Back to School Read Alouds

I absolutely love back to school books! There are so many fun read alouds you can do with your students that first day and week of school to help ease their nerves and also have some fun.

Definitely check out my HUGE list of books by behavior to read the first few weeks of school that covers everything from tattling to to sharing to picking your nose – I covered everything! They’re AWESOME books that target specific behaviors and spark great lessons to start the year off right.

I also have a list of Back to School Books for Kindergarten!

Here are some of my favorite back to school books! I provided the links for you to see them directly on Amazon if you want to check them out – some links are affiliate links which means I get commission if you buy from the links, it’s no extra cost for you but I just wanted to let you know!

First Day Jitters is one of the first books that comes to many teachers’ minds when they think of what to read on the first day. It’s such a classic, cute story to help calm your new students’ nerves because the main character nervous about starting school and making new friends turns out to be the teacher! Plus, there are so many fun activities to go along with it like serving your students jitter juice. 🙂

I love introducing kids to favorite characters the first few weeks and Froggy is always a favorite read aloud! Froggy Goes to School is a really cute one for back to school. There are a lot of other great Froggy books for other themes and holidays as well! Kids love them!

Another character kids love is this cute kitty in the red shoes so Pete the Cat: Rockin’ in My School Shoes is perfect! This is a fun book to sing along to.

Another favorite cat is Splat! Splat the Cat: Back to School, Splat! is a really fun read aloud for the first week. I love Splat! There are other super cute Splat books in the series as well.

Kids also love David and all the trouble he gets into. They’re such simple stories but kids laugh hysterically at the illustrations so David Goes to School is perfect for the first week.

Another lovable character is Amelia Bedelia who takes everything literally which finds her in silly situations so Amelia Bedelia’s First Day of School will keep your kids laughing.

Another silly character you may not have heard of is Mrs. Millie! She is a hilarious teacher who mixes up words like when she tells the kids to take out their papers and penguins (pencils) – kids think her little mistakes are really funny and I feel like reading Don’t Be Silly, Mrs. Millie! helps them see teachers are people too who can be silly and laugh with them.

My Teacher Sleeps in School is also a fun book to show you’re a real person and start building that rapport. It’s a cute story about a class of elephants who think their teacher lives at school… which, let’s be real, I think they really do think that sometimes! 🙂

Pirates Go to School is a fun, engaging book because it’s funny and kids just love pirates. The pirates are humorously mischievous but at the end they say how much they love school.

What kid doesn’t love funny dinosaurs? How Do Dinosaurs Go to School is another fun read aloud kids enjoy.

Speaking of how to get to school, How Will I Get to School This Year? is a great book to read before you discuss how kids get home at the end of the first day – do they ride the bus… or an elephant?

One of my favorite series of books to read aloud are the There Was an Old Lady… books and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books is a great one for back to school!

I also love the If You… books and If You Take a Mouse to School is simply perfect for the first week! Kids just love these silly books!

First Week at Cow School is also so fun about a chicken who goes to cow school! I love the illustrations and it’s an awesome sequel to The Cow that Laid an Egg. I love its message about how being different is a beautiful thing.

I love First Day, Hooray! because it shows how everyone gets ready for school from the principal to the bus driver to students.

Some classic back to school books are Franklin Goes to School…

and Clifford’s First School Day!

A Tiger Tail: (Or What Happened to Anya on Her First Day of School) is also a really cute story about a little girl who wakes up with a tiger tail on the first day of school!

There are SO many more fun back to school books that I sorted BY BEHAVIOR:

Best Back to School Books By Behavior

That list is my favorite! You can target the exact conversation you want to have in the first few weeks (for example: not blurting out) and know the perfect book for it!

Back to School Read Alouds First Grade Kindergarten