human friends too; Schwartz & Wade, $17.99.

"The Night Before Class Picture Day," Natasha Wing (author), Amy Wummer (illustrator): 'Twas the night before class picture day and all through the town, kids were getting their smiles perfectly down. They checked their hair and clothes to feel calm and at ease, so will all go well when they go to see "cheese?"; Grosset & Dunlap, $4.99.

"On the First Day of Kindergarten," Tish Rabe (author), Laura Hughes (illustrator): An adaptation of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," this story teaches kids that there is no place cooler than kindergarten; Grosset & Dunlap, $9.99.

"Peppa's School Day," Meredith Rusu (author), Eone (illustrator): There's a shy new student in Peppa's class, Emily Elephant. Peppa plays with Emily, learns with her and helps her adjust to her new school in this heartwarming book about making new friends; Scholastic Inc., $3.99.

"Milk Goes to School," Terry Border (author & illustrator): In this funny read, Milk is having a hard time making friends. The other food kids call her "spoiled" after seeing her with her new sparkly backpack and everyone can learn a lesson about making friends and how everyone can be cool in their own way; Philomel Books, $17.99.

"School's First Day of School," Adam Rex (author), Christian Robinson (author): Everyone has first-day jitters at Frederick Douglass Elementary, especially the school itself. This book addresses the fears that everyone faces before the first day while reassuring that these feelings are normal; Roaring Brook Press, $17.99.

"Frank and Lucky Get Schooled," Lynne Rae Perkins (author & illustrator): In this new take on the classic boy-and-his-dog story, Frank and his new dog Lucky learn about things like biology, fractions and new languages in their adventures-- a book that truly shows how much learning can take place just outside of the classroom; Greenwillow Books, $17.99.

"Ruby Rose: Off to School She Goes," Rob Sanders (author), Debbie Ridpath Ohi (illustrator): No matter what she's doing, Ruby Rose always finds a way to dance. What happens when Ruby starts at her new school where dancing isn't allowed? Come along and find out how Ruby gets her classmates and even her teacher, Ms. D up on their feet, moving and grooving during the first day of school; HarperCollins, $15.99.

"Pete the Cat's Got Class," James Dean (author & illustrator): Kids will love learning math with Pete the Cat as he teaches how to add and subtract. The book comes complete with a poster, stickers and a set of 20 punch-out flash cards to make learning math fun; HarperCollins, $9.99.

"Wine & Waldorf: Disobedience School," Kati Hites (author & illustrator): In this follow-up to "Winnie and Waldorf," Winnie decides to enroll her misbehaving dog/best friend Waldorf in Winnie's school for disobedient dogs. Waldorf is a quick learner and is tested when the neighbor's dog is in trouble. Find out if Waldorf will know what to do to help; HarperCollins, $17.99.

"Lola Knows a Lot," Jenna McCarthy (author), Sara Palacios (illustrator): Lola is a smart little girl who knows a lot. She knows how to tie her shoes, make her bed and drive her big sister, Charlotte crazy. Lola is scared though because the one thing she doesn't know is if she's ready for school; Balzer + Bray, $17.99.

"Otter Goes to School," Sam Garton (author & illustrator): The oh-so lovable Otter starts her own school for Teddy, Giraffe and the rest of her friends. All is great until Teddy admits he doesn't like school. Thankfully, Otter Keeper saves the day and teaches her friends and young readers a great lesson; Balzer + Bray, $17.99.

"Rappy Goes to School," Dan Gutman (author), Tim Bowers (illustrator): It's Rappy's first day of school and he's filled with the jitters, but when he finds a classmate being bullied, Rappy finds the courage to say something. In this book of rhyme, kids and parents will have a fun time dancing the first day nerves away; HarperCollins, $17.99.

"Goose Goes to School"

"Goose Goes to School," Laura Wall: Everyone knows geese don't go to school -- or do they? One day, Sophie hears flappy footsteps in class; HarperCollins, $12.99.

