It’s that time of year again! Parents and guardians are cheering, teachers are lesson planning and kids around Australia are heading back to school – or starting it for the first time. For any child, or adult, who’s finding the whole process a little bit daunting, now’s a great time to use a picture book to start talking about what to expect on day one – and every day that comes after it.

In our new podcast, Children’s Librarian Bridget recommends her top five back-to-school reads, and explains how picture books can help you approach subjects your child might find difficult in daily life.

Picture books are a fantastic medium to discuss hard topics with your kids. When you’re reading a picture book to a child they feel safe, and they feel loved, so that’s a great time in which to bring up some things that might be a bit tricky to talk about.

Bridget's Top 5 Back-to-School books:

• Starting School – Jane Godwin
• I Am Absolutely Too Small For School – Lauren Child
• First Day – Andrew Daddo
• School’s First Day of School – Andrew Rex
• Today We Have No Plans – Jane Godwin & Anna Walker