Back to School Read Alouds to Use During Library Time

This is a brand new back to school book from Jory John. All the animals are nervous about the first day of school. Sloth is worried he will be late and snake can’t keep his backpack on. And bunny is scared he won’t be able to sit still.

The animals don’t realize that their armadillo teacher is nervous too. After the first day, all the animals relax and work through their jitters and realize that school isn’t a scary place.

This book is all about our favorite literal-minded heroine, Amelia Bedelia, and her exciting adventure of getting her very first library card. Amelia Bedelia is thrilled to finally explore the library, but of course, her usual hilarious misunderstandings take place.

From thinking she needs a ladder to reach the top shelf to trying to check out the librarian, her antics are as funny as ever. Along the way, she learns all about how the library works and the importance of taking care of books. This book is perfect for kids and will bring lots of laughs and smiles.

One of my favorite back to school read alouds features our favorite opossum, Gilbert. As the first day of school approaches, Gilbert is excited but also a bit nervous about all the new things like new pencils, new books, and even a new teacher. With his friends by his side, Gilbert navigates the ups and downs of starting a new school year.

There are plenty of funny moments and a reminder that everyone feels a little jittery about new beginnings. This book captures the mix of excitement and anxiety that comes with heading back to school.

Next up on my list of back to school read alouds is a story about Duncan, an adorable little dragon who loves stories. There’s just one tiny problem. Every time he gets excited while reading, he accidentally sets the book on fire! Poor Duncan struggles to finish a single story because his fiery enthusiasm keeps getting in the way.

Determined to find out how the stories end, Duncan goes on a quest to find a friend who can help him read without burning the book. This tale is full of humor and a great message about the power of friendship and perseverance.

This is a story about Penelope Rex. Penelope is excited and nervous to meet her classmates, but it isn’t easy to be friends with humans because they are delicious! Penelope has a reason to be worried. She eats them all for lunch! Even though she spits them out, it’s not easy to make friends after that.

Penelope’s dad helps her to understand that people do not like to be eaten. Penelope tries to make freinds with the classroom goldfish, but the goldfish ends up teaching her a lesson.

This story follows a freshly baked Gingerbread Man who gets left behind in the school kitchen. Determined to find his class, he goes on a hilarious adventure through the school. Along the way, he dashes through the gym, the library, and even the principal’s office, meeting various teachers and students who try to help him.

It’s a wild chase filled with rhymes and laughs, and the Gingerbread Man’s determination and spunk are simply irresistible. This book is perfect for getting kids excited about school and the fun adventures waiting for them.

This story is about a little girl named Magnolia, who has a wild idea to bring a circus to the library. Chaos quickly ensues as she tries to set up tightropes, juggle bananas, and even bring in an elephant! Magnolia learns that the library is a place for quiet reading and studying, not circus antics.

With colorful illustrations, this book perfectly captures the adventures and the important lesson Magnolia learns about respecting spaces. It’s a fantastic read for kids, blending humor with a gentle reminder about library etiquette.

We meet Magnolia again in our next back to school read aloud, who decides it would be a fantastic idea to bring her pet alligator to school for show and tell. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see an alligator in class, right? Well, let’s just say things don’t exactly go as planned. From chewing on everything in sight to causing chaos in the classroom, the alligator turns the school day into a wild adventure.

Through Magnolia’s misadventures, kids learn an important lesson about why certain things are better left at home. With illustrations and a hilarious storyline, this book is an absolute riot! It’s perfect for sparking conversations about responsibility and making wise choices.

Up next on my list of back to school read alouds is a story all about a class with the coolest teacher ever, Miss Smith, who brings a magical storybook to school. This isn’t just any storybook because it’s alive! As Miss Smith reads from it, the characters leap out of the pages, and the classroom transforms into the settings of the stories.

From flying on a magic carpet to sailing with pirates, the kids go on thrilling adventures right from their desks. As the day goes on, the stories start to spin out of control, and chaos starts happening.

This picture book is all about this super exciting but nerve-wracking day, which happens to be the first day of kindergarten! The story follows a little girl who’s feeling a whirlwind of emotions as she gets ready to step into the big world of school. From excitement to nervousness and everything in between, she experiences it all. Her mom is right there by her side, helping her through it all.

With illustrations and a relatable storyline, this book perfectly captures all the jitters and joys of starting kindergarten. This book is a must-read to read with your kindergartners come the first day of school!

