I don’t know how…but back to school time is HERE!!!

Here is some book nook inspiration for you and your littles as well as a peek at our new book nook in Virginia! I’ll link below our back to school book nook from 2020 that ahas a ton of other book links as well!

You can find that blog post here.

Here’s is that wall below for more inspiration!

Simply click on the title and price of the book below and it’ll take you directly to the link to purchase. I appreciate you using our affiliate links as it does take a lot of time to compile these. Thank you in advance!!!

ALL THE WAYS TO BE SMART - $15.99
Celebrates the myriad ways for kids to be smart―being empathic, artistic, athletic, and inquisitive.
A tender, funny, and exquisitely illustrated picture book celebrating all the unique and wonderful qualities that make children who they are.
With heartwarming rhyming text all about knowing what makes you special, All the Ways to Be Smart is a wonderful introduction to conversations about self-esteem.

2. THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL - $15

When Dewayne, a soon to be kindergartner rushes in the house after going shopping for school supplies his sister Banicia and mother help him understand what’s about to happen. An entertaining story of the wonder and excitement of going to kindergarten. Join Banaica as she recalls The First Day of School in Mr. Shipman’s classroom. Mr. Shipman is their kindergarten teacher, and he makes The First Day of School an experience his students will never forget. Mr. Shipman shares it all with his class of delightful five-year olds and builds excitement for your child for all the things, The First Day of School in kindergarten can be!

3. MING GOES TO SCHOOL - $16.99

Ming goes to school, where she learns to say hello and good-bye. She meets new friends and introduces them to old friends (including her favorite teddy). She builds sandcastles and makes snow angels; she traces, glitters, and glues. She is so fearless that when held at sword point, she even walks the plank! And when she’s playing in the mud, she reaches out and touches the worms with her bare hands. But despite those brave deeds, she isn’t quite ready for the big red slide—not yet.

This is a very sweet story with soft, evocative watercolor illustrations that will help kids to grow comfortable with the idea of starting preschool. Ming is curious and playful and ready for adventure, but even she gets scared of new things sometimes. Kids will relate to her desires and fears and will be excited to see Ming at the top of the slide by the story’s end.

A quiet and reassuring picture book for preschoolers (3-5), this is a wonderful going-to-school story that can be read both at home and in the classroom or childcare center. The illustrations provide a lot of diversity of characters, making this feel like any classroom in any school in the country.

4. RULERS OF THE PLAYGROUND - $15

A funny, relatable story about how becoming "rulers" of the playground in the end is less fun than playing together and sharing. "A great choice for the beginning of the school year."*

This picture book about sharing, friendship, and kindness in a playground setting will remind you of favorites such as This Is Not My Hat from Jon Klassen and The Day the Crayons Quit from Drew Daywalt.

One morning, Jonah decided to become ruler of the playground. Everyone agreed to obey his rules to play in King Jonah’s kingdom. Everyone except for Lennox . . . because she wanted to rule the playground, too.

5. THE SMALLEST GIRL IN THE SMALLEST GRADE - $14

Hardly anyone noticed young Sally McCabe.
She was the smallest girl in the smallest grade.

But Sally notices everything—from the twenty-seven keys on the janitor’s ring to the bullying happening on the playground. One day, Sally has had enough and decides to make herself heard. And when she takes a chance and stands up to the bullies, she finds that one small girl can make a big difference.

6. A LETTER FROM YOUR TEACHER - $12

From the author and illustrator of Our Class is a Family, this heartwarming picture book helps teachers in welcoming their new group of students on the first day of school. Through a letter written from the teacher’s point of view, students are given the message that their new teacher is someone they will get to form a special bond with. Their teacher is not only there to help them academically, but also to cheer them on, and to provide a caring, safe environment for them to learn and grow.

During back to school time, teachers are wanting to set the tone for the new year. In addition to establishing rules and procedures, they are ready to get to know their kids and start building positive relationships. This is a read aloud that helps with laying that foundation, and it serves as a great starting point for get-to-know-you activities and class community building.

There is a blank space on the last page for teachers to sign their own name, so that students know that the letter in the book is coming straight from them. With its sincere message and inclusive illustrations, A Letter From Your Teacher is a valuable addition to any elementary school teacher’s classroom library.

7. OUT THE DOOR - $11

Follow a girl through her day in a busy city as she travels to school and back again in this inviting book that teaches directional concepts like over, under, and through.

Out the door,
down the stoop,
past the neighbors,
along the block ...

Through tree-lined streets, onto a crowded subway car, into the classroom with friends, and finally, retracing her steps back home again. There's so much to see in Christy Hale's warm, richly textured collage artwork and simple, evocative text set in a busy Brooklyn cityscape.

Out the Door is the perfect back-to-school book for young kids learning to find their way around a city. Parents and teachers can use this read-aloud to familiarize kids with a host of directional words to describe their first school days.

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CLICK ON THE NUMBER ASSOCIATED WITH THE TITLE OF THE BOOK BELOW AND IT’LL TAKE YOU STRAIGHT TO THE SOURCE + GIVE YOU A FULL SYNOPSIS OF THE BOOK!

ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE | SIX

SEVEN | EIGHT | NINE | TEN | ELEVEN | TWELVE |

THIRTEEN | FOURTEEN | FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN | SEVENTEEN | EIGHTEEN

Here’s some information about our favorites of the bunch!

ONE : precious for mermaid lovers, and takes you through a day in the life of school for mermaids! - $13

TWO: takes you through the first day of kindergarten for three friends, who learn to keep an open mind because so many of their friends are different from them! Teaches younger kids that their friends may celebrate different holidays than them, but to love them the same. LOVE this book. - $17

THREE: probably my favorite of the bunch! This one is A MUST for the outdoors / geography lovers / explorers!!! AND ON MAJOR SALE!!! - $18

SEVEN: truly a special book about curiosity and exploration in young kids. Some kids just want to know ALL of the answers, and this teaches kids it’s okay to ask questions about how things work! Love this for aspiring scientists! - $14

NINE: The cutest whimsical illustrations / cover, but the message is so heartfelt! It teaches kids that they can feel safe in their classroom, with their teachers, and that their classroom can be their community/ family too! - $10

TEN: ANOTHER FAVORITE. This book walks this sweet girl through her school day and how the “spirit” (school spirit that is) lives within her and radiates through her! IT’S PRECIOUS. (I was votes most school spirit in high school, so this book is extra special hehe) -$16

ELEVEN: While it’s all the kiddos’ first day of school, school also gets to experience new things too! A sweet book about perspective and how the day can always get better! - $10

FOURTEEN: LOVE this whole series, but especially this one! Since it’s an alphabet book, it just works perfectly to teach kids words about school and the letters they start with! -$9

FIFTEEN: OKAY I LIED THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE!!! Gosh just so many good ones hahaha! But if yall followed our "#AmysCardboardBoxChallenge hashtag on Instagram, you saw so many amazing creations and THIS BOOK is so inspiring for just that!!! What a great homeschool book for kids to explore their imagination and build!!! - $14

SIXTEEN: Another great book to guide your social studies/ geography type classes! It goes into incredible detail for every stated and also has beautiful illustrations! -$22

the ever co back to school book nook inspiration

If you want to be able to reference this post in the future, be sure to pin any image throughout this post to your pinterest board so you can come back to it in the future!!!