Bully Beans by Julia Cook is a great children's book that teaches students about becoming proactive when it comes to bullying. The main character, Bobbette, is a bully who threatens other children at her school. One day, a student goes home to tell her mother about Bobbette. In return, the mother gives her "bully beans" that she and her classmates can eat, so they will have the confidence to stand up against Bobbette. This book helps children understand the concept of helping others when being bullied and helps develop character education in students. I would use this book for the first week of school with first or second grade students.

 ATOS reading level: 3.60

Big Al by Andrew Clements is a great book about not judging people by their "cover". This is a children's picture book about a big, scary-looking fish named AL who just wants to find a friend. Even though Al appears to be mean, he is actually the nicest fish in the entire ocean. Later on in the book, Al tries to do all these things to "fit in" with the other fish, but nothing ever works. At the end of the book, he finally was able to make bonds with friends because Al saved the other fish from being captured in a net. Overall, this book is a great story for reminding the readers that actions speak louder than words and looks can be deceiving. 

I would use this book in kindergarten through the third grade. I would use this book to implement character education, and how I expect my students to be with their "friends" throughout the school year.  

Lexile Level: 880L

The series Pete the Cat is taking the educational system by storm. This highly popular series is about a blue cat named Pete and his adventures as he discovers new things. In this book, Pete the Cat is excited about his school shoes so he shows them off throughout the school as he discovers new locations. The intended audience for this book is Kindergarten but I would use this up to 3rd Grade. Pete is having his very first day at school just like you do in kindergarten and discovering where things are like the lunchroom and the library is in his new school. A great activity to do with this book after reading it would be to get the kids talking about what's scary about school, what's fun, what they will do every day, and what they predict will happen at the end of the year. By getting them all to discuss their theories and feeling about school they will share that they are not alone in feeling the way they do. I would put all the responses on a poster and bring it out at the end of the year after repeating the activity to show the kids how far they have come and how much they have changed in a year. The school isn't as scary as they think especially with Pete along for the adventure!
Reading Level: LEX 6000L

The Pete the Cat series has become an instant hit with elementary schools around the nation. Something about Pete and his catchy, groovy songs pulls students in and leaves them wanting more. This book is no different! This book, Pete the Cat is rocking his new school with this school shoes and is exciting to show them in the hall, in the classroom, and of course, in recess! The intended audience for this book is kindergarteners. In this book, it is Pete's first day back at school- just as it is kindergarteners first year in school, This book would be great to read on the first day of school. An activity I could do with this book would be on the first day of school, after reading this book, would to get students' thought on their first day of school excitements or anxieties. This would be something to keep through the year, and at the end of the school year show the students how far they have grown and gotten used to the routine and expectations of school. It probably won't be as scary as they initially think! 

Who doesn't love Pete the Cat? I would use this fun sing song book on the first day of school of course! Shaking off those new school jitters will be so important for those new kiddos. I would use this for lower elementary school, Kindergarten through 2nd grade! Let's rock out the first day!!