"Eva and Sadie and the Best Classroom EVER!," Jeff Cohen (author), Elanna Allen (illustrator): Big sister Sadie has a big job -- to help her younger sister, Eva, prepare for school. But all the preparation makes Eva nervous, after all no naptime and too much homework; HarperCollins, $17.99.

"My Humongous Hamster Goes To School," Lorna Freytag (author & illustrator): The humongous hamster heads to school. He eats all the packed lunches; he twirls in dance class; he plays hopscotch and takes a turn on the slide. But at the end of the day, he's tired, and so he shrinks back to normal hamster size; Henry Holt and Co., $16.99.

"Pete the Cat: The Wheels on the Bus," James Dean (author & illustrator): Pete the Cat is excited to take the school bus in this groovy adaptation of the classic kids' song "The Wheels on the Bus"; HarperCollins, $9.99.

"Dad's First Day," Mike Wohnoutka (author): Oliver and his dad tackle first day, back-to-school jitters after playing, laughing and singing all summer; Bloomsbury USA Childrens, $16.99.

"Ninja Boy Goes to School," N.D. Wilson (author), J.J. Harrison (illustrator): A young boy is ready to conquer kindergarten thanks to his powerful ninja skills. Colorful and dynamic illustrations show how ninja boy takes on school with the strength of a gorilla and the balance of a flamingo; Random House Books for Young Readers, $16.99.

"On My Way to School," Sarah Maizes (author), Michael Paraskevas (illustrator): Livi likes to procrastinate as she heads off to school. Whether she is pretending to be an elephant at a watering hole, the leader of an expedition to Mount Everest or a star posing for the paparazzi, Livi has quite the imagination that takes her on exciting adventures on her way to school; Walker Childrens, $16.99.

"Super Silly School Poems," David Greenberg (author), Liza Woodruff (illustrator): A collection of silly poems that's perfect for back-to-school. The collection includes wacky, wonderful poems about everything from homework excuses and an escaped class pet to gross cafeteria lunches and a teacher with eyes in the back of her head; Orchard Books, $6.99.

"How Will I Get to School this Year?," Jerry Pallotta (author), David Biedrzycki (illustrator): How would you get to school if you could choose? This book playfully imagines all of the different ways a child could get to school from jumping with frogs to riding on the back of their very own elephant; Cartwheel Books, $6.99.

"Where's My Homework?," Michael Garland (author): A hilarious school story about a boy's homework that goes missing and all of the crazy places it could be hiding; Cartwheel Books, $6.99.

"Monsters Love School," Mike Austin (author & illustrator): Summer is over and now it is time for Monster School. Join these energetic monsters as they go to school for the first time to learn their ABCs and 123s; HarperCollins, $15.99.

"Flip & Fin: We Rule the School!," Timothy Gill (author), Neil Numberman (illustrator): Filled with jokes, this funny picture book is about Flip and Fin, sand shark twins who rule the school and crack each other up; Greenwillow Books, $14.99.

"Edda," Adam Auerbach (author & illustrator): Edda, a Valkyrie from the magical land of Asgard, comes to earth to go to school and find a friend her own age. Edda quickly learns that school on earth is very different from Asgard and does not like it until she uses her Valkyrie bravery to make new friends; Henry Holt and Co., $16.99.

"Little Lola," Julie Saab (author), David Gothard (illustrator): Looking for an adventure, Lola the cat goes to school for the day in this funny and fast-paced picture book; Greenwillow Books, $16.99.

"Pinkalicious and the New Teacher," Victoria Kann (author & illustrator): The first day of school means a new teacher, however, Pinkalicious misses her old teacher until she finds a way to make her new classroom feel a little more familiar. The book includes a poster, bookmarks and stickers; HarperFestival, $6.99.

"Chu's First Day of School," Neil Gaiman (author), Adam Rex (illustrator): Chamelia is always the star, but when a new child comes, will she learn to share the spotlight? Learn about the true meaning of friendship and of being the best; HarperFestival, $7.99.

