The Tour at School
A reassuring (and funny!) guide for anxious children starting at a new school or nursery
Published on 3. July 2025
Book
Hardback
40 pages
978-1-5295-0574-0 (ISBN)
Description
- " This irrepressibly bouncy tour of all the school essentials (including toilets, emergency meeting tree and library with possibly more than a million books) humorously distills the scariness of starting school and the thrill of making a new friend." - The Guardian
- "A fun and pacy picture book on the important job that is showing a new kid around school, aka giving them 'The Tour'. Shireen's illustrations ramp up the chaotic energy." - The Bookseller
- "A simultaneous knee-slapper and heart-warmer that is sure to become a read-aloud hit. A first purchase for collections, offering a humorous, inviting, and fresh approach to the new kid experience." - School Library Journal
"A remarkably sweet, funny, and thoughtful picture book. The depiction of school-life is brilliant, with noise, business, games and chaotic fun, all illustrated beautifully to match the energy of a primary setting. " - Booktrust
The hilarious and heartfelt debut picture book from Katie Clapham, illustrated by Nadia Shireen - creator of the bestselling, highly acclaimed Grimwood series and Barbara Throws a Wobbler - will help kids feel better about those first-day-at-school nerves, as well as encouraging all children to create a safe and welcoming space for others.
Because, really, starting school can be scary. And being a New Kid in a new school can also be very scary. Luckily, this book will help soothe first-day nerves, make kids feel excited about the challenge and also show children how to be the PERFECT Tour Guide and make any New Kid feel right at home. And did we mention this book is very funny? Because it really is.
So, come along and join THE TOUR with Katie Clapham and Nadia Shireen. First stop? The toilets. Because they're great for singing in. (And also for weeing.) And don't forget to show them the library and its one MILLION books (remember to use your quiet mouse voice!), the playground (where you can play Worldwide Hairdressers!) and ... the EMERGENCY MEET UP PLACE (just in case anyone gets lost). But REMEMBER, sometimes when you're a New Kid it can all be ... a bit too much. And that's when the New Kid doesn't need you to be a tour guide anymore, they need you to be ... a friend.
- "A fun and pacy picture book on the important job that is showing a new kid around school, aka giving them 'The Tour'. Shireen's illustrations ramp up the chaotic energy." - The Bookseller
- "A simultaneous knee-slapper and heart-warmer that is sure to become a read-aloud hit. A first purchase for collections, offering a humorous, inviting, and fresh approach to the new kid experience." - School Library Journal
"A remarkably sweet, funny, and thoughtful picture book. The depiction of school-life is brilliant, with noise, business, games and chaotic fun, all illustrated beautifully to match the energy of a primary setting. " - Booktrust
The hilarious and heartfelt debut picture book from Katie Clapham, illustrated by Nadia Shireen - creator of the bestselling, highly acclaimed Grimwood series and Barbara Throws a Wobbler - will help kids feel better about those first-day-at-school nerves, as well as encouraging all children to create a safe and welcoming space for others.
Because, really, starting school can be scary. And being a New Kid in a new school can also be very scary. Luckily, this book will help soothe first-day nerves, make kids feel excited about the challenge and also show children how to be the PERFECT Tour Guide and make any New Kid feel right at home. And did we mention this book is very funny? Because it really is.
So, come along and join THE TOUR with Katie Clapham and Nadia Shireen. First stop? The toilets. Because they're great for singing in. (And also for weeing.) And don't forget to show them the library and its one MILLION books (remember to use your quiet mouse voice!), the playground (where you can play Worldwide Hairdressers!) and ... the EMERGENCY MEET UP PLACE (just in case anyone gets lost). But REMEMBER, sometimes when you're a New Kid it can all be ... a bit too much. And that's when the New Kid doesn't need you to be a tour guide anymore, they need you to be ... a friend.
Reviews / Votes
Visually and verbally funny. It focuses on the kind of tour you might get at the start of school or at the end of the previous term, and features a rather overenthusiastic child guide and useful information such as the best place to sing (the toilets), what to play at break (worldwide hairdressers) and what the office receptionist is wearing (her Wednesday cardigan). Shireen's graphic style is comical, not least in the startled expressions of the new kid. * The Sunday Times * This irrepressibly bouncy tour of all the school essentials (including toilets, emergency meeting tree and library with possibly more than a million books) humorously distills the scariness of starting school and the thrill of making a new friend. * The Guardian * A stunning picture book filled with laughter and emotion, perfect for children who may be moving school or transitioning to a new year. * Booktrust * A gloriously empathetic and genuinely funny guide to everything you need to know about school... Nadia Shireen's highly expressive illustrations of this diverse school population are fully of humorous detail and really extend the skilfully naturalistic narration... A wonderful primer to discuss the importance of kindness and empathy and will be marvellously reassuring to any preschoolers or to any potential new kid. An absolute must have! * Joy Court, LoveReading4Kids * Aimed at anxious children starting at a new school or nursery, this gently funny debut picture book from writer and bookseller Clapham is the perfect reassuring guide. Award-winning illustrator Shireen provides bright and relatable illustrations to match the tone of the children's-POV of the writing style. * The Bookseller *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 3 to 7 years
Dimensions
Height: 289 mm
Width: 250 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
442 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5295-0574-0 (9781529505740)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Katie Clapham is the co-owner of independent bookshop Storytellers, Inc. with her mum. Picked by The Bookseller as a rising star, Katie was also named Best Young Bookseller at the British Book Awards. Katie is the author of acclaimed teen comedy Three Girls (UCLan, 2022), and The Missing Bookshop (Stripes, 2019). She lives by the sea with her husband, daughter and dog, where she writes the popular Substack newsletter, Receipt from the Bookshop, as well as working in the bookshop. Find her on Instagram: @KatieClaphamWriting.
Nadia Shireen has been making picture books since 2010, when her debut Good Little Wolf burst onto the scene and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. Since then, she's written and illustrated many more picture books including Barbara Throws a Wobbler, Billy and the Beast, The Cow Who Fell to Earth and Geoffrey Gets the Jitters. In 2017, The Bumblebear was distributed to over 700,000 children as part of BookTrust's Time To Read campaign. Her anarchic series for older readers, Grimwood, was a World Book Day title in 2022 and has taken the playgrounds of the nation by storm. Nadia has won the UKLA book prize twice, though she has lost loads of others (she still enjoys being nominated though.) She co-presents a podcast about children's books called The Island of Brilliant with writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce. Find her on Instagram: @NadiaShireenDraws.
Nadia Shireen has been making picture books since 2010, when her debut Good Little Wolf burst onto the scene and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. Since then, she's written and illustrated many more picture books including Barbara Throws a Wobbler, Billy and the Beast, The Cow Who Fell to Earth and Geoffrey Gets the Jitters. In 2017, The Bumblebear was distributed to over 700,000 children as part of BookTrust's Time To Read campaign. Her anarchic series for older readers, Grimwood, was a World Book Day title in 2022 and has taken the playgrounds of the nation by storm. Nadia has won the UKLA book prize twice, though she has lost loads of others (she still enjoys being nominated though.) She co-presents a podcast about children's books called The Island of Brilliant with writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce. Find her on Instagram: @NadiaShireenDraws.