September 12, 2019
School can be an exciting, strange, and even scary experience for our youngest learners! One way to help them adjust to the new environment, schedule, and people is with books that reflect their own experiences and emotions. Through these engaging stories, students can follow along with kids their own age who overcome challenges, make new friends, and learn to love school.
We’ve gathered together a quick collection of titles perfect for young learners (prekindergarten through grade 3). Depending on a child’s skill level and the book’s difficulty level, these could be read independently, read with a partner or an adult, or listened to during a read-aloud.
Bonus: If you have myON Reader, all of these books are included in your core collection!
Joey’s First Day / El primer día
By Christianne C. Jones
Description: Joey is nervous about his first day of school, but by the second day he is just excited.
English ATOS Book Level: 0.6 / Lexile Book Level: 130L
Spanish ATOS Book Level: 1.9 / Lexile Book Level: 180L
Genre: Fiction
Enjoy this title? Try Back to School / El regreso a clases by the same author!
First Day, No Way!
By Lori Mortensen
Description: Kaylee and Jenna have always been in the same class, until this year. Without Jenna by her side, Kaylee has a bad case of the first-day blues.
ATOS Book Level: 1.9 / Lexile Book Level: 170L
Genre: Fiction
Enjoy this title? Try Manners Matter on the Playground by the same author!
Lucky School Bus
By Melinda Melton Crow
Description: School Bus is happy with his job and is ready for the first day of school.
ATOS Book Level: 1.2 / Lexile Book Level: 290L
Genre: Fiction
Enjoy this title? Try Little Lizard’s First Day by the same author!
Max Goes on the Bus / Max va en el autobús
By Adria F. Klein
Description: Max likes riding the bus to and from school.
English ATOS Book Level: 1.0 / Lexile Book Level: 270L
Spanish ATOS Book Level: 2.0 / Lexile Book Level: 250L
Genre: Fiction
Buzz Beaker and the Race to School
By Cari Meister
Description: After Buzz misses the school bus twice, he invents a new way to travel to school.
ATOS Book Level: 2.2 / Lexile Book Level: 290L
Genre: Fiction
Manners at School
By Carrie Finn
Description: This book describes how good manners can help you get along with your teacher and friends at school, including on how to pay attention to the teacher and what to do when the teacher asks the class to be quiet.
ATOS Book Level: 2.5 / Lexile Book Level: 520L
Genre: Nonfiction
Manners at School
By Carrie Finn
Description: This book describes how good manners can help you get along with your teacher and friends at school, including on how to pay attention to the teacher and what to do when the teacher asks the class to be quiet.
ATOS Book Level: 2.5 / Lexile Book Level: 520L
Genre: Nonfiction
Schools in Many Cultures
By Heather Adamson
Description: This book contains simple text and photographs that present different schools from many cultures.
ATOS Book Level: 1.7 / Lexile Book Level: 380L
Community Helpers at School
By Mari Schuh
Description: Using simple text and pictures, this book presents the community helpers, including a teacher’s aide, counselor, and janitor, on the scene at school.
ATOS Book Level: 1.0 / Lexile Book Level: 130L
Welcome to Third Grade, Gus
By Jacklyn Williams
Description: On the first day of third grade, Gus worries that his teacher will be a monster, his classmates will call him names, and it will be the worst day of his life, but when it is over, he discovers that most of his fears were unfounded.
ATOS Book Level: 2.8 / Lexile Book Level: 490L
Need more great book ideas?
Head over to AR Bookfinder where you can search for books by reading level, author, title, topic, and more!