In a few weeks, teachers and students across the country will head back to school after what seems like a very short summer break. New names, fresh faces, excitement, jitters, and other feelings are always a part of going back to school. Parents—especially those whose children are just beginning school—also experience joy and nervousness as their children leave home to create new friends and experiences.
Another part of the seasonal back-to-school routine is to gather a collection of books that cover topics and themes that will set a positive and encouraging tone at school and home. The books on this list offer a wide range of enjoyable and essential content for navigating those new school year days. Such topics include kindness, inclusion, affirmations, embracing differences, finding your voice, self-love, and much more. And always remember, picture books are for everyone, so older students in middle-grade and high school can benefit from reading or having these books read to them.
Find more great books like The King of Kindergarten, I Got the School Spirit, and The Noisy Classroom from this past post, 15 Great Picture Books for Back-to-School.
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1. Sam’s Super Seats
Keah Brown | Sharee Miller | Kokila | August 23, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
2. Be a Bridge
Irene Latham | Charles Waters | Nabila Adani | Carolrhoda | August 2, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
3. I Am Amazing
Alissa Holder | Zulekha Holder-Young | Nneka Myers | Flamingo Books | July 26, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
4. More Than Peach: Changing the World One Crayon at a Time
Bellen Woodard | Fanny Liem | Scholastic Inc. | July 26, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
5. KINDergarten: Where Kindness Matters Every Day
Vera Ahiyya | Joey Chou | Random House Studio | June 21, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
6. The Queen of Kindergarten
Derrick Barnes | Vanessa Brantley-Newton | Nancy Paulsen Books | May 24, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
7. I’m Not Small
Nina Crews | Greenwillow Books | May 17, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
8. Layla, the Last Black Unicorn
Tiffany Haddish | Jerdine Nolen | Jessica Gibson | HarperCollins | May 10, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
9. Most Perfect You
Jazmyn Simon | Tamisha Anthony | Random House Kids | May 3, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
10. Show the World!
Angela Dalton | Daria Peoples | Viking BYR | April 5, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
11. I Color Myself Different
Colin Kaepernick | Eric Wilkerson | Scholastic Press | April 5, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
12. Abdul’s Story
Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow | Tiffany Rose | Salaam Reads/S&S BYR | March 29, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
13. Dearest One
Arielle Dance | Jenny Duke | Lantana | March 1, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
14. Why Not You?
Ciara and Russell Wilson | JaNay Brown-Wood | Jessica Gibson | Random House BYR | March 1, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
15. Nigel and the Moon
Antwan Eady | Gracey Zhang | Katherine Tegen Books | February 15, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
16. You Have A Voice
Vera Ahiyya | Fabiana Faiallo | Hightree Publishing | January 20, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
17. A History of Me
Adrea Theodore | Erin Robinson | Neal Porter Books | January 18, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
18. You Are Not Alone
Alphabet Rockers | Tommy Soulati Shepherd | Ashley Evans | Sourcebooks Explore | January 11, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
19. The Year We Learned to Fly
Jacqueline Woodson | Rafael López | Penguin/Paulsen | January 4, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
20. I’m Growing Great
Mechal Renee Roe | Doubleday BYR | January 4, 2022 | Amazon | Bookshop
21. My Very Favorite Book in the Whole Wide World
Malcolm Mitchell | Michael Robertson | Orchard Books | December 29, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop
22. Stacey’s Extraordinary Words
Stacey Abrams | Kitt Thomas | Balzer + Bray | December 28, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop
23. You Can Be ABCs
Robert Samuel White | Robert White II | Robert Paul | Philomel Books | November 9, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop
24. The Me I Choose To Be
Natasha Anastasia Tarpley | Regis and Kahran Bethencourt | Little, Brown BYR | October 19, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop
25. Remember to Dream, Ebere
Cynthia Erivo | Charnelle Pinkney Barlow | Little, Brown BYR | September 28, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop
26. Keep Your Head Up
Aliya King Neil | Charly Palmer | Denene Millner/Simon & Schuster | September 28, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop
27. Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem
Amanda Gorman | Loren Long | Viking | September 21, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop
28. Magic Like That
Samara Cole Doyon | Geneva Bowers | Lee & Low Books | September 7, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop
29. A Friend Like You
Frank Murphy | Charnaie Gordon | Kayla Harren | Sleeping Bear Press | August 15, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop
30. Zion Unmatched
Zion Clark | James S. Hirsch | Candlewick | August 3, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop
31. My Voice Is a Trumpet
Jimmie Allen | Cathy Ann Johnson | Flamingo Books | July 13, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop
32. Becoming Vanessa
Vanessa Brantly Newton | Knopf BYR | June 15, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop
33. I Affirm Me: The ABCs of Inspiration for Black Kids
Nyasha Williams | Sóf’ya Glushkó | Running Press Kids | May 4, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop
34. What the Road Said
Cleo Wade | Lucie de Moyencourt | Feiwel & Friends | March 23, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop
35. Ambitious Girl
Meena Harris | Little, Brown BYR | January 19, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop
36. My Friend!
Taye Diggs | Shane W. Evans | Feiwel and Friends | January 5, 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop
37. I Am Smart, I Am Blessed, I Can Do Anything!
Alissa Holder | Zulekha Holder-Young | Nneka Myers | Flamingo Books | December 29, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop
38. All Because You Matter
Tami Charles | Bryan Collier | Orchard Books | October 6, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop
39. I Am Every Good Thing
Derrick Barnes | Gordon C. James | Nancy Paulsen Books | September 1, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop
40. Cameron Goes to School
Sheletta Brundidge | Lily Coyle | Darcy Bell-Myers | Beaver’s Pond Press | March 27, 2020 | Amazon | Bookshop
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