6 Kids' Books on First-Time Experiences

By Audrey Penn
(Tanglewood Press, $17, amazon.com)

Good for: Reassuring your child that you’re thinking of him when he heads off to school that first day―and giving him a trick (placing his mom-kissed palm to his cheek) for times he misses you.

By Sally Lloyd-Jones
(Random House Children’s Books, $16, bn.com)

Good for: Previewing the feeding, diapering, crying, and cooing that come with a new baby―and just how special it is to be the older (wiser!) sibling.

By Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown
(Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $8, amazon.com)

Good for: Explaining why someone dies, the rituals that might take place, and pretty much everything else there is to know about death.

By Judith Viorst
(Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, $16, bn.com)

Good for: Helping children focus on the happy times with their deceased pets and teaching them that everyone has a different idea of heaven.

By Thierry Robberecht
(Clarion Books, $12, amazon.com)

Good for: Teaching sportsmanship in different game situations and showing kids that playing and not winning is more fun than never playing at all.

By Stan and Jan Berenstain
(Random House Children’s Books, $4, amazon.com)

Good for: Revealing just how much fun a night with a new baby-sitter can be, even if she seems really scary at first.