Back to School Picturebooks

This is a wonderful picturebook about the nature of individuality, perfect for building a classroom or school culture where the uniqueness of each person is celebrated.

The book invites readers on a whimsical journey that follows a young boy’s desire to create a robot clone of himself. However, before he can bring his cloned self to life, he must embark on a quest to uncover the essence of his individuality. What is it, exactly, that makes him who he is?

Younger classes will enjoy imagining what a robot close of themselves might look, act and feel like, while older children can get philosophical about the factors that have come together to make them who they are, or even about the potential ethics of cloning oneself (I’m sure overly busy teachers may also be tempted to wish for a clone!).

Either way, this is a really fun focal point for classrooms and one that works best if children are given enlarged or close-up access to the illustrations.

The book is perfect for an Early Years classroom library or would support an All About Me topic, linking with Knowledge and Understanding of the world (Science) and Maths.

The story introduces children to concepts for different types of non-standard measurement, facts about the five senses and interesting information about the human body related to measurement, for example, the smallest and largest bones in the body. The height chart at the back was a bonus and is also full of facts, which, when put on the wall, facilitated a lot of comparative language conversations in the classroom between children about their height.

The diverse illustrations include a child with a walking frame, a girl with a head scarf and a child with a tracheostomy collar. The number of opportunities to be curious is maximised in this book- a book that we will come back to again and again for sure!

Dotty is a plain doughnut in a shop full of exotic doughnuts. She is desperate to be noticed, so she tries to transform herself into another kind of doughnut that someone might pick. This is a wonderfully dotty book, featuring all sorts of wild-flavoured doughnuts such as Bubble Gum, Matcha Madness or Lemon Meringue – all of them superstars in Dotty’s eyes!

The story teaches you to love yourself for who you are in a very comical and engaging way. The illustrations are bright and bold, and even plain Dotty looks pretty fabulous with her red rimmed glasses. There is something incredibly appealing about the doughnuts in this book. Younger children will love the look of this book, and older children will enjoy the humour, and as the tagline says, “Being yourself is fabulous”.

This bright and colourful picture book is a joyful celebration of the uniqueness of each individual. The positive message of the book is not to worry about what you are not but to enjoy the things you are and “all the brills you’ve got!”. The illustrations are bright and fun, adding to the celebratory feel of the book.

This is a feel-good book for EYFS class book corners or to support primary pupils with an ‘All About Me’ topic. It encourages children to be confident in who they are and to embrace differences and accept others.

For many children, moving to a new school, town, street or even within a block of flats, can be a daunting experience, not least because old friends may be lost and there is a fear of not making new friends. This book is perfect for children in situations of change (including class transitions) or for teachers and parents to explore with children what makes a ‘good friend’.

The character in the book creates a new friend from a variety of art materials, and this is a worthwhile activity to do for children, enabling them to talk about friendships and what is important to them about either their friends or about a friend they would like to have. Clearly, sensitivity is key to sharing this book.

The illustrations are bold and vibrant with a wide representation of children shown in the pictures. There is plenty to talk about in the pictures, providing scope for discussion and questions. This is a simple book with a clear and easy message to follow and useful for any early years or KS1 class.

If you are looking for a story to inspire friendship in your classroom, then The Blue Umbrella is a perfect choice.

The story starts with a litle girl who finds a blue umbrella on her doorstep. She takes it with her as she goes for a walk with her mum. As she strolls, the rain begins and she starts to offer shelter to the people in her community. The umbrella grows and grows to fit more and more people under it, with surprising results.

This is such a heartwarming tale which is easy for younger children to understand. It offers lots of opportunities to talk about being a good friend and what it means to be part of a community. It can sometimes be tricky to understand how children can make a difference but the umbrella device perfectly is used to show that small actions can make a big difference and start as a catalyst for change.

The Blue Umbrella is a wonderful story to enjoy in its own right but would be a fantastic story to share as part of citizenship lessons or when focusing on community events or friendship.

We’re huge fans of Anne Booth and her books. This is the story of a little boy who makes friends with a ‘troll’ who lives in a cave in the park. He begins to make little drawings outside the cave, always leaving a piece of chalk for the troll. Each day when he returns, he finds that the troll has finished his drawing. Little by little the troll begins to come out of his cave and they become friends.