In this story, Bobby thinks his teacher, Mrs. Kirby, is an actual monster. She’s strict, she roars like a lion, and she even stomps around like Godzilla! When Bobby runs into Mrs. Kirby at the park one day, he realizes she’s not so scary after all. In fact, she’s quite nice when she’s not in the classroom!

Through their unexpected encounter, Bobby learns that sometimes people aren’t what they seem, and teachers are humans too. It’s a reminder that there’s more to people than meets the eye and that even the scariest teachers can turn out to be pretty awesome.

Nugget, a minnow, and Fang, a shark, are best buddies who do everything together. When it’s time for Nugget to start school, Fang worries about losing his friend to others. Determined to stick together, Fang decides to join Nugget at school. As you can imagine, a shark in a minnow’s school causes quite a splash!

Through mishaps and learning moments, Nugget and Fang learn important lessons about acceptance and embracing each other’s differences. This book is perfect for reassuring students about friendship and the adventures that come with it.

This book is about Peanut Butter, who just moved to town, and his quest to find a new pal to play with. All the other food in town already has its own friends! From Cupcake to Hamburger, everyone seems to be paired up. But Peanut Butter doesn’t give up! He sets out on a fun-filled journey to find the perfect friend, encountering quirky characters and tasty treats along the way.

With illustrations that bring food to life (literally!), this book will have your students laughing and craving a snack at the same time. It’s a reminder that friendship can be found in the most unexpected places.

The story is told from the perspective of the school building itself, named Frederick Douglass Elementary. It’s his very first day of school too! As the students arrive and the day unfolds, Frederick experiences all the excitement and nerves right along with them. From the busyness of the playground to the buzz of the classrooms, Frederick learns what it means to be a school.

Reading this book is a great way to ease any back-to-school jitters and celebrate the start of a new school year.

In this back to school read aloud, readers enter into the world of a little girl named Lulu who has one important rule: No grown-ups allowed at school! When her mom decides she wants to go to school too, Lulu puts her foot down. Her mom has a surprise up her sleeve and convinces Lulu to let her come along.

What follows is a day filled with unexpected twists, silly antics, and heartwarming moments as Lulu learns that having her mom at school can be pretty awesome after all. This book is a delightful reminder that sometimes the best adventures happen when we break the rules (just a little)!

Do you know that hilarious pigeon from Mo Willems’ other books? Well, this time he’s facing a big, scary challenge: school! The pigeon is convinced that school is not for him. He has all kinds of wild excuses like worrying he won’t like the cafeteria food or that he might not fit in with the other birds. As he learns more about what happens at school, he starts to realize that maybe it’s not as scary as he thought.

With Mo Willems’ signature humor and illustrations, this book is an absolute riot! It’s perfect for any student who’s nervous about starting something new.

In this fun and thought-provoking back to school read aloud readers see the impact of their actions, big and small. The book follows a young boy who starts doing things that seem harmless at first such as feeding a snack to a stray cat or riding his bike through a “keep off the grass” sign. As the consequences pile up, he realizes that if everybody did what he did, chaos would erupt!

This book encourages kids (and maybe even some adults) to think about the ripple effect of their actions. It’s a great conversation starter about responsibility and making good choices.

This is a super cute story about the unlikely friendship between a pencil and an eraser! When Pencil and Eraser first meet, they’re not quite sure what to make of each other. I mean, they seem like total opposites, right? As they start working together, they realize they’re a perfect team!

From doodling to writing stories, they embark on all sorts of creative adventures. This book celebrates the power of teamwork and friendship.

This picture book follows a diverse group of kids who feel a bit nervous and out of place as they start a new school year. As they share their stories and experiences, they begin to realize that everyone has moments of feeling like they don’t belong.

This book celebrates the courage it takes to be yourself and reach out to others. It’s a great reminder for students that even when they feel alone, they’re never truly alone. There’s always someone out there who understands and accepts us just as we are.

The last back to school read aloud on the list is a story that starts when Mrs. Olsen’s new students walk in on the first day of school. They quickly realize that this isn’t just any ordinary class but it’s a family!

From sharing laughs and supporting each other to learning and growing together, Mrs. Olsen’s class is a tight-knit group that cares for one another like family. This book is perfect for inspiring kindness and empathy in kids of all ages.