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Our house overflows with anticipation this summer because my twin girls are getting ready to start kindergarten. Here are some of our new favorite back-to-school books, all guaranteed to fuel excitement as well as ease first-time jitters.

Kindergartners, there’s a new bible for you: My Kindergarten, by Rosemary Wells (Hyperion, $16.99, 96 pages, ISBN 0786808330). Writer and illustrator Wells has firmly established herself as a grand dame of children’s books with the popular Max and Ruby characters, and has written more than 100 books, including Emily’s First 100 Days of School. In Wells’ new book, we meet Emily again, along with her friends and their teacher, the lovely Miss Cribbage.

My Kindergarten is a real treasure. It’s divided into color-coded sections for each month of the school calendar, beginning with a lovely, reassuring spread called, “The Night Before the First Day of School.” Here Emily worries and wishes upon a star while her mother holds her hand and calls Emily “my little star.” Emily then steps right into classroom experiences 96 pages brimming with stories, Wells’ trademark illustrations and short, lively discussions of school events. Don’t miss Emily’s adventures in Miss Cribbage’s class. My Kindergarten is so much fun, even I am ready to enroll! For another lively, innovative book, check out I Am Too Absolutely Small for School (Candlewick, $16.99, 32 pages, ISBN 0763624039) by Lauren Child. The narrator, big brother Charlie, explains his family’s dilemma: “I have this little sister, Lola. She is small and very funny. Mom and Dad say she is nearly almost big enough to go to school. Lola is not so sure.” On the next page the siblings stand beside a measuring stick, showing that Charlie is “big” while Lola is still “smallish,” along with amusing increments such as “tiny,” “teeny” and “eeny weeny.” Lola decides she is not only too small, but also much too busy to go to school, while Charlie repeatedly tries to convince her that school will be fun.

Lauren Child’s illustrations are a zany mixture of media, including illustrations, photographs and collage. For example, Lola explains that she has no need to learn to count to 100 because “I never eat more than ten cookies at one time.” Each of her 10 words is paired with a photo of a different type of cookie, creating a mouth-watering page. Charlie finally reminds Lola that her invisible friend, Soren Lorensen, will be going to school, and Lola realizes she needs to go to keep Soren company. All turns out well, of course.

Fitting in Like Lola, Enrico the cat is nervous about starting school in Enrico Starts School (Dial, $14.99, 32 pages, ISBN 0803730179) by Charlotte Middleton. Enrico finds his first school experiences disheartening: he’s too shy to answer questions, the kids aren’t nice at recess, and they eat his sandwich at lunch. Poor Enrico tries and tries to fit in, but he isn’t very successful. Finally, Enrico’s younger brother gives him some age-old advice: stop trying so hard and simply be yourself. This makes all the difference, and soon Enrico has a new best friend.

Get ready for laughs with Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth by Alison McGhee. A new first-grade girl is convinced having been informed in no uncertain terms by a knowledgeable second-grader that her teacher is “a three-hundred-year-old alien who steals baby teeth from her students.” Imagine her fear: our heroine sits on the school bus asking herself questions like: “Is it possible to make it through first grade without ever opening your mouth?” Her worries turn to terror when she realizes that she has, you guessed it, a loose tooth.

Kids will eat this story up it’s so absurd that no young reader will fear Mrs. Watson, as they might in the hands of a less humorous writer. They’ll simply giggle at the plot and at the expressions on the faces of the characters, drawn by Harry Bliss. The first-grade heroine finally learns the truth about Mrs. Watson, but I’m not spilling the beans.

Crack the pages of these books and any young students you know will soon be ready to hop on the school bus. Just be sure they don’t ask any second-graders for advice!

Our house overflows with anticipation this summer because my twin girls are getting ready to start kindergarten. Here are some of our new favorite back-to-school books, all guaranteed to fuel excitement as well as ease first-time jitters.

Kindergartners, there’s a new bible for you: My Kindergarten, by Rosemary Wells (Hyperion, $16.99, 96 pages, ISBN 0786808330). Writer and illustrator Wells has firmly established herself as a grand dame of children’s books with the popular Max and Ruby characters, and has written more than 100 books, including Emily’s First 100 Days of School. In Wells’ new book, we meet Emily again, along with her friends and their teacher, the lovely Miss Cribbage.

