Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Pack reflects kids' worries in clever back-to-school tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
BACK TO SCHOOL, BACKPACK! begins with a cute teal backpack addressing its owner, a little girl: "Can I tell you a secret? The first day of school always makes me nervous." After a happy summer "relaxing in the closet with my friends Hamper and Winter Coat," the backpack hears "those dreaded words ... 'Back to school!' And the anxiety sets in." Funny illustrations show the pack trying to hold on to the closet doors and imagining horrors like when "you open my mouth and shove a bunch of big new books and binders down my throat," or getting stuffed in a locker or dragged up a staircase "so every step smacks me in the butt." Once they're at school, the girl carrying the teal pack with a robot pin bumps into a boy with a purple pack that has the same pin on it. The teal pack suddenly finds that school is less scary after meeting someone "who's sort of like you," and you "suddenly know you'll be okay. Because you don't have to carry everything alone."
Is It Any Good?
This cute, funny back-to-school story offers a fresh look at kids' anxieties through a common school accessory. Simon Rich's appealing text in Back to School, Backpack! shows that he's in touch with what makes kids laugh -- including a reference to feeling naked ("This robot pin you gave me is the closest thing I have to underpants.") and a scene set by the students' bathroom stalls ("The toilets are weird but at least they have each other."). Tom Toro's cartoon-like illustrations are a delight, capturing the packs' many emotional moods, with straps serving as arms, and the zippered "mouth" being happy, sad, scared, or concerned. And the packs' big, expressive eyes (the purple pack has only one) communicate so much. The bags' new friendship mirrors the one budding between the girl and boy. Even the two robot pins show changing facial expressions throughout the book. This lighthearted, reassuring story is a great choice for a back-to-school book or for any kid who's nervous about new situations, fitting in, or making friends.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the fears expressed in Back to School, Backpack! What is the backpack afraid of at school? What makes the situation better?
Have you ever been nervous about the first day of school or going to a new place or a new school? How did that feel? How did you deal with it? What made you feel better?
Which picture is your favorite? Which is the funniest?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Tom Toro
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Friendship
- Character Strengths : Communication , Empathy
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : July 11, 2023
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Hardback
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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