"You're Wearing THAT to School?!," Lynn Plourde (author), Sue Cornelian (illustrator): Join Penelope the Hippo as she goes to her first day of school, and find out what tips her best pal Tiny has for her; Disney-Hyperion, $16.99.

"Chamelia and the New Kid in Class," Ethan Long (author): Chamelia is always the star, but when a new child comes, will she learn to share the spotlight? Learn about the true meaning of friendship and of being the best; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $16.99.

"Mia Dances Back to School!," Robin Farley (author), Olga Ivanov (illustrator), Aleksey Ivanov (illustrator): Mia wears her tutu on her first day of school, but is upset to not be in the same class as her best friends. Filled with stickers, help her to adjust in her new class; HarperFestival, $14.99.

"My New Teacher and Me!," Al Yankovic (author), Wes Hargis (illustrator): Billy has a big imagination but his teacher doesn't. Go on an adventure with Billy and explore the world in the eyes of his creativity; HarperCollins, $17.99.

"Class Trip (Peppa Pig)," Scholastic (author): Peppa Pig and her friends are taking a class trip to the top of the mountain. Join their adventure and discover the different things they'll find on the way; Scholastic, Inc., $3.99.

"Clark the Shark," Bruce Hale (author), Guy Francis (illustrator): Clark is an enthusiastic shark and student, but it gets to be too much. Find out how his teacher helps him tone it down for school; HarperCollins, $17.99.

"The Day the Crayons Quit," Drew Daywalt (author), Oliver Jeffers (illustrator): Duncan wants to color but finds his crayon box empty. Follow the story and find out why these crayons disappeared and why they quit; Philomel Books, $17.99.

"Preschool Days Treasury: Preschool Learning Friendships and Fun," Katie Saunders (author): TThis interactive book contains five sections that cover friendship, trips, playtime, learning and storytime. It has activities for toddlers and parents to do together; Barron's Educational Series, $9.99.

"Amelia Bedelia's First Library Card," Herman Paris (author), Lynne Avril (illustrator): Visit the library with Amelia Bedelia and her classmates. Look through the books on the shelves and join her as she gets her first library card; Greenwillow Books, $17.99.

"Llama Llama and the Bully Goat," Anna Dewdney (author): The story follows Llama Llama who gets bullied by Gilroy Goat. He tells an adult, but becomes empathetic and tries to become friends with Gilroy; Viking Books for Young Readers, $17.99.

"Princess Posey and the New First Grader," Stephanie Greene (author), Stephanie Roth Sisson (illustrator): Posey, Nikki and Ava are best friends. Then Grace, a new girl joins their class. Follow Posey as she learns more about her after they become reading partners; Puffin Books, $4.99.

"Charlie Goes to School," Ree Drummond (author), Diane deGroat (illustrator): Charlie the Ranch Dog creates his own school for the other ranch animals. Help him teach the ranch animals so he can get some time to nap; HarperCollins, $17.99.

"Colors for Zena," Monica Wellington (author): Go on a journey with Zena to find colors for her colorless world. Exploring the different colors on the color wheel, and also get familiar with mixing colors as well; Dial Books, $16.99.

"This School Year Will Be the BEST!," Kay Winters (author), Renee Andriani (illustrator): On the first day of school, children share what they want for the school year. The photos show all of the kids' wishes and find out if it will be the best school year; Puffin Books, $6.99.

"Splat and the Cool School Trip," Rob Scotton (author & illustrator): Splat the Cat takes a trip to the zoo with his class and penguins are his favorite. Learn about the different animals as you go on this adventure with Splat; HarperCollins, $17.99.

"123 Versus ABC," Mike Boldt (author & illustrator): It's a battle between the numbers and the alphabet -- join in on the fun and learn basic reading and math skills; HarperCollins, $17.99.

"Every Cowgirl Goes to School," Rebecca Janni (author), Lynne Avril (illustrator): This story of friendship follows Nellie Sue, a cowgirl with a big imagination, who uses her high spirits and outgoing personality to become friends with Maya, the new girl; Puffin Books, $8.99.

