The big day is coming, and much sooner than you expect. Your little one will be off to school or your Kindergartener will be off to “big kid’s school,” and you will be left with an empty hand and tears streaming down your face. Let me assure you that you won’t be the only parent crying buckets, nor will your child be the only little one clinging with the strength of a bear to your hand, your sleeve, or your pants’ leg. This is a fall ritual that every parent must go through once or more in their lives, and every child must experience it, as well. As much as your child has been longing to go off to the building where all the big kids go, it becomes a different emotional tug when it finally happens to you and your child. Here are some books to cushion to blow of blowing kisses, waving hands, and finally saying to your child, “You’ve grown so much. You are not little-little anymore. You’re off to learn the lessons that school needs to teach you:”
The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn.
Chester Raccoon is going to school, but his mother teaches him a way to keep her with him even when he’s away, all day.
Ready, Set, School, by Jacqueline Mitchard.
Rory the Raccoon is ready for school whether his parents are ready to let him go or not.
Llama Llama Misses Mama, by Anna Dewdney.
Llama Llama experiences separation anxiety on his first day of nursery school.
Jake Starts School, by Michel Wright.
Jake holds on tight to his parents on the first day of school, and so misses all the fun that his classmates are having. At the end of the day, the teacher convinces him to join the class.
Mama Don’t Go, by Rosemary Wells.
Yoko loves kindergarten but doesn’t want Mama to leave. Then a friend at school shows her that mothers always come back for their children.
The Kiss Box, by Bonnie Verburg.
Mama and Baby Bear find a way to reassure each other while they are separated, briefly.
Love Waves, by Rosemary Wells.
While Mama and Papa are at work, they send “love waves” home to their children to reassure them of their love.
Don’t forget that, once the trauma of the first day of school, the Hoboken Library is a great place to bring your child after school for beginning reader programs such as the Reading Dogs and Book Buddies.
Also, the first Saturday of every month is a day for family programs and we’ve added an extra session to most Saturday programs so that there’s room for everyone to join the fun.
Good luck to you and your brand new SCHOOL CHILD!
Lois Gross, Head of the Children’s Department
Hoboken Library Staff Picks 
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