This week marks the start of the 2022-23 school year for many children. And as we know, it can be nerve-wracking when greeted with a ton of “new” (i.e., new peers, new teachers, new classrooms). But, we have just what you need to make your child feel more comfortable as they advance in their educational career.

Add the following YAP books to your child’s bookshelf & they’ll feel prepared to tackle this new school year!

1.) Angela Makes a Friend (2022)

Angela is going to her first day of kindergarten and is a little scared because she only has one friend, her imaginary friend Gracie. Gracie has been with Angela for as long as she can remember! Join Angela as she tries to overcome the hardest challenge in kindergarten, making new friends.

Key tips for your young reader:

• An honest depiction of how to make friends (i.e., confidence, properly approaching someone)
• Illustrates how respectful friendships can form
• Encourages children to find similarities in others as well as embrace the differences

2.) Dwayne’s Big Decision (2021)

Dwayne is an excellent basketball player, and he’s secretly great at the french horn, too! Dwayne has trouble deciding whether he wants to join the band or continue his reign as the king of basketball. The choice is really hard because he’ll be disappointing his teammates or his newfound band friends either way. Can Dwayne overcome peer pressure and do what makes him happy the most?

Key tips for your young reader:

• Teaches children how to effectively be decisive
• Empowers children to be confident in who they are and what they enjoy
• Represents multifaceted personalities & how that can bring one joy

3.) The Swap (2021)

An eight-year-old girl named Kyrah and her best friend Max attend school together. Their teacher, Ms. Porter, is mean to the students and hurts their feelings. One day, Kyrah wakes up and realizes she's switched places with her teacher! Now it's her turn to show Ms. Porter how to treat her students.

Key tips for your young reader:

• Teaches both teachers and students how to see each other’s point of view
• Empowers children to communicate their emotional needs to teachers
• Illustrates key elements of a successful classroom dynamic (i.e., patience, being considerate)

4.) New Kid Rule Book (2021)

Juliet and her dad have been moving around a lot due to the gentrification happening in their communities. Moving so frequently has caused Juliet to feel down, and she has a lot of anxiety. With the help of the New Kid Rule Book, she’s able to overcome her anxious feelings and is more comfortable at her new school.

Key tips for your young reader:

• Emphasizes the importance of self-care and self-awareness
• Guides children through navigating and adapting to new environments
• Gently addresses specific experiences that children may face (i.e., gentrification)

5.) The Truth About Bullies (2020)

Timmy’s classmate has been bullying him for a LONG time, and Timmy doesn’t know how to stop him! After a life-changing dream, Timmy’s game controllers help him figure out how to stop the bullying and make a friend at the same time.

Key tips for your young reader:

• Teaches children about empathy as well as standing up for themselves in various settings
• An educational blueprint on how children should properly deal with bullying
• An entertaining guide to demonstrating emotional intelligence