"Twenty-six Pirates: An Alphabet Book," Dave Horowitz (author & illustrator): Board the ship and learn your 1-2-3s and ABCs with a friendly crew of pirates. This is written using a rhymed alphabet and is perfect for children learning the basics; Nancy Paulsen Books, $16.99.

"Looking at Lincoln," Maira Kalman (author & illustrator): Learn about Abraham Lincoln's entire life from birth to his death through a book filled with illustrations that will help children better understand our 16th U.S. president; Nancy Paulsen Books, $17.99.

"Little Red Writing," Joan Holub (author), Melissa Sweet (illustrator): Read the familiar story of "Little Red Riding Hood" and follow a little red pencil as she makes her way through the stages of writing a story; Chronicle Books, $16.99.

"Mesmerizing Math," Jonathan Litton (author), Thomas Flintham (illustrator): With colorful illustrations, this interactive book explores math and is a fun way for kids to learn difficult math concepts; Templar, $18.99.

"Richard Scarry's My School Backpack," Richard Scarry (author): This set comes with four board books to help your children explore colors, numbers, shapes and opposites before heading back to school; Barron's Educational Series, $9.99.

"You Are My Wonders," Maryann Cusimano Love (author), Satomi Ichikawa (illustrator): A nice story about students and their teachers that helps reassure the youngest of students, just in time for school; Philomel Books, $16.99.

"Sea Monster's First Day," Katie Messner (author), Andy Rash (illustrator): Ernest the sea monster learns there's more to the first day of school than just fitting in. There's reading, signing, playing hide-and-seek, lunchtime and much, much more; Chronicle Books, $16.99.

"One of a Kind," Ariel S. Winter (author), David Hitch (illustrator): Olivia is so excited her teacher, Mrs. Hoggenmuller, is up for the Teacher of the Year Award. Find out how she encourages her entire class to help their teacher win; Aladdin, $15.99.

"OLIVIA and the Best Teacher Ever," Ilanit Oliver (adapter), Shane L. Johnson (illustrator): Olivia is so excited her teacher, Mrs. Hoggenmuller, is up for the Teacher of the Year Award. Find out how she encourages her entire class to help their teacher win; Simon Spotlight, $3.99.

"Marley: The Dog Who Ate My Homework," John Grogan (author), Richard Cowdrey (illustrator), Rick Whipple (illustrator): Marley mistakes Cassie's homework as a nighttime snack. Find out if Marley can make it up to her!; HarperCollins, $3.99.

"Marco Goes to School," Roz Chast (author & illustrator): Marco is a busy bird at school -- from lessons to lunch to building a tower to the moon. But he also learns to make a new friend along the way; Atheneum Books for Young Readers, $16.99.

"Lalaloopsy: School Day!," Jenne Simon (author), Prescott Hill (illustrator): Follow along as Bea Spell-a-Lot hosts a school day with her friends. Crumbs Sugar Cookie teaches her friends how to bake. Dot Starlight teaches about the planets. Spot Splatter Splash gives a painting lesson; Scholastic Inc., $3.99.

"Kindergarten, Here I Come!," D.J. Steinberg (author),Mark Chambers (illustrator): There are many milestones and moments that every kindergartner goes through -- and this fun picture book of poems celebrates many of them; Grosset & Dunlap, $3.99.

"There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books!," Lucille Colandro (author), Jared D. Lee (illustrator): A fun read about the first day of school -- a lovely old lady swallows books and more to make the most of her first day back; Cartwheel Books, $6.99.

"It's Time for Preschool!," Esme Raji Codell (author), Sue Rama (illustrator): Read this book to your little ones to help make starting preschool a little less scary. You'll learn that preschool means it's time for fun, friends, learning, sharing, snacks, naps and more; Greenwillow Books, $15.99.

"I SpySchool," Jean Marzollo (author), Walter Wick (illustrator): This easy reader book features rhymes, pictures and clues to help kids get ready for school; Cartwheel Books, $3.99.