The perseverance of the little boy is wonderful and it shows how kindness can achieve all kinds of things. We really liked how all of the other children also began to play together, all brought together by drawing. The illustrations are gorgeous and add to the enjoyment of the story.

Lulu is going to preschool for the first time. She has visited school before with Mummy, but this time she will go on her own.

She’s excited, but a bit nervous. She gets dressed, packs her bag and makes sure she has her cat Dinah with her. When Lulu gets to school, she quickly settles and makes a friend with Mummy watching close by. When Mummy leaves, Lulu is nervous, but soon finds her way forward on her new adventure.

We highly recommend this starting school book and the whole Lulu series, which gently reassures preschool children about all sorts of relatable scenarios from getting a pet and planting flowers to starting school and shows them how to tackle new challenges head-on.

This is a beautiful picturebook that celebrates new beginnings and the power of human connection. Tilly moves to a new home by the sea. She’s sad to learn that her precious dog Shadow is not allowed to go into her new school on her first day. Tilly faces the challenge of a new start alone. At playtime, the teacher notices that Tilly is alone and suggests trying the Friendship Bench. A boy already occupies the bench and the pair form a bond as they work together to transform the old, broken bench into something beautiful.

This is a warm and gentle story. Most children can relate to the feeling of having nobody to play with or having to face a new challenge alone. The story gently encourages readers to seek human connection and reminds us all of the difference that reaching out and making friends can make. The story could be used to encourage children to reflect on how to make new or isolated members of the school community welcome. Could you work together this year to create spaces around the school where lonely children could go, where children can build connections through shared activity or where friendships can blossom?

A simple but powerful rhyming picture book that shines a light on the importance of diversity and inclusivity in the classroom.

Right from its opening lines, “Pencils sharpened in their case, Bells are ringing, let’s make haste, School’s beginning, dreams to chase. All are welcome here,” the book exudes an essence of acceptance and unity that strikes a chord as pupils settle into the culture of their new class. The book uses the format of a school day to show how different classmates are equally included, and the repeated refrain of ‘All Are Welcome Here‘ is one that classes could easily adopt as their own motto.

For any school or teacher committed to diversity and inclusion, this is an essential book with a clear message elegantly conveyed through the journey of a group of children as they navigate a day at their school. This portrayal of a school thriving on shared learning from one another’s traditions is both heartening and thought-provoking.

This is a book to choose when introducing the importance of class rules, demonstrating how shared environments work best if everyone sticks to the agreed rules and works together to take responsibility for making somewhere a happy place to live, work and play.

Sunnyville is the perfect place to live. The animals live in peace and harmony and everyone is friendly to one another. Until one day, Rhino tosses a sweet wrapper over his shoulder. It’s only one, he thinks – until everyone is doing the same. This one action begins a domino effect which results in Sunnyville being a lot less than perfect with everyone being grumpy and doing as they please. Then little mouse has an idea, and ‘only one’ small act starts a whole wave of small acts and turns Sunnyville around.With appealing animal characters to draw in the reader, this is a wonderful story about being good community members and caring for the world around us. The story provides a great example of how ‘only one’ small act can start a whole chain of events.

The bright illustrations are eye catching and full of detail, with plenty of things to talk about for the start of a new year, including personal responsibility, keeping the classroom tidy, treating equipment with respect and working together to improve things.

A moving, powerful story that shines a light on those that feel invisible in our world. Isabel and her loving family are forced to leave their home due to poverty. Feeling alone and invisible to the world, Isabel begins to notice the many other people living in similar circumstances – in fact, there are other ‘invisible’ people everywhere. Isabel is stirred to action and decides to make a difference to her new community in the little ways she can. By gradually improving small things that cost nothing, she starts a community movement and, before long, colour floods into her life and the lives of others once again.

​This story links to whole school values of tolerance, kindness and caring and can be used for developing a sense of belonging and community. It shows how anyone can make a positive impact on those around them, regardless of how little they have.​

This spellbinding picturebook captures the power behind the simplest of all acts – a smile. When a baby smiles at her brother, the joy he feels is so powerful that it sets in motion a chain of kindness that spreads through the community and around the world. Journey through the illustrated pages and witness the magic behind each and every smile, seeing how far a smile can go and the impact it can have.

