Navigating School Through Books

Written by Hetty Waite

September tends to be a time of new experiences. First day starting at a new school maybe, or at least with a new class or teacher. First time trying out a new routine, or first time spending more time away from your child. Whilst these new experiences can be exciting, they can also feel overwhelming and daunting – for parents as well as children. These book choices aim to help you navigate the changes your family might be undertaking, and will hopefully reassure your little one that they can face any new challenge and thrive.

Practising Mindfulness

Too Many Bubbles

by Christine Peck and Mags DeRoma

Follow the story of Izzy the mouse, whose grumpy thoughts won’t leave her alone. Using bold colours and simple images, this book teaches basic mindful activities that you can introduce to your child. There’s even a page at the end with additional techniques you can try out at home.

Exploring Emotions

The Colour Monster

by Anna Llenas

With emotions explained as colours (and a very cute monster!), this book can help your child make sense of all the different feelings they may be experiencing. As you might imagine from the title, it’s bold, bright and a great way to give your little one the vocabulary they need to explain their emotions.

Navigating Friendship Fallouts

One Little Word

by Joseph Coelho and Allison Colpoys

When a metaphorical argument grows into a giant purple and orange monster, it can really come between friends. This book helps you explore friendship fallouts in an easy-to understand and visual way. Whilst also showing the benefits of saying sorry, this is the perfect companion for anyone worried about their child’s peer relationships.

Embracing Autism

Pablo and the Noisy Party

by Pablo

A lot of youngsters can really struggle with loud noises, especially when coupled with a new environment or crowds of people. Explore how to cope with Pablo and his hand-drawn dinosaur Noasaurus, as they realise it’s ok not to be the same as everyone else.

Developing Resilience

Tilda Tries Again

by Tom Percival

The importance of resilience in both childhood and later life shouldn’t be overlooked – it’s vital that our children feel able to maintain their balance when things don’t go as planned. In this book, Tilda begins to develop her resilience with the help of a ladybird and her own bravery in refusing to give up.

Handling Worries

The Worrysaurus

by Rachel Bright and Christ Chatterton

An overthinking dinosaur with a wise mother learns to chase his fears away in this lovely story with super cute characters. I especially liked the idea of his tin of special things that he uses to comfort him – much like the inevitable teddy bear that will accompany many children into their new environment this September! (Ours is a mouse called Spaghetti!)

Hetty is a local mum and author. The first book in her Young Adult dystopian trilogy, MUTATE: Part 1 of The Chromosome Trilogy, is now available to buy on Amazon in paperback or ebook format. The digital version is currently on sale for 99p.