Back to school season aside from the new clothes, shiny shoes, supplies, and backpacks it is also full of big emotions and feelings for kids. As a bilingual educator and mamá, I know how much those first weeks matter: they set the stage for how our children see themselves as learners, as friends, and as members of a community.
Back to school picture books
This year, I’m especially excited to share three back to school picture books (including one in Spanish!) that celebrate belonging, joy, and the beautiful diversity that makes every classroom (and every school) a place where kids can truly thrive.
Whether you’re a teacher setting up your classroom library, a parent prepping for the first day, or a caregiver looking for read-alouds that reflect the world your child actually lives in, these books are a wonderful place to start.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using the link, I will receive a small monetary compensation. Thank you! A big thank you to Publisher Spotlight for sending 2 of these books my way, all opinions and reviews, as always, are my own!
In This Classroom
In This Classroom by Andrew Hacket, illustrated by Arthur Lin
As educators, we know the first days of school aren’t just about supply lists and seating charts, they’re about setting the tone for a whole year of belonging. In This Classroom does exactly that. Hacket, a second-grade teacher himself, writes with the kind of honesty our students deserve: yes, there will be mistakes, disagreements, and hard days and that’s not something to fear, it’s something to grow from.
What I love most is how the book makes space for different opinions, different ways of learning, different ways of being framing it all of it as beautiful rather than something to smooth over. I’m sure you’ll agree that we all want for every classroom to be a place where every child, no matter their language, background, or pace, hears “there is room for everyone” and to believe it.
Esta es una escuela
Esta es una escuela by John Schu, illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison
Pocas veces un libro logra capturar tan bien lo que una escuela realmente es: no un edificio, sino una comunidad.
Esta es una escuela honors every person who makes a school what it is: students, teachers, librarians, support staff, and reminds young readers that school is a place to explore, to fail safely, to trust, and to belong. Having this beautiful ode available in Spanish means so much to our bilingual families and heritage language learners walking through school doors for the first time (or the hundredth). Veronica Miller Jamison’s warm, inclusive illustrations mirror the diversity of the communities we serve, and Schu’s text is a gentle, joyful reminder: school is a place to come together. This belongs on every bilingual classroom shelf.
Pair this read with 5 Fantastic Back-to-School Spanish Resources for Young Learners for even more bilingual back-to-school inspiration (freebie included!).
This book is also available in English, too: This Is a School
Laugh
Laugh by Uncle Ian Aurora, illustrated by Natalia Moore
Although Laughter is not specifically about back to school, it is one of those books that is perfect for this season. Laughter is one of the few languages every child speaks fluently from day one, and this book celebrates that beautifully.
Following a joyful girl as her giggles ripple through her day, Laugh is bursting with rhyme, rhythm, and a wonderfully diverse cast of kids and families who remind us that joy looks different in every home and every culture, but it always connects us. As an educator, I’m always drawn to books that build community through shared experiences, and laughter is exactly that kind of universal bridge. This is a perfect back-to-school read-aloud for helping students see themselves, and each other through giggles, chuckles and wholesome laughter.
I hope you enjoy these recommendations! Do you have a favorite back to school picture book? Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to pin or save this post. Better yet, share it!
Looking for more book recommendations check these out:
125 Amazing Children’s Books About Puerto Rico
10 Spanish Children’s Books to Celebrate Read Your World Day