On Our Way to First Grade This one is a great book for the last day of
kindergarten, but it's good for the start of first grade too. It lets kids know that there will be many similarities
between these grades, as well as some new experiences.
First Grade Here I Come This book takes the perspective of a student
coming home from his first day of school, and at first he's not thrilled about
how it went. But as he and his mom
debrief, he realizes there were many good moments and he can handle the change.
Brand New Pencils Brand New Books In this story Gilbert starts out confident
because he's been to school but his little sister hasn't. He starts to feel intimidated when he
arrives, but he notices that he's not the only one who makes mistakes; we all
have strengths and weaknesses. This
helps him feel more settled.
First Grade Jitters This book really delves into the insecurities
your first graders might be feeling.
Some are scared about learning to read because it seems so hard. Some worry about if the teacher will
understand them and like them. The main
character learns that with a little help from their friends, they will figure
it out.
First Day Jitters Spoiler alert: teachers get first day jitters
too. When you get to the end of this
book, you will want to do a picture walk again from the beginning to show
"clues" about the main character whose identity is a big shock at the
end.
Morris Goes to School Morris makes lots of mistakes, but school
helps. He learns that in spite of a
rough start, he fits right in at school.
It's a little on the long side, but some first graders (and more second
graders) will appreciate the humor.
Franklin Goes to School This book is a little on the longer
side, but I like how it deals with the mixed emotions the morning of the first
day of school. It normalizes these
feelings and then shows the children that school is a safe and nurturing
place.
Mouse Loves School This is another easy reader with limited text
on each page. And of course it has all
the cuteness of a curious mouse exploring school items.
Hello School I love this book for the speech bubbles. It shows children's realistic reactions to
each other and their school routine. It
also features a diverse cast of characters.
Hooray for our Heroes This is not a back to school
book. However some schools (mine
included) start school in September, and I feel this is a perfect book to read to
young children on September 11th. It
does not talk about the event; it talks about members of the community who are
heroes. For my first graders, I have
found this is a developmentally appropriate way to observe the day.
But if you only pick 6 back to school books from this list, pick these!
David Goes to School The kids LOVE this book because David is so
naughty. Prepare for many giggles! I use this book for a writing project that I
blogged about.
The Night Before First Grade I love this book because the main character
starts out with a positive attitude about school, but then there is an obstacle
to overcome (friendship issue) and at the end, she makes 2 new friends and
learns she can still socialize with her friend from last year as well. I have a blog post about a writing activity I
do for this book every year. 
Chrysanthemum I use this book every year in conjunction
with our "All About Me" unit.
It gets us talking about names and normalizes long names and names we
are not used to hearing that our new classmates may have. It also lends itself to a math activity as we
make projects with our names and count the letters. And finally we compare names with others in
the class to find friends with the same, more, and fewer letters, so we make
new connections to others (and/or get bragging rights for having a superlative
name). 
Pete the Cat Rocking in my School Shoes I love this book because it reminds kids in
my class that they already know where many places are in the school (gym,
library, cafeteria, playground). It helps
them feel secure. And the tone of the
book is very laid back (groovy) and grounded (rocking in my school shoes sounds
to me like "just be"). It's a
nice calming book with many more in the series. Although this one is repetitive
and predictive making it perfect for a read aloud you can find a number of
"I can read" titles featuring Pete the Cat for the kids to explore
later on their own or with a partner. 
The Pigeon HAS to Go to School Mo Willems is a must for pretty much every
first grade classroom. The simple text
and emotional characters make it easily accessible and hilarious for 6 year
olds. This one is about that stubborn
Pigeon and how he reconciles the idea of his duties as a student. 
We Don't Eat Our Classmates This book was a new one for me this year and
it was a HUGE hit. It starts with a
disclaimer: you won't really be eaten by dinosaurs in first grade. Penelope can't help herself, she feels a
compulsion to eat her classmates. The
teacher patiently reminds her that's against the rules and she spits them out
but for some reason the kids are not so quick to forgive. The ending has a surprise twist you won't see
coming, but of course she learns to control herself and we see the possibility
that she'll earn their trust back.
If you love Amazon as much as I do, here's a tip I have for
you. Put ALL the books that interest you
in their own wish list called First Grade Books. If you use my affiliate links I will receive
a commission at no cost to you. Buy a
few that you feel like you will definitely want to read next month. Leave the rest and revisit it every few weeks
to watch for price cuts. Depending on
how badly you want a book, set a specific price goal in mind, and when a few
drop below your threshold make your purchases and make your book wishes come
true!
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