Back to School Read Alouds - Rainbow Sky Creations

What is your favourite back to school read aloud?

Most teachers have their ‘go-to’ book, but sometimes it is nice to mix it up. To save you searching the internet or local library for the perfect book to share with your students, we collated a list of our faves here.

Books are a great way to teach concepts, for brain breaks, lesson transitions, or as a trusty time fillers. We decided to break our suggestions up into two sections: First Day / Week of School and Social, Emotional & Growth Mindset titles. The books with a ** next to them indicate titles that are suitable for older students.

FIRST DAY / WEEK OF SCHOOL

“First Day” by Andrew Daddo & Jonathan Bentley

“Old Friends, New Friends” by Andrew Daddo & Jonathan Bentley

“The Pigeon Has to Go to School” by Mo Willems

“Starting School” by Jane Godwin and Ann Walker

“Why I Love School” by Daniel Howarth

“My First Day at School” by Rosis Smith & Bruce Whatley

“Things I love about School” by Trace Moroney

“First Day Jitters” by Julie Danneberg

“Chomp Goes to School” by Melissa Mattox & Mark Chambers

“Zoo School” by Heath McKenzie

SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL & GROWTH MINDSET

“What should Danny Do” by Ganit and Adir Levy

“What should Darla Do” by Ganit and Adir Levy

“Tiger Days: A book of feelings” by M.H. Clark

“Whoever you Are” by Mem Fox **

“All the Ways to be Smart” by Davina Bell **

“Giraffes Can’t Dance” by Giles Andreae

“Pink is for Boys” by Robb Pearlman **

“Enemy Pie” by Derek Munson

“The Problem with Problems” by Rachel Rooney & Zehra Hicks

“Trying” by Kobi Yamada **

“How to Catch a Star” by Oliver Jeffers **

“Feelings” by Libby Walden & Richard Jones**

‘What to do with…’ series by Kobi Yamada (read more about these books here) **

Note to first-year and new teachers ⚠️

You don’t need to go out and buy these books. Your school or local library is bound to have a copy of one of these that you can borrow and enjoy with your class! Alternatively, you could find an online version on Youtube or perhaps your school has a subscription to an online library. Either way, save your dollars for a treat, because as a teacher heading into the school year – you deserve it!

Looking for more literature inspiration for your classroom?

Check out these 3 blog posts:

A list of Diverse Picture Books for Aussie Teachers

Teaching Growth Mindset using books

A list of Maths related picture books

We have also dedicated a whole page to early years reading material in our Kindy teacher survival guide. Find the guide here!

One more thing before you go… are you a teacher in your 1st, 2nd or 3rd year of teaching? Come and join our Facebook Group. It is a group designed to help you through those first few years of your career. It is a supportive place where we share ideas, inspiration, and answer questions.