How to Go to Big School: A heartwarming new picture book with a step-by-step guide to starting school
(Hardback)
Publishing Details
How to Go to Big School: A heartwarming new picture book with a step-by-step guide to starting school
By (Author) Sarah Ayoub
Illustrated by Mimi Purnell
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd
25th November 2025
Australia
Classifications
Children
Fiction
Childrens / Teenage fiction: School stories
Childrens / Teenage personal and social topics: First / new experiences and life
Picture storybooks: imagination and play
Childrens / Teenage fiction: Family and home stories
Physical Properties
Hardback
24
Description
Sarah Ayoub's new gently reassuring story follows on from the success of How to Be a Friend and captures heartwarming and practical details about what you need to know for starting school.
Big School is a place where all children go
when it's time to learn new things and grow.
It's a big change that's worth the wait,
and one that those you love will celebrate!
Learn all about big school, like how to get ready in the morning, what to bring, find out about the teachers and friends you'll meet, and where you'll play and learn together!
A lyrical story with practical ideas for starting school in a gentle and reassuring style from the creators of bestselling books The Love that Grew and How to Be a Friend.
Author Bio
Sarah Ayoub is a journalist, bestselling author and academic with a PhD in migrant Australian YA literature. Her work has been published in The Guardian, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney Review of Books, Meanjin and more. Sarah is a Stella Schools Program ambassador, has mentored the youth curators of The Sydney Writers' Festival YA program, contributed to the anthology Arab, Australian, Other: Stories on Race and Identity and most recently been a judge for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards. Sarah was elected to the board of the Australian Society of Authors in 2021 and is currently working on her first novel for adults as the writer-in-residence of Sweatshop Literacy Movement. Sarah is an advocate for education and Australian stories, appearing at schools and festivals where she promotes her YA novels Hate is Such a Strong Word, The Yearbook Committee and The Cult of Romance, as well as her picture books The Love that Grew, Nice and Slow and How to Be a Friend. Mimi Purnell is an illustrator and graphic designer born in England and now living in Australia. After completing a degree in Creative Industries she designed for agencies, animations and films and is now focusing her time on creating sweet illustrations and spending lots of time outdoors.
