by Danielle Ziegler

We can feel it in the air at Ames Public Library’s youth department. School is starting soon. You can buy all the school supplies and figure out what teacher the kids will have, but how can you feel really ready? Why not try reading some books about school?

Young readers can be really worried, especially if they are going to start school for the very first time. One of my favorite books about starting school is “Mr. S” by Monica Arnaldo. It will have you and your child giggling up a storm! Another sweet picture book that deals with feelings is “First Day of School” by Esther van den Berg. 

A great picture book for many ages is “What Should Danny Do? School Day” by Adir Levy. This is a choose your own adventure picture book! You could use this one with kids just starting school, but kids who have been to school before would definitely enjoy it as well.

Look at nonfiction books about starting school as well! “First Day of School” by Nicola Barber has real photographs and discussion about starting school. Other nonfiction books that kids may be interested in are “A School Like Mine: A Celebration of Schools Around the World” by Penny Smith and “Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World” by Susan Hughes.

Although kids who read chapter books may have several years of school under their belts, they still need to get back into the school mood. One of my favorite books is “The Year of Billy Miller” by Kevin Henkes. In it, our main character starts second grade and has many troubles but lots of triumphs too. Another book that focuses on a classroom and its teacher is “The Unteachables” by Gordon Korman. This is a great book that is both hilarious and heartwarming.

We also have books about school for teen readers as well. If you stop at the Ames Public Library youth desk, we’d be happy to recommend some to you!

Once school starts, remember to take advantage of our free online resources that you can use from home! The K-12 Resources section of the Online Learning page of our website has sources that can help kids to do research, such as Britannica Library or even offer tutoring, like Brainfuse.

Whether your kids are doing some reading for fun or serious school reading, Ames Public Library has you covered!