Community Corner
Great Back-to-School Children's Books
Every week, a public library employee will suggest a new item to check out from their collection.
Editor's note: Story submitted by Jenn Hovanec, teen/programming library. Every week, staff at the will suggest one book, DVD or other item to check out from the library.
- Type: Picture book
- Title: Llama Llama Misses Mama
- Author: Anna Dewdney
Llama Llama is starting school, but he’s a little apprehensive of his first day in the classroom, and he’s suffering separation anxiety due to being away from Mama.
He spends his morning avoiding activities and shying away from others. At snack time, he finally breaks down, but his new teacher reassures him that his mama will be back and the end of the school day to pick him up. With these kind words, Llama Llama’s mood lifts and he soon makes new friends with his classmates and allows himself to have fun outside on the playground and at coloring time.
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And when Mama comes back, what does little Llama Llama realize as he’s waving goodbye to his new friends and telling Mama all about his day? The answer is simple: “He loves Mama…and SCHOOL, too!”
This book is good for children who are just starting school for the first time or for those preschoolers nervous about re-entering the classroom after a long summer at home. Llama Llama’s expressions are spot-on, and the gentleness and kindness of his teacher are reassuring, just the kind of exposure to teacher and classroom routines that a youngster needs to help get over those back-to-school jitters.
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For more anxiety-tackling, back-to-school reads, check out The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn, Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton, Will I Have a Friend? by Miriam Cohen and Countdown to Kindergarten by Alison McGhee. For fun books for older readers, consider First Grade Stinks! by Mary Ann Rodman, The Teacher from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler, Judy Moody by Megan McDonald, My Teacher is an Alien by Bruce Coville, Step Fourth, Mallory! by Laurie Friedman, Frindle by Andrew Clements and Back to School Crafts by Sue Locke.
Does your student have homework but forgot his or her textbook at school? Come to the library! We have New Lenox school textbooks for all grades that can be photocopied or used inside the library. No checkouts are allowed on our school textbooks.
