Oh, my. It’s back-to-school time. Time to watch your “little baby” become a big kid and head off to school, and your teenagers head off to college. These are hard times to let go, but necessary times for growth and independence. 

Three of my school-themed Night Before books are about letting go and may help you and your child deal with being separated. 

In The Night Before Preschool, a boy has the jitters and realizes that he forgot his teddy bear at home. When naptime comes and he doesn’t have his snuggle friend, another preschooler loans him her bunny. 

The little boy had a hard time letting go. He wanted his teddy, a symbol of still needing his “security blanket” and a connection to home. Bu the little girl who offers up her bunny is ready to let go and help a fellow preschooler who’s not quite there yet. After a day at preschool, the boy decides that he can’t wait to come back the next day! He has let go of his shyness and apprehension.

In The Night Before Kindergarten it is the parents who are having a hard time letting go. When I was first working on this story, I surveyed my friends and asked them what was the hardest thing for your kids about starting Kindergarten. A few of them said, “It was harder on me than them!” One parent admitted to dropping of her child then driving down the street and pulling over to have a good cry. So I wrote The Night Before Kindergarten to reassure both the child heading off to school and the parents who were watching their “baby” being all grown up that everything will be okay. 

In The Night Before First Grade two best friends who get separated and are put in different classrooms. They had to let go off their together time and in return, they both made a new friend in their different classrooms. At lunchtime, they are reunited and find out they made friends with twins - so school would now be doubly fun!

So if either you or your child is having a hard time letting go of what’s safe and are heading into a new unknown world, you might want to read my books. The stories bring up feelings that you can talk about with your child, and happy endings so that everyone will be excited for this new experience of school.

Update: The Night Before Second Grade will be published in 2022!