All about school: three picture books for newbies

It’s February and all across Australia, families are getting set for the first day of ‘big school’ as five year olds enter the world of formal education for the first time.

Here are three picture books to ease the transition and explore what littlies can expect.

How to Go To Big School by Sarah Ayoub and Mimi Purnell uses rhyming couplets and soft illustrations to go through all the steps of the first day: packing a lunch and putting on the school uniform, meeting the teacher, new routines and activities, games and making new friends. A great way to reinforce what most kindergarten transition programs aim to do, perfect reading for the days before the Big Day.

All About Starting School by Felicity Brooks and Mar Ferrero is a more interactive type of book, full of helpful info about every aspect of the school experience, where kids can answer prompts, draw pictures, or ask questions. It has an inclusive focus and whilst it has a UK slant, it refers to lots of different styles of schools across the world, with pictures that show a diverse range of children, grown-ups and school settings. It also has some helpful guidance at the back for adults. The many small cartoon-like illustrations invite close examination and ‘spotto’ type games.

The Wheels on the Bus and Other Songs is not strictly about starting school, though as many children will end up travelling there by bus at some stage, it’s absolutely relevant to the whole school experience. And its almost a guarantee that there will be a copy or two of this book in kindergarten classrooms and school libraries. Australian readers will be very familiar with the title song and the characters in this one: Big Ted, Jemima, Humpty, etc, all beloved members of the long-running ABC children’s TV series ‘PlaySchool.’ Along with the ‘Bus’ song, it includes other well known ones like ‘Five Little Ducks’, ‘Teddy Bear’, and ‘Little Peter Rabbit.’ This one just begs to be read (and sung) together and might be the perfect antidote to the night-before-the-big-day nerves.

These three books were all published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in November 2025.
My thanks to the publishers for review copies.