"First Day of School," Nora Gaydos (author): Help kids ease into the first day of school with this fun story filled with sing-alongs, arts and crafts; innovativeKids, $8.99.

"Fancy Nancy: JoJo's First Day Jitters," Jane O'Connor (author), Robin Preiss Glasser (illustrator): It's JoJo's first day of preschool, and while big-sister Nancy is excited, JoJo is nervous. Learn how Nancy helps JoJo prepare for her big day with this fun lift-the-flap book; HarperFestival, $6.99.

"1, 2 at the Zoo," Sue Dicicco (author): Count to two with the monkey, elephants and more at the zoo. The large, oversized flaps will make this a fun read for little ones; Scholastic Inc., $6.99.

"An Annoying ABC," Barbara Bottner (author), Michael Emberley (illustrator): Adelaide is up to very bad things which sets off her fellow preschoolers. Before you know it, Jasper is jeering, Stella is stumbling, and Winthrop is weeping. With their teacher at her wits end, find out what happens when Adelaide eventually apologizes; Knopf Books for Young Readers, $17.99.

"Back-to-School Rules," Laurie B. Friedman (author), Teresa Murfin (illustrator): When it comes to surviving school, Percy Isaac Gifford knows what not to do. Follow his 10 simple rules (no spitballs, no running in the halls, etc.) and making the grade will be a piece of cake. See what more trouble, and tips, Percy has up his sleeve!; 21st Century, $6.99.

"First Day of School," Anne Rockwell (author), Lizzy Rockwell (illustrator): Get ready for the first day of school with the kids from Mrs. Madoff's multicultural classroom. The first day of school can be exciting for some, and scary for others. Join in on the excitement with friends old and new; HarperCollins, $6.99.

"Follow the Line to School," Laura Ljungkvist (author): Children and parents will be delighted with this journey through the school -- from the library to the art room, down to the playground and everywhere else in between! Along the way, practice counting and sorting, identifying numbers and colors and even what to feed the class pet; Viking Books for Young Readers, $16.99.

"The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School," Laura Murray (author), Mike Lowery (illustrator): When the Gingerbread Man is left behind in the classroom where he was made, he runs and runs as fast as he can in search of the class who forgot him. With help from the gym teacher, the nurse, the art teacher and even the principal, the Gingerbread Man finds his class, and rests easily knowing they'll never leave him behind again; G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, $16.99.

"Marshall Armstrong Is New to Our School," David Mackintosh (author): Being the new kid isn't always easy, especially for Marshall Armstrong. His peculiar ways make him stand out from the crowd, so when he invites everyone to his birthday party, many of the kids are dreading it. But little do they know, they're in for a big surprise; Harry N. Abrams, $17.95.

"Pirates Go to School," Corrine Demas (author), John Manders (illustrator): What do pirates do at school? They learn reading and math just like the rest of us, but they also bring their parrots to school, hang their swords in the coatroom and bring in pirate treasures for show-and-tell; Orchard Books, $16.99.

"Skippyjon Jones, Class Action," Judy Schachner (author): Skippyjon is ready for school. But not just any school. He wants to attend dog school, despite being a Siamese cat. Using his imagination he finds himself on a playground, frolicking and learning with beagles, poodles and more. Find out how Skippyjon saves the day from the class bully; Dutton Books for Young Readers, $17.99.

"Splat the Cat: Back to School, Splat!," Rob Scotton (author & illustrator): Homework is hard and Splat doesn't understand how there can be homework when it's only the first day of school! When asked to share one of his summer adventures for show-and-tell, Splat has a difficult time choosing just one. Here you'll learn Splat's favorite summer memory; HarperFestival, $3.99.

"We Love Our School!: A Read-Together Rebus Story," Judy Sierra (author), Linda Davick (illustrator): Tag along with a frog, a duck, a mouse and a snail as they begin their first day at a new school. This picture book combines a story in rhymes with colorful graphic rebuses, making it a fun read for children and parents alike; Dragonfly Books, $7.99.