Families who loved The Pigeon Has to Go to School! by Mo Willems often look for books with a similar feel. These 20 recommendations were selected for their similarity in style, theme, and reading level.

Reach for this book when your child is spiraling into a cycle of what-ifs or showing resistance to starting school. It provides the perfect comedic relief for those high-stakes moments of transition when a child feels small and overwhelmed by the unknown. Through the Pigeon's melodramatic internal monologue, children see their own anxieties mirrored in a way that is funny rather than frightening. The story captures the universal jitters of the first day of school, from fearing the teacher to worrying about the heavy backpack. Because the Pigeon is famously stubborn and vocal about his fears, it allows your child to laugh at the absurdity of their own worries without feeling judged. It is an ideal choice for preschoolers and rising kindergartners who need to know that feeling scared is normal, but that the outcome is often much more exciting than they imagined.