My Kindergarten is a real treasure. It’s divided into color-coded sections for each month of the school calendar, beginning with a lovely, reassuring spread called, “The Night Before the First Day of School.” Here Emily worries and wishes upon a star while her mother holds her hand and calls Emily “my little star.” Emily then steps right into classroom experiences 96 pages brimming with stories, Wells’ trademark illustrations and short, lively discussions of school events. Don’t miss Emily’s adventures in Miss Cribbage’s class. My Kindergarten is so much fun, even I am ready to enroll! For another lively, innovative book, check out I Am Too Absolutely Small for School (Candlewick, $16.99, 32 pages, ISBN 0763624039) by Lauren Child. The narrator, big brother Charlie, explains his family’s dilemma: “I have this little sister, Lola. She is small and very funny. Mom and Dad say she is nearly almost big enough to go to school. Lola is not so sure.” On the next page the siblings stand beside a measuring stick, showing that Charlie is “big” while Lola is still “smallish,” along with amusing increments such as “tiny,” “teeny” and “eeny weeny.” Lola decides she is not only too small, but also much too busy to go to school, while Charlie repeatedly tries to convince her that school will be fun.

Lauren Child’s illustrations are a zany mixture of media, including illustrations, photographs and collage. For example, Lola explains that she has no need to learn to count to 100 because “I never eat more than ten cookies at one time.” Each of her 10 words is paired with a photo of a different type of cookie, creating a mouth-watering page. Charlie finally reminds Lola that her invisible friend, Soren Lorensen, will be going to school, and Lola realizes she needs to go to keep Soren company. All turns out well, of course.

Fitting in Like Lola, Enrico the cat is nervous about starting school in Enrico Starts School by Charlotte Middleton. Enrico finds his first school experiences disheartening: he’s too shy to answer questions, the kids aren’t nice at recess, and they eat his sandwich at lunch. Poor Enrico tries and tries to fit in, but he isn’t very successful. Finally, Enrico’s younger brother gives him some age-old advice: stop trying so hard and simply be yourself. This makes all the difference, and soon Enrico has a new best friend.

Get ready for laughs with Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth (Harcourt, $16, 36 pages, ISBN 0152049312) by Alison McGhee. A new first-grade girl is convinced having been informed in no uncertain terms by a knowledgeable second-grader that her teacher is “a three-hundred-year-old alien who steals baby teeth from her students.” Imagine her fear: our heroine sits on the school bus asking herself questions like: “Is it possible to make it through first grade without ever opening your mouth?” Her worries turn to terror when she realizes that she has, you guessed it, a loose tooth.

Kids will eat this story up it’s so absurd that no young reader will fear Mrs. Watson, as they might in the hands of a less humorous writer. They’ll simply giggle at the plot and at the expressions on the faces of the characters, drawn by Harry Bliss. The first-grade heroine finally learns the truth about Mrs. Watson, but I’m not spilling the beans.

Crack the pages of these books and any young students you know will soon be ready to hop on the school bus. Just be sure they don’t ask any second-graders for advice!

Our house overflows with anticipation this summer because my twin girls are getting ready to start kindergarten. Here are some of our new favorite back-to-school books, all guaranteed to fuel excitement as well as ease first-time jitters.

Kindergartners, there’s a new bible for you: My Kindergarten, by Rosemary Wells (Hyperion, $16.99, 96 pages, ISBN 0786808330). Writer and illustrator Wells has firmly established herself as a grand dame of children’s books with the popular Max and Ruby characters, and has written more than 100 books, including Emily’s First 100 Days of School. In Wells’ new book, we meet Emily again, along with her friends and their teacher, the lovely Miss Cribbage.

My Kindergarten is a real treasure. It’s divided into color-coded sections for each month of the school calendar, beginning with a lovely, reassuring spread called, “The Night Before the First Day of School.” Here Emily worries and wishes upon a star while her mother holds her hand and calls Emily “my little star.” Emily then steps right into classroom experiences 96 pages brimming with stories, Wells’ trademark illustrations and short, lively discussions of school events. Don’t miss Emily’s adventures in Miss Cribbage’s class. My Kindergarten is so much fun, even I am ready to enroll! For another lively, innovative book, check out I Am Too Absolutely Small for School by Lauren Child. The narrator, big brother Charlie, explains his family’s dilemma: “I have this little sister, Lola. She is small and very funny. Mom and Dad say she is nearly almost big enough to go to school. Lola is not so sure.” On the next page the siblings stand beside a measuring stick, showing that Charlie is “big” while Lola is still “smallish,” along with amusing increments such as “tiny,” “teeny” and “eeny weeny.” Lola decides she is not only too small, but also much too busy to go to school, while Charlie repeatedly tries to convince her that school will be fun.

