I should probably have written this post a couple of weeks ago to be honest, since we’ve been drip-feeding some of these books for the past few months at least. But hey – better late than never!
As this week will see a load of little munchkins heading off to ‘big school’ for the very first time, there will almost certainly be plenty of nervous tears, anxious stares and scary moments – and not just for the children. So you may be wondering “What can I do to help my little one getting ready for school?”
Well, there are plenty of books out there which are ideal for subtly getting your little poppet ready for the big day, so I thought I’d collect a few of them together with some handy descriptions in case you fancy buying them. We’ve read all of these, so they get the Elliss seal of approval (unlike a couple of crappy books we’ve read lately – but I’ll save that for another post!) – but do feel free to contribute your own suggestions in the comments…
Little Rabbit Goes to School
“It’s Little Rabbit’s first day at school. He decides his favourite toy, Charlie Horse, wants to start school too, so they set off together. Before they’ve even got to school, Charlie Horse has made Little Rabbit eat his whole packed lunch and then proceeds to create mischief all day – galloping when he should be listening and jumping in the cake mix. Little Rabbit gets very upset when Charlie Horse leads him away from his new friends on a nature walk and they find themselves all alone in the wood …But Little Rabbit’s teacher and friends find them and Little Rabbit goes home happy, looking forward to his next day at school – having decided Charlie Horse isn’t ready to start school and can stay at home!”
The Kissing Hand
“This is a story about a little raccoon ready to start school. He talks about his fears to his mother, fears that most children have before beginning school. His mother comes up with a wonderful solution to help her little raccoon remember that she loves him and is thinking about him, even when she isn’t with him. A wonderful and heart-warming story to share with little ones.”
I love you all day long
“”Do I have to go?” Owen asks. “Yes,” his mother replies. But his mother sends him off with more than just his lunch. She promises that no matter where he is and no matter what he’s doing — whether Owen is making a new friend or spilling his juice — she’ll love him all day long, from the moment they part until the moment Owen is back in her arms again.”
Harry and the Dinosaurs go to school
“It’s Harry’s first day at school. He and his dinosaurs are very excited and perhaps a little bit nervous. But when Harry’s dinosaur friends don’t join him in the classroom, Harry’s not so sure he’s going to like school… but the dinosaurs come to the rescue and Harry and his new friend learn just how much fun school can really be! The ideal book to prevent first-day-at-school nerves.”
I am Too Absolutely Small for School (Charlie and Lola)
“”I probably do not have time to go to school. I am too extremely busy doing important things at home,” Lola says to her older brother, Charlie. But Lola agrees with Charlie that it would be handy to learn to write to Father Christmas, read bedtime stories to an ogre and count biscuits for elephants. Now it’s just that Lola’s invisible friend, Soren Lorensen, is absolutely too nervous to go! The third title in the super-successful Charlie and Lola series, dealing with that dreaded first day at school – with heaps of reassurance and humour!”