Stock Up on Back to School Essentials

By Kat La Mantia | July 18 2024 | GeneralBlogChildren'sGiftAll

Back to school season is right around the corner! Start the school year off right with board and picture books to help young students beat the first-day jitters, activity books and gifts to add something special to their backpack, and bestselling graphic novels to continue building a lifelong love of reading! For older students heading into middle school and high school, make sure to check off their required reading list with classic classroom staples like Shakespeare, George Orwell, and Jane Austen.

Back to School – Board & Picture Books
Back to School – Activity Books & Gifts
Back to School – Graphic Novels
Classic Works of Literature

Plus, take a look at one of our favorite book series for adults looking for ways to open up conversation with curious kids: the A Kids Book About series!


Covering important topics kids care about like body image, anxiety, climate change, and equality, with superstar authors like Jessica Biel, Ashley Graham, and Billie Jean King, the A Kids Book About series is the perfect way for parents to kickstart critical conversations with kids!

The A Kids Book About books are best used when read together, generating challenging, empowering, and important discussions for kids and their grownups through beautiful and thought-provoking pages. The series supports an incredible and diverse group of authors, who are either experts in their field, or have first-hand experience on the topic.

Explore All A Kids Book About Titles

9780448425009
'Twas the night before kindergarten, and as they prepared,kids were excited,and a little bit scared.It's the first day of school! Join the kids as they prepare for kindergarten, packing school supplies, posing for pictures, and the hardest part of all—saying goodbye to Mom and Dad. But maybe it won't be so hard once they discover just how much fun kindergarten really is! Colorful illustrations illuminate this uplifting takeoff on the classic Clement C. Moore Christmas poem.
$5.99 US
Jul 09, 2001
8 x 8
Paperback
32 Pages
Grosset & Dunlap
Age 4-8 years

Short and Sweet Inspirational Messages to Share with Your Child Each School Day
9781958803257
Sneak a sweet note into your child's lunch box and add joy to their school day with these adorable lunch box notes for kids.
$19.95 US
Jul 30, 2024
3 x 4
Cards
180 Pages
Paige Tate & Co

(A Graphic Novel)
9780593306871
Everyone knows the most stressful day of middle school is picture day! And that's exactly where this yearbook-worthy graphic novel series opener begins: with reinventing yourself, drama, popularity, and the friends who see you through.
$13.99 US
Jun 27, 2023
5-1/2 x 8
Paperback
288 Pages
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Age 8-12 years

9781664351042
Learn exactly what it takes to have healthy friendships! From lending support to someone who needs it to going on adventures, this uplifting book empowers children to be the kind of friend they want to have.
$8.99 US
Feb 06, 2024
7-3/8 x 7-3/8
Board Book
22 Pages
Tiger Tales
Age 2-5 years

World's Greatest Word Game
9780593225875
Zip up your ADJECTIVE backpack and grab your No. NUMBER pencil, because it's time to head back to school with Mad Libs!
$5.99 US
Jun 22, 2021
5-1/4 x 8-3/8
Paperback
48 Pages
Mad Libs
Age 8-12 years

(A Graphic Novel)
9781984851598
In this gorgeous graphic novel that Entertainment Weekly called "one of the most astounding . . . of the year," fairy tales are the only way one teen boy can express himself to his parents, who are Vietnamese immigrants. But how will he find the words to tell them that he's gay?
$17.99 US
Oct 13, 2020
5-3/4 x 8-1/4
Paperback
256 Pages
Random House Graphic
Age 12 and up

9780525579649
Join the call for a better world with this New York Times bestselling picture book about a school where diversity and inclusion are celebrated.
$17.99 US
Jul 10, 2018
10 x 10
Hardcover
44 Pages
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Age 4-8 years

9781953424716
Give yourself a fun and empowering confidence workout with this inspiring interactive journal.
$12.99 US
Oct 10, 2023
7-5/16 x 9-1/4
Paperback
144 Pages
Rebel Girls
Age 8-12 years

(A Graphic Novel)
9780593376461
Jessica and Elizabeth are ready to take on middle school . . . but are they ready to take on each other? The New York Times bestselling world of Sweet Valley Twins returns in these all-new graphic novel adaptations!“This series should be as popular with readers as The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels.” –Booklist
$13.99 US
Nov 01, 2022
5-1/2 x 8
Paperback
224 Pages
Random House Graphic
Age 8-12 years

A Story About Overcoming Back-to-School Worries
9780744098402
From DK's bestselling First Seasonal Stories series, comes a new magical adventure for any little dragon getting ready to start school! Soar down to Mrs. Scales Academy for Dragons and meet a nervous dragon who learns to embrace new experiences.
$7.99 US
Jun 04, 2024
6-5/16 x 6-5/16
Board Book
18 Pages
DK Children
Age 3-5 years

9781644723333
Over 500 school-arious jokes for kids! This entertaining collection of back-to-school jokes will make kids 6 and up laugh on the way to school and home again. Curated by the editors at Highlights, Best Kids' School Jokes Ever has hundreds of age-appropriate, hilarious jokes in a variety of types, like riddles, knock-knocks and more.
$5.99 US
Jun 07, 2022
4-1/4 x 7
Paperback
128 Pages
Highlights Press
Age 6-9 years

(A Graphic Novel)
9780593430477
SWISH! Cheer courtside for a Muslim teen in this graphic novel—inspired by a true story—as she joins an all-girls, hijab-wearing basketball team and learns that she’s much more than a score.
$13.99 US
Aug 06, 2024
5-1/2 x 8
Paperback
240 Pages
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Age 8-12 years

A Story with a Calming Mantra and Mindful Prompts
9780593486726
A companion picture book to Breathe Like a Bear that helps kids feel calm and ready to meet new classmates!
$12.99 US
Jun 27, 2023
10 x 10
Hardcover
32 Pages
Rodale Kids
Age 3-7 years

A 3-Year Journal for Teens
9780804186643
With this one-sentence journal, teens can create a three-year journal of their quickly changing lives for humor, perspective, and introspection.
$16.95 US
Nov 25, 2014
5-1/2 x 7
Hardcover
368 Pages
Potter Style

9780670016617
The Simpsons meets The Walking Dead in this humorous post-apocalyptic graphic novel for middle-grade readers.
$13.99 US
Oct 13, 2015
5-1/2 x 8-1/4
Hardcover
256 Pages
Viking Books for Young Readers
Age 8-12 years