Lauren Child’s illustrations are a zany mixture of media, including illustrations, photographs and collage. For example, Lola explains that she has no need to learn to count to 100 because “I never eat more than ten cookies at one time.” Each of her 10 words is paired with a photo of a different type of cookie, creating a mouth-watering page. Charlie finally reminds Lola that her invisible friend, Soren Lorensen, will be going to school, and Lola realizes she needs to go to keep Soren company. All turns out well, of course.

Fitting in Like Lola, Enrico the cat is nervous about starting school in Enrico Starts School (Dial, $14.99, 32 pages, ISBN 0803730179) by Charlotte Middleton. Enrico finds his first school experiences disheartening: he’s too shy to answer questions, the kids aren’t nice at recess, and they eat his sandwich at lunch. Poor Enrico tries and tries to fit in, but he isn’t very successful. Finally, Enrico’s younger brother gives him some age-old advice: stop trying so hard and simply be yourself. This makes all the difference, and soon Enrico has a new best friend.

Get ready for laughs with Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth (Harcourt, $16, 36 pages, ISBN 0152049312) by Alison McGhee. A new first-grade girl is convinced having been informed in no uncertain terms by a knowledgeable second-grader that her teacher is “a three-hundred-year-old alien who steals baby teeth from her students.” Imagine her fear: our heroine sits on the school bus asking herself questions like: “Is it possible to make it through first grade without ever opening your mouth?” Her worries turn to terror when she realizes that she has, you guessed it, a loose tooth.

Kids will eat this story up it’s so absurd that no young reader will fear Mrs. Watson, as they might in the hands of a less humorous writer. They’ll simply giggle at the plot and at the expressions on the faces of the characters, drawn by Harry Bliss. The first-grade heroine finally learns the truth about Mrs. Watson, but I’m not spilling the beans.

Crack the pages of these books and any young students you know will soon be ready to hop on the school bus. Just be sure they don’t ask any second-graders for advice!

Presidents are very much on everyone’s mind during this election year. But do you really know what presidents are made of? Spanish author and illustrator Hanoch Piven certainly has some ideas in his humorous, creative new picture book, What Presidents are Made Of.

Piven uses paint and glued-on objects to create unique and memorable portraits of U.S. presidents. For instance, there’s William Howard Taft, our heaviest president, who weighed more than 300 pounds. Taft, who once got stuck in the White House bathtub, is depicted holding a rubber ducky with two white feathers as a moustache. Young readers who have just been introduced to the late President Ronald Reagan will learn that this leader was made of “sweet stuff.” According to Piven, “Ronald Reagan loved jellybeans and kept a jar on his desk to share (but he tried to keep his favorites, the coconut ones, for himself).” Naturally, his portrait includes jellybeans.

Other presidents included in the book are likewise depicted in warm, clever portraits. Readers will find presidents made of Life Savers (John F. Kennedy), Endless Energy (Theodore Roosevelt), Hot Tempers (Andrew Jackson) and Comfortable Shoes (Thomas Jefferson).

The book includes an introductory note from the author, which explains how he uses objects as building blocks for portraits, making this book perfect for use on a rainy day at home or in the classroom.

Comeuppance is the theme of the six stories in The Ribbajack, an eerie new collection from master storyteller Brian Jacques. School bullies, bratty kids, boastful fishermen and abusive uncles get their just desserts from an assortment of creatures: a Ribbajack, a ghost, a Kelpie, a latter-day Medusa, a mongoose and a werewolf.

In the lead story, and the longest, Archibald Smifft, school bully and dabbler in the occult, is bored by the petty pranks he has pulled so far. Tormenting teachers and students with flies, spiders, wasps and worms gets boring after a while. When he asks his constantly terrorized roommates what really terrifies them, Peterkin Soames tells him about the Ribbajack, a creature that can be created and called up for one evening’s act of revenge. Sure enough, Smifft creates such a creature: one bulbous eye, a loathsome torso, a feathery neck, crocodile scales, a pair of three-taloned feet and clenching hands eager for something to strangle. The tables are turned, however, when the creature goes out to seek its quarry, old Reverend Miller.

In "A Smile and a Wave," a girl finds a ghostly surprise when she returns to school after hours to retrieve a coat she had left behind in the library. In "The Mystery of Huma D’Este," handsome Jason Hunter might be alive today had he realized that the new girl in school, the girl with the strange eyes, is really a "nightmare come to life."

These and the other stories here are suitably creepy and great for reading aloud.