Reading Lists

School Anxiety

Picture Books

Anholt, Laurence                                                                                              
Billy and the Big New School (JE ANH)
Billy is nervous about starting school, but as he cares for a sparrow that eventually learns to fly on its own, he realizes that he too can look after himself.

Berenstain, Stan                                                                                                
Berenstain Bears Go to School (JE BER)
Sister Bear, nervous about entering kindergarten, overcomes her fears when she discovers that school is really fun.

Blomberg, Dianne L.                                                            
Sam and Gram and the First Day of School (JE BLO)
Sam often feels frightened and lonely during his first day of school, but when it is over, he eagerly tells his grandmother all about it.

Boelts, Maribeth                                                         
Little Bunny’s Preschool Countdown (JE BOE)
LB spends the summer dreading the first day of preschool, especially after his second-grade cousin makes him worry about what it will really be like.

Brillhart, Julie                                                                  
Molly Rides the School Bus (JE BRI)
Molly is worried about riding the school bus on her first day of kindergarten, but a friendly older girl helps her adjust.

Carlson, Nancy                                                           
Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! (JE CAR)
Even though Henry is looking forward to going to kindergarten, he is not sure about staying once he first gets there.

Couric, Katie                                                             
The Brand New Kid (JE COU)
Lazlo, who has just moved to the United States from Hungary, is ostracized at school until two girls have the courage to befriend him.

Danneberg, Julie                                                  
First Day Jitters (JE DAN [PARENT])
Sarah is afraid to start at a new school, but both she and the reader are in for a surprise when she gets to her class.

Giff, Patricia Reilly                                                             
Next Year I’ll Be Special (JE GIF)
Unhappy at school, Marilyn fantasizes about how much better life will be next year when she is in the second grade.

Henkes, Kevin                                                                   
Wemberly Worried (JE HEN)
A mouse named Wemberly, who worries about everything, finds that she has a whole list of things to worry about when she faces the first day of nursery school.

Hest, Amy                                                               
Off to School, Baby Duck! (JE HES)
Baby Duck experiences the fear of the first day of school, but with a little help from Grampa, everything turns out okay in the end.

Jarrett, Clare                                                                  
Catherine and the Lion (JE JAR)
Catherine is comforted by the company of her imaginary lion friend, who goes to school with her and accompanies her in all her at-home activities.

Langreuter, Jutta                                                                                                  
Little Bear Goes to Kindergarten (JE LAN)
Little Bear likes the teacher, other children, and activities on his first day at kindergarten, but he does not want his mother to leave.

London, Jonathan                                                        
Froggy Goes to School (JE LON)
Froggy is nervous about his first day of school, but, even though it's hard to sit still, he has a wonderful time.

Poydar, Nancy                                                                  
First Day, Hooray! (JE POY)
All over town, Ivy Green and her bus driver and her teacher and the other school employees get ready for their first day of school.

Reynolds, Adrian                                                         
Pete and Polo’s BigSchool Adventure (JE REY)
Pete and his polar bear are both nervous on their first day of school, especially when Polo finds he is the only bear that’s not brown.

Rockwell, Anne F.                                                        
Welcome to Kindergarten (JE ROC)
A boy visits the classroom where he will attend kindergarten the following fall and finds out what is in store for him.

Russo, Marisabina                                                        
I Don’t Want to Go to School (JE RUS)
Despite his older sister’s dire warnings of all the terrible things that could go wrong on his first day in the second grade, Ben has a wonderful time.

Schwartz, Amy                                                          
Annabelle Schwartz, Kindergartner (JE SCH)
Although some of the things her older sister taught her at home seem a little unusual at school, other lessons help make Annabelle’s first day in kindergarten a success.

Slate, Joseph                                                                   
Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten (JE SLA)
Introduces the letters of the alphabet as Miss Bindergarten and her students get ready for kindergarten.

Wells, Rosemary                                                         
Edward Unready for School (JE WEL)
Edward, a shy, young bear unready for play school, feels out of place surrounded by students who are ready, busy, and happy.

Whitcomb, Mary E.                                                            
Odd Velvet (JE WHI)
Although she dresses differently from the other girls and does things that are unusual, Velvet eventually teaches her classmates that even an outsider has something to offer.

Wild, Margaret                                                          
Tom Goes to Kindergarten (JE WIL)
When Tom, a young panda, goes to his very first day of kindergarten, his whole family stays and plays and wishes they could be in kindergarten too.