This beautiful picture book encourages children to reflect on their own smiles, who makes them smile and how they make others smile. It leaves children wondering ‘Where will your smile go?’.

This book’s attractive, full-page illustrations immerse readers in a magical and diverse world of happiness and possibility. It is incredibly hard not to smile when reading this book! This book is likely to help to bring back smiles for children whose smiles may have gone away. The book would work well as a whole class read but I also believe it could be used one-to-one with a child who may need a little support with their emotional well-being or assembly on how the smallest of actions can impact whole communities.

Inspired by the words of Jo Cox, ‘We have more in common than that which divides us,’ and dedicated to ‘every child who has ever had to leave their home behind,’ this book is a showcase of thoughtfulness, empathy, kindness and inclusion.

Firstly, the vibrant palette of neon pinks and oranges stands out, drawing your eye to the cast of inclusive characters shown throughout, many subverting stereotypes of gender, race, and disability – showing wide-ranging positive representation.

The premise of the story is that somewhere in the world is someone who has the same likes, dislikes, sense of humour and interests as you and the reader is invited to imagine this with the dual illustrations showing two very different characters, sharing a characteristic. Once the connection has been made, the reader is invited to think about how they could support and care for this person if they needed shelter or friendship after having to leave their home, encouraging giving, sharing, listening and talking as ways to make them feel welcome.

Find Your Happy is a bright, welcoming book that is bound to get children talking about emotions. Despite being called ‘find your happy’, the book recognises that it is sometimes hard to feel happy all of the time and that every day can be different. It gives honest advice and easy ways to cheer yourself up that do not involve the more common methods that can sometimes be suggested (for example playing on electronics and playing games).

A variety of emotions are mentioned in this book, including anger, worry and shyness. Each emotion comes with small tips and tricks that any individual child could easily use in real life to help make themselves feel better and to also help them to embrace the emotion. In particular, the page about feeling sad and the encouragement given to talk to someone trusted is a particularly important one that could strike up many conversations and support children’s emotional literacy.

The wording and designs of each page are colourful, engaging and fun, making the book easy to follow. The motif of a sloth animal running throughout each page is also a nice addition, adding subtle humour and sure to be a hit with children. It will no doubt leave readers with a heart-warming feeling inside and lots of great advice that they can use when understanding and dealing with different emotions.

There is a thoughtfulness and beauty to the story ‘Shy Girl’. The story revolves around a nameless ‘shy girl’, so it is easy to put yourself in her shoes. She loves to sing and also the sound of music; however, when others were looking at her, she would become nervous and was scared that she would be laughed at.

This is a truly lovely story about self-belief and confidence in oneself, after having self-doubt and worries about not being special like everyone else. The key message of everyone being special and unique is a strong theme throughout. The illustrations are amazing, and when the girl sings, the colours swirl and burst around her, often full of musical notes. There is not a lot of text on each page, so this story would be suitable for an early reader or for a child who enjoys a story with lots of pictures.

It is an excellent book to share with a class where most children can think of a time when they feel nervous to do something, but with courage and encouragement, they too can ‘find your voice and shine bright’. It is a book that could be used within class to support confidence-building and celebrating who you are.

Ruby’s Worry is arguably the most accessible mental-health-themed picture book that my class has come across. Percival depicts a ‘worry’ with a yellow orb that appears next to Ruby one day and continues to grow when she ignores the shadow-like entity, simply hoping that the worry will disappear of its own accord. When she meets another child with their own ‘worry’ and asks them about their feelings, she realises how to rid herself of worries –  she needs to talk about them. This book has sparked meaningful class discussions, supporting pupils to understand that ‘it’s okay to not be okay’.

This is one of the most important books to share with young people. It teaches them about sharing their troubles rather than letting them spiral out of control.

The story of a little girl whose art teacher helps her to develop a ‘can do’ attitude. Vashti is sure that she can’t draw, but when the teacher puts Vashti’s simple dot picture on display, Vashti begins to think of what else she might be able to draw too if she is only willing to give it a try.

Anna Llenas’s The Colour Monster is a popular picture book that helps young children understand and sort their emotions. When the Colour Monster feels mixed-up, a little girl guides him to associate feelings with different colours.

