Happy New Year!

I love the first day of school, the distinctive smell of freshly waxed floors and new crayons; everything is bright and shiny.  Every profession should get to start over once a year.  Kids and teachers come back from summer vacation excited and ready to learn.  Of course the nerves are there too.  When I had my own classroom, I never slept the night before school started.  I knew these kids and I would spend 7 hours a day together for the next 10 months, and during that time I had the responsibility of making them smarter and more responsible people.  Now that I’m a reading teacher, the first day is kind of anti-climactic.  I help kindergartners get off the bus and find their classrooms.  I’m an extra pair of hands getting all the kids through the cafeteria line.  I visit the classrooms I work with and introduce myself, but the intensity of the first day is missing.  It’s the only time I miss having my own classroom. 

I have a number of friends with kindergartners starting school on September 4.  This is the most important first day of school, and the scariest for kids and parents.  What’s the best way to combat some of those nerves?  Read books about the first day of school.  The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn is a beautiful story about a little raccoon starting kindergarten.  It’s almost more for parents than kids, but if your child is a little nervous, this book is perfect.  (You’ll need to invest in heart stickers.)  Another excellent choice is Will I Have a Friend? by Miriam Cohen.  I also like The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing and the Miss Bindergarten books by Joseph Slate.

Want something funny for any age group?  There’s First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg.  Kids are always surprised at the end to find out who’s so scared of starting school.  Junie B. Jones has two first day of school books:  Junie B. Jones and the Stinky, Smelly Bus and Junie B. Jones, First Grader (At Last).  For fans of Skippyjon Jones, a silly Siamese cat who thinks he’s a Chihuahua, there’s Skippyjon Jones, Class Action.  Skippy goes to school, even though it’s only for dogs, and helps his friends deal with a bully. 

For older kids, there’s Niagara Falls or Does It?  by Hank Zipzer (yes, the Fonz).  This is the first book in the series, and it takes place on the first day of school.  They’re all funny books based on Hank’s life growing up.  One of my favorite books to start the school year is Loser by Jerry Spinelli, which follows Donald Zinkoff from his first day of kindergarten to his first day in middle school.  This is an amazing book about loving yourself no matter what. The message is perfect as kids start to grow their “big kid eyes,” and start to deal with serious bullying.  Whatever you choose to read, have a very Happy New Year!

Books about the First Day of School

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

Will I Have a Friend by Miriam Cohen

The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate

Curious George’s First Day of School by H. A. Rey

Amelia Bedelia’s First Day of School by Herman Parish

Little Critter: The First Day of School by Mercer Mayor

Skippyjon Jones, Class Action by Judy Schachner

Junie B. Jones and the Stinky, Smelly Bus by Barbara Park

Junie B. Jones, First Grader (At Last) by Barbara Park

The Beast in Miss Rooney’s Room by Patricia Reilly Giff

Niagara Falls or Does It? by Hank Zipzer

Loser by Jerry Spinelli