Goodbye Summer, Hello World

We are on the other side of summer vacation, and I feel like I am stepping out of a bubble. For two months, we have lived with questionable boundaries, lax rules, and very flexible timings for just about everything. But now the real world beckons, and we have no choice but to get back to routines, deadlines, drop-offs, and homework. I don’t know who is more bummed about the end of summer, my son or me. (It is me.) I have had one of the best summers in a long time, mostly because it has been so low-key. For once, being a Type B personality has had its advantages. We went with the flow for most of it. With the rules out the window, the days simply blurred into one another until all we have is a wooly recollection of aimless days spent languishing in a contented haze.

Our summer wasn’t over-scheduled, as it so often has been in the past. We spent mornings watching movies and eating popcorn. We talked well into the night about everything from Roblox to geopolitics. We spent afternoons lazing around the house, mostly arguing about chores and popsicles. Somehow, it felt like we accomplished a lot by doing very little, with even less to show for it. Ah, summer. How I’ll miss thee.

I will miss having a noisy house, where everything I did came with a soundtrack of background clatter, things crashing, people falling, doors slamming. I will miss being able to do something without interruption, whether it was working, cooking, showering, vacuuming, working out, sleeping, planning, or simply thinking. There was no task too complicated and no job too important that couldn’t be interrupted by a request to answer some trivia, watch a trick shot, find a charger, grab a towel, bandage a wound, staunch the bleeding, help with math, answer an existential question, or just let someone hang on to my shoulder for a while.

And yet, school will be great too.

Most kids, and parents, and teachers probably feel some version of the same thing about the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year. The transition is the hard part. The school year itself is full of promise and possibility. That is what we are looking forward to most, the hope that this year, like this summer, will be the best one yet. The best teachers. The closest friends. The most interesting lessons. The easiest homework. The most fun classes. The feeling that somehow, everything is going to work out. Whether a child is starting school for the first time, returning after summer, or beginning at a completely new school, there is so much to look forward to. New friends, new subjects, new teachers, new routines, and a whole new school experience. It is easy to focus on the uncertainty, especially at the beginning, but looking past it, is where the win lies. The new school year could be completely different from the last one. It could be harder, stranger, more surprising, or simply much better.

We have been preparing for it with plenty of enthusiasm, a long list of things to look forward to, and the optimistic belief that everything will turn out even better than planned.

This week we are looking at books that will help us get ready for the new school year. The things we can expect and the things that will take us by surprise. Because summer may be over, but there is a whole new world waiting on the other side of it, in our schools and classrooms waiting for us to come in.

School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex, illustrations by Christian Robinson

Ages: 5-6

This is the perfect back-to-school book. Whether it is a child’s first day of school or the first day back after summer break, this sweet, funny, and thought-provoking story offers a fresh perspective by telling the story from the school’s point of view. The school is getting ready for the children to arrive, and it is both nervous and excited. But the first day turns out to be nothing like it expected. Most of the kids don’t seem happy to be there, one child even cries when it is time to go inside. Then there is an errant fire alarm, a malfunctioning water fountain, and the school begins to wonder if it is simply having a terrible day.

But slowly, things begin to change, the days gets better. By the end of the day, the school sees its first day in a completely different light. It is a wonderful reminder that new beginnings can be intimidating, but they also bring opportunities to learn, discover, and find something to love, if we are open to them.

You can get your copy here.

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg, illustrated by Judy Love

Ages: 5-7

Going back to school is hard enough. Going back to school when you are starting at a new school can feel downright terrifying. First Day Jitters follows Sarah as she prepares for her first day at a new school. She tries everything she can think of to avoid going. She refuses to get out of bed, argues that she does not want to go because she does not know anyone, and finally insists that no one would even miss her if she stayed home.

But she is eventually coaxed out of bed, gets dressed, and heads to school, all while carrying the very real fears that come with starting somewhere new. The story captures those feelings beautifully through both its language and illustrations. The nervousness, reluctance, and dread will feel familiar to any child who has ever had to walk into an unfamiliar classroom. And then comes the wonderful twist at the end, which is guaranteed to have kids laughing. It is a perfect reminder that sometimes the hardest part of a new beginning is simply taking that first step.

You can get your copy here.

A Letter from Your Teacher: On the First Day of School by Shannon Olsen, illustrated by Sadie Sonke

Ages: 5-8

A Letter from Your Teacher appears on just about every list of must-read back-to-school books, and it is easy to see why.

Written from the teacher’s perspective, the book takes the form of a letter welcoming students to a new school year. It introduces children to what they can expect while also offering reassurance about the things that might make them nervous. School is presented not simply as a place to learn, but as a place where children will be supported, encouraged, challenged, and become part of a community. The illustrations are wonderful, and the rhyming text makes it especially fun to read aloud. A new school year is not only a new beginning for the students. Teachers are stepping into a new year with their own hopes and expectations. Reading this before school starts can help children see that they are not alone in feeling a little nervous about what lies ahead.

You can get your copy here.

If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen

Ages: 4-8

There was no way I was going to put together a list of books about schools without sneaking in Chris Van Dusen. Part of his If I Built series, If I Built a School is an imaginative take on what the perfect school might look like, as imagined by a student named Jack as he shares his ideas with his teacher, Miss Jane. And Jack’s school is nothing like an ordinary school. Animals welcome students. Desks become floating bumper cars. History lessons come to life through holograms. There are submarine bikes, rock walls, ziplines, and even a robot chef preparing everyone’s favorite foods. In signature Chris Van Dusen fashion, the illustrations are colorful, funny, and full of details to discover, while the rhyming text makes the whole thing a joy to read aloud.

You can get your copy here.

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Thank you for reading.

-Nandhini