Books that Celebrate the Many Ways We Go to School
Baer, Edith. This Is the Way We Go to School: A Book about Children Around the World. Illus. by Steve Bjorkman. Scholastic, 1990. Grades Pre-3.
From cable cars, to bikes, to airplanes, a rhyming text describes the variety of ways children get to school around the world. Lively cartoonish artwork illustrates this great read-aloud, with a map showing the locales mentioned in the story.
Connor, Leslie. Crunch. HarperCollins, 2010. Grades 5-8.
In this mystery novel, Dewey is in charge of his family’s bike repair shop while his parents are away on business. When a gas shortage hits the nation, everyone needs a bike for transportation, but someone is stealing bike parts from the shop.
Falk, Laine. This Is the Way We Go to School. Children’s Press, 2010. Grades K-3.
Children from around the world are shown going to school, using vehicles, animals, and on foot in this photo-filled nonfiction book.
Farish, Terry. Joseph’s Big Ride. Illus. by Ken Daley. Annick Press, 2016. Grades K-5.
Joseph loves bicycles, so when he comes to the U.S. as a refugee from Kenya, he meets a neighbor and classmate who has a red bicycle. Will she let him ride it?
Heydlauff, Lisa. Going to School in India. Charlesbridge, 2005. Grades 4-8.
Filled with color photos, this describes the variety of schools in India, from how children arrive at school, what and where they study, what they have for lunch, and more. It also shows children who must work, so they can’t go to school.
Isabella, Judel. The Red Bicycle: The Extraordinary Story of an Ordinary Bicycle. Illus. by Simone Shin. Kids Can Press, 2015. Grades 2-5.
Leo rides his bike to school but outgrows it; he donates it to an organization that takes bikes to Africa. In Burkina Faso, a girl named Alisetta sees the red bicycle and knows it would be perfect for her.
McCarney, Rosemary. The Way to School. Second Story Press, 2015. Grades K-3.
Color photos from around the world show children going to school, using a variety of transportation methods, including boats, zip lines, animals, and more.
Park, Barbara. Mick Harte Was Here. Random House, 1995. Grades 4-7.
Phoebe tells the story of her brother Mick, who died from a bike accident because he wasn’t wearing his helmet. This brief but emotional book if for anyone who has a sibling or best friend.
Raschka, Chris. Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle. Schwartz & Wade, 2013. P-2.
A little girl learns to ride a bicycle, supported by training wheels and a loving adult.
Penny Peck, San Jose State University iSchool