Back to school books
With the return to school on the horizon, this month our children’s book expert, Joy Court, shares her recommended reads for going Back to School.
We share six of her recommendations here, with the full range available to download FREE OF CHARGE from our resources page.
First Day at Bug School. Sam Lloyd. Bloomsbury,2016, pp32, £6.99. ISBN: 978-1408868805
One of the best reassuring ‘introduction to school’ titles around. This is packed with detailed pictures with lots of humorous detail to spot and prompting lots of class discussion about the similarities between bug school for minibeasts of all descriptions and the real school they have just begun. A lovely fluent rhyming text makes it a pleasure to read. It enthusiastically tells the story of a first day at school with all the things a child will encounter including saying goodbye to parents, registration, lessons, toilets, lunch, playtime, making friends, the sort of behaviour expected, right through to going home time. It has the added value of being a nice read to accompany minibeast topics too!
The Pigeon HAS to go to school. Mo Willems. Walker, 2019, pp40, £7.99 ISBN: 9781406389012
Utterly distinctive and immediately recognisable in style, this is actually the ninth outing for the idiosyncratic pigeon, who now has to come to terms with getting an education. He begins his melodramatic rant with the excellent philosophical question “Why go?”, then sets out all the reasons why he doesn’t want or need to, ranging from “I already know everything” to “What if the teacher doesn’t like pigeons?” He even wishes he could return to his baby days to avoid the big day. But rest assured this is a pro-education text and, helped by there being a school bus to travel on, (and fans will know the pigeon’s obsession with buses) Pigeon’s anxieties are allayed and he heads merrily to school. Having a familiar and popular character face the same situations as you is a real bonus (see also Charlie and Lola in Lauren Child’s I am too Absolutely Small for School and Come to School Too, Blue Kangeroo by Emma Chichester Clark)
Once Upon an Ordinary School Day Colin McNaughton. Illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura. Andersen Press, 2005, pp32, £6.99. ISBN: 978-1842704691
The sophisticated and beautiful illustrations tell most of this story of an ordinary grey day, just like any other, as an ordinary boy made his ordinary way to his ordinary school. He had no idea that something extraordinary was about to happen... A new teacher brings music, inspiration colour and creativity to the classroom and inspires awesome responses from the ordinary boy and his classmates. I am sure you all aspire to be a Mr Gee and for every day to be extraordinary. It’s a great reminder, should you need it, of the difference a teacher can make and shows children that school is anything but boring.
Read our popular blog, complete with teaching ideas, about Once Upon an Ordinary School Day by clicking below.
My Teacher is a Monster. Peter Brown. Two Hoots, 2016 pp36, £7.99. ISBN: 978-1509831234
Bobby has a problem at school – his teacher! But when the unthinkable happens and he sees her outside school, he does begin to see a very different side to her. Stylish and witty, this will be enjoyed by a very wide age group as it plays with the trope of every child not believing that teachers have a life outside the classroom and of being initially scared of the new teacher. The transformation of their relationship is mirrored by the gradual transformation of the teacher from raging dinosaur to human being. All new teachers must set out the rules for their class of course, but will have no desire to be seen as a monster and this is a lovely way to get the class to see both sides of the picture since the story concludes with a humorous flourish as she returns to calling Bobby 'Robert,' after he (again) flies a paper plane in class.
My Beautiful Voice. Joseph Coehlo. Illustrated by Allison Colpoys. Frances Lincoln, 2021, pp32. £11.99. ISBN: 978-0711248304
From the partnership that brought us the beautiful If All the World Were… comes a brand new, equally beautiful and entirely inspirational offering which celebrates both the power of poetry to give expression to a child’s feelings and the magical power of teachers to share and pass on the gift of words. A girl so shy that she is unable to speak at school finds self-belief in the act of writing poetry and her words give her the bravery to speak them aloud and to find and release her voice. Empowering and relatable for all children, encouraging them to unlock their own potential.
The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler. Gene Kemp. Faber, 2015 (1977), pp160, £6.99 ISBN: 978-0571313914
Given this month’s theme there really could not be any other choice than this Carnegie medal winner. I am assuming all adults will know the plot twist but it would be really great not to reveal that to your young readers and watch their reactions. The way in which it overturns gender stereotypes has real modern resonance and relevance and was quite astonishing in 1977. Modern children will be gripped by the characters they meet in this funny and fast paced novel. A daring and energetic twelve-year-old, Tyke is always at the centre of trouble and is determined to help best friend Danny Price, cheat in their end of year test. Without cheating, the characters believe that they will attend different secondary schools. The author had a great liberating belief in children’s autonomy, as she made very clear in her visit to Coventry, when her age was absolutely no barrier to talking to her audience. An unforgettable event for me and a book that I never tire of re-reading!
Our thanks to Joy for another incredible set of book recommendations. Remember, to see all of Joy’s recommendations just visit our resources pages and look for Reading With Joy.
And… before you go. Do you need some lovely planning ideas to help you with your Back to School project? Take a look at our School Bundle of book-based guided reading and planning ideas.
