School is here. (Thank goodness! I was so missing the routine.) For some kids, a little reassuring read just might be in order. Here are a few newer ones to add to the ever-growing list of great start-of-school titles.
For the wee one just starting out to a new place of care: 
Don’t Want to Go!
by Shirley Hughes
Bodley Head
ISBN: 978 0 370 32962 8
Lily’s mom is sick, and dad is off to work, so Lily is going to spend the day at someone else’s house. She’s a little worried, because this is all new for her, but of course, after a few bumps and jitters, everything out okay. A little dog helps, a game of peek-a-boo with the baby makes her giggle, and by the time her dad comes for her, she has had a terrific day – and doesn’t want to go.
Shirley Hughes is a master of getting little kids and the small nuances of everyday life with them – her Alfie books are favourites of many for this very reason. Her illustrations, too, are instantly recognizable and capture the rumpled look of the small child perfectly. The warmth and familiarity in this book is wonderfully reassuring, and perfect for sharing with a young child going to stay with someone else for the first time.
For the Kindergarten-bound:
Kindergarten Cat
J. Patrick Lewis
Schwartz & Wade
ISBN: 978 0 375 84475 1
A cat is found in the playground and brought in to the school by the janitor, where she is quickly adopted as part of the kindergarten class. She gets a name, and they have a bit of fun thinking up questions that can be answered with a meow so that she can be part of things. By the end of the day, she settles in, feeling right at home.
There are plenty of books about the first day of kindergarten out there to reassure your newly minted schoolkid, many of them addressing the worries and what to expect. Many of them are excellent – some of my favourites are listed in an old post over here. But for something less direct, something that just sets the kindergarten scene as a warm, welcoming place, this simple little book by renowned children’s poet Lewis is something different and light-hearted.
For the older kid who may need a laugh to get them back in the mood for school:
School for Bandits
by Hannah Shaw
Knopf
ISBN: 978 0 375 86768 2
A little raccoon must learn to be just as dirty, rude, and mischievous as the others of his breed, so he is sent off to school to learn some bad manners. Over the holiday, his assignment is to fill a loot sack with as much as he can swipe, but his heart is just not in it. He can’t help being helpful, but finds himself rewarded for it, and in the end, drags back a very full sack of goodies, winning the “best bandit” competition and teaching the others a whole new set of tricks!
This is a little bit of silliness for the child who delights in the rude and goofy. I’d peg it as a good one to borrow, and a fun read to lighten the mood and maybe do a little reminding about catching more flies with honey.