Tired of reading the same books every year over and over again?!!? ME TOO! I know repetition is good for kids, especially when learning about those oh so needed routines and rules for school; but I get bored. And if I’m bored, the kids are bored.

The best way to keep engaging students with the importance of rules and kindness and respect is to keep finding new and engaging picture books. Books are made to teach, so I use them!

Here are a few of mine and my students’ favorites to start the year off with!

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by: Ryan T. Higgins

This adorable books by Ryan Higgins is a crowd pleaser. Penelope the T. Rex is starting school and she finds out that her classmates are humans….tasty, tasty humans! She immediately gobbles them all up! But don’t worry, this story is not dark. She then coughs up all of her human classmates when the teacher yells at her. Needless to say, she finds it hard to make friends, but soon learns how it feels to be eaten! I highly recommend this one for leading a conversation about respect and friendship!

Peanut Butter and Cupcake by: Terry Border

I discovered this gem a few years ago and my students still can’t get enough of it. Peanut Butter moves to a new town and his mom tells him to find someone to play with. Peanut Butter runs into many interesting characters throughout the book, but none of them are free to play. That is, until he encounters his perfect match and friend. This is a great story about friendship and treating others with kindness! Here’s a great one page activity and lesson plan to use with the book!

Milk Goes to School by: Terry Border

Another great book by Terry Border about starting school and making friends. It’s Milk’s first day of school and she is having a hard time making friends because the other students think she is “spoiled.” Terry Border has such a clever play on words as Milk thinks the students are saying she smells because her milk is “spoiled.” Milk has a hard time being humble, but eventually she understands why the other students think she is spoiled and they give her another chance! Another great one about friendship and starting school!

Me and My Fear by: Francesca Sanna

This books is great for addressing fear and making it tangible for kids. The young female narrator moves to a new country and once she does her secret friend name Fear keeps growing and growing. She finds herself wanting to explore and make friends but her secret friend Fear has grown so big that he won’t move. Eventually, she makes a new friend which helps Fear grow smaller and she also learns that all of the students in her class have fear. This is a great one for addressing student anxiety and fear about being in a new school or a new class. Love it as a read aloud for the first few weeks of school!

Splat the Cat by: Rob Scotton

An oldie, but definitely a goodie! This story begins on Splat’s first day of school. He wakes up and tries very hard to convince his mother that he shouldn’t go to school that day! But of course his mom brings him to school anyway.

Splat ends up having a great day at school despite a small mishap, and his anxiety about school turns into excitement the next day! This book is great for addressing fears about the first day of school!

Never Let a Ghost Borrow Your Library Book by: Karen Casale

I recently discovered this book as a great one for teaching book care. It’s funny and engaging and most importantly not boring for the kids. If you’re looking for a new book for library orientation, this is perfect for you. This book gives great book care rules in a different and humorous way! I use this activity that I found in a great blog to go along with the book!

Have any more idea for great books for the beginning of the school year? Comment below to share your ideas!