This book has become a firm classroom favourite for emotional literacy and there is also a downloadable resource pack available to use with the book. The fun character concept, vibrant illustrations and clear narrative make it an invaluable tool for discussing feelings and an enjoyable story in its own right.

Highly recommended!

Mixed is a delightful picturebook that tells the stories of different colours. Set in a world initially painted in just the three primary colours – red, yellow, and blue – the three colours lived in harmony until one day, red’s declaration of being the best colour shatters the peace. After this, the colours segregate themselves into isolated neighbourhoods where they no longer mix. When a forbidden love between yellow and blue blossoms, everything changes again. The result is the birth of green. Green’s undeniable beauty sparks a revolution amongst the colours, and before long, more colours mix, transforming the once monochrome world into a vibrant tapestry of countless new colours.

There’s so much to love about this book. On a basic level, the unique storyline lends itself to fun art activities exploring colour mixing, and the illustrations will undoubtedly inspire fingerprint scenes. On a deeper level, conversations about friendship, unity, and embracing difference naturally spring from this joyful picture book. It allows pupils to consider how they might build an environment of acceptance and unity in their classrooms and see how diversity can make communities grow and thrive. A must-have for primary schools.

‘Ten Delicious Teachers’ is one of those books that instantly feels like a classic. With its terrific pictures and perfectly composed rhymes, ‘Ten Delicious Teachers’ is such a superb read that can be enjoyed time and time again.

The premise of the book is simple, yet expertly delivered. Ten school teachers leave school after a long day of teaching, only to discover that the last bus home has just left without them. The teachers then decide to take the path through the dark woods, much to the excitement of a band of monsters who start picking each of them off one by one.

This is an all-join-in book to be read aloud for classroom giggles and bonding – with plenty of visual humour and in-jokes for teachers too!  In ‘Ten Delicious Teachers’, I enjoyed how all ten monsters have their quirks and characteristics just as the teachers do. Definitely one to be shared!

If you’ve ever felt like academic success is hard to reach, this sweet picture book about different types of intelligence will resonate with you.

The central character, Cookie, grapples with traditionally academic challenges within the classroom of Ms. Biscotti. However, a transformative moment occurs when an assignment requires a bit more creative originality, leading Cookie to uncover her hidden poetic talent. As her peers also showcase their distinct abilities, ranging from artistic endeavors to inventive creations, Cookie gains a profound understanding of the different types  of intelligence. Through sharing her poem, her self-assurance grows, igniting a belief in her potential to become the “Smart Cookie” she aspires to be.

This is a really funny book and is always a winner with children (we also love the other books in the series – check out The Couch Potato, The Good Egg and The Cool Bean). Enhanced by the vivid illustrations of Pete Oswald, the narrative seamlessly weaves clever wordplay with a universal message of self worth and being willing to grow. The story underscores the significance of valuing different kinds of strengths and fostering self-worth in a classroom, and provides an opportunity for adults and children to reflect on the classroom culture they want to create.

Pigeon is a familiar character to be reckoned with, as fans of Mo Willems will know. So, if Pigeon doesn’t want to go to school, then it’s not going to be easy to persuade anyone otherwise.

As the book progresses, Pigeon articulates every possible objection to the idea of school and, being Pigeon, comes up with an alternative: a place to practise all the things those worrying skills, with experts to help and other birds to work and play with. Hold on! Isn’t that what a school is…?

In his trademark way, Mo Willems engages the reader with a masterful combination of pictures and text, making them a part of the story as Pigeon’s imaginary interlocutor. He captures precisely the tone of a small child arguing against adults with all the cunning they can muster. Pigeon’s questions and worries are a neat mixture of the classic (What if I don’t like it?) and the more absurd (What if I get finger paint in my feathers?). The gentle humour is enhanced by graphic drawings which use Pigeon’s facial expressions and changes in scale to chart her fluctuating feelings. When she admits to being scared, she’s just one small figure in the middle of the page; when she finally gets the school bus, she’s more than tripled in size.

The combination of warmth and comedy makes this a perfect story to reassure children concerned about starting school – whether before they go or once they arrive. Don’t limit it to this though; its vibrant sense of fun will be widely enjoyed by children of all ages and adults alike.