Going to school for the very first time can be a scary thing for a Kindergartener, and we’ve found that reading books that show them what Kindergarten is really like is a huge help! So we’ve found these 7 new children’s books about Kindergarten that we think your kids will love.

Whether they’ve just started and they’re struggling with the adjustment, or about to head for that first day, these books are a big help.

Because if anyone should be able to convince them that Kindergarten is awesome, it’s Pigeon, Groot, and pirates. So get those tiny kindergarten backpacks packed, then pull out the tissues…for yourself.

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Related: 7 great Kindergarten printable for an awesome first year at school

In Mr. Shipman’s Kindergarten Chronicles: The First Day of School by Dr. Terance Shipman and Milan Ristic, Dewayne is ready to head off to Kindergarten, but before he goes, his big sister fills him in on the excitement of a first day in Mr. Shipman’s Kindergarten class. It’s all about the wonder and adventure of learning with friends, and I love that it was written by a 25-year elementary school teacher. That’s pretty awesome.

The King of Kindergarten by Derrick Banes and Vanessa Brantley-Newton is a “day in the life of a Kindergartener” style book, with the main character going through a typical day of school. He wakes up and has breakfast, then heads off to school facing each challenge with enthusiasm and confidence. If your kid is nervous about school, this might be the book about kindergarten for you.

Our kids have loved Mo Willems’s Pigeon since they were toddlers, so The Pigeon HAS to Go to School is a fun read for our soon-to-be Kindergarteners. In his classic quirky way, Pigeon has come up with every excuse in the book to not go to school. But he has to. Whether your kid is enthusiastic to try school and finds Pigeon’s antics ridiculous, or they’re as reluctant as Pigeon himself, this will be a funny book for you both to read together.

Related: 20+ of the coolest backpacks for Kindergarteners this year 

While the new book When Pencil Met Eraser by Karen Kilpatrick, Luis O. Ramos Jr. and German Blanco isn’t specifically about Kindergarten, it does show the amazing things that can happen when two characters who are opposites learn to work together. If you worry your child may encounter some personality conflicts when they head off to school — no matter what their grade — this storys a great example of how to look for the strengths in people who aren’t like you.

Aww, we love Todd Parr! And his brand new book, The School Book, is perfect for kids starting school for the first time. With his trademark child-friendly illustrations, he depicts the routine of a typical day at school so that kids can get comfortable with their experience before they go.

In Pirates Don’t Go to Kindergarten by Lisa Robinson and Eda Kaban, Emma is ready to leave the preschool hall and head over to the elementary hall at her local school. But she might mutiny, because she loves her old preschool teacher — Cap’n Chu! — so much. If your child’s really missing their preschool friends and teachers as they head into Kindergarten, this book will help them process those emotions!

Another book displaying the routine of a typical school day is First Day of Groot by Brendan Deneen and Cale Atkinson. And yes, it stars Groot! How awesome is that? Just like your kid, Groot wakes up to have breakfast, brush his teeth, catch the bus, and experience all the other new firsts that come with Kindergarten. Except that uh, your child is likely to have a bigger vocabulary.