Spot Goes to School - Story Snug

Spot Goes to School by Eric Hill

Many children are starting school next month and Spot Goes to School is a lovely lift the flap board book which introduces some of the activities that take place in a school setting. It’s a very simple story that is also suitable for those who may be starting nursery or preschool. Eric Hill’s famous character goes through several emotions on his first day but by the end of the story he has convinced us that he likes school!

The Story: Miss Bear welcomes Spot to school on his first day. His friends are there to greet him and they start the day with a song. Spot hides because he can’t sing but then starts to feel more confident about exploring the classroom. By the end of the day Spot has had a wonderful time!

Spot’s day includes staple classroom activities such as singing, show and tell, dressing up, story time and painting. As a teacher and as a parent I laugh at the end when Spot plays down how much he likes school by saying it was ok, the biggest complaint that I heard from parents was always that their child never told them anything about school!

Eric Hill’s illustrations are as bold and colourful as his canine character. We particularly like the illustration with Spot and his friends painting and as a teacher I’m impressed with Miss Bear’s smiley expression when she sees all the mess that her pupils are making! Spot is joined by his friends, Helen (hippo), Steve (monkey), Tom (crocodile) and Clare (turtle) who participate enthusiastically in the classroom activities as well as having fun in the playground.

Spot Goes to School is a lovely story to read to children in a nursery classroom and can be used to stimulate discussions about what they enjoy doing in school. We enjoyed many of the Spot books when my daughter was younger, they’re great stories for introducing children to familiar childhood situations. Particular favourites here were Spot’s Hide and Seek and Spot Goes to the Circus.

Spot also has his own website which has downloadable colouring sheets, activities and news about events.

Age Range: 3 +

Author / Illustrator: Eric Hill

We’ve put together several of our favourite starting school books in a blogpost Stories to Prepare Children for their First Day at School. We also asked book bloggers to choose their favourites, their suggestions are in  two blogposts: Book Bloggers Recommend Starting School Books One and Two.

You can find more starting school book suggestionsย on Story Snug’s Pinterest board

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20 responses to “Spot Goes to School by Eric Hill”


  1. Kim Carberry avatar

    Ahh! I love the Spot books. I remember them as a child & my girls loved them too when they were little. This sounds perfect for little ones x #MMBC


    1. Catherine Friess avatar

      I love the fact that it’s also a board book. It makes it perfect for really little people ๐Ÿ™‚


  2. Ali - We Made This Life avatar

    This would be perfect for my 3 year old who has just started school!


    1. Catherine avatar

      I think that 3 is the perfect age for this book, it’s simpler than most picture books about staring school.


  3. Acorn Books avatar

    I love Spot books, they were some of my favourites when I was younger. We don’t have this one but will keep in mind for my youngest who will start nursery next year. #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      Spot Goes to School is perfect for little ones starting nursery ๐Ÿ™‚


  4. Yet Another Blogging Mummy avatar

    My boys loved the Spot books. We’ve passed them on now, but still have a Spot glove puppet #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      Spot is a favourite with most children! I always loved reading lift the flap books with my daughter, even if we always knew what was underneath because we’d read the story so many times!


  5. Rabbit Ideas avatar

    We love the Spot books- a great idea to read this to children just starting a new year at nursery or school! #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      This first day at school book is great for much younger children although it mirrors the activities in a Reception classroom too.


  6. BookBairn avatar

    We love Spot! And this looks great for this time of year – we have one about Spot going to nursery which BookBairn loves to read! #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      I haven’t seen the book about Spot going to nursery, this story is also more suited to nursery aged children than four / five year olds.


  7. Sarah MumofThree World avatar

    My sister used to love Spot when she was little! Sadly I was too old myself. My niece starts school this week, but I think this book would be a bit young for her. My nephew starts playgroup and it would probably be perfect for him.


    1. Catherine avatar

      This book is perfect for introducing school to a playgroup aged child. I hope that your niece and nephew enjoy themselves at school / playgroup.


  8. chantelle hazelden avatar
    chantelle hazelden

    Can’t beat a bit of Spot the dog! Thanks for sharing with #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      I used to love the Spot books as a child too ๐Ÿ™‚


  9. Sian avatar

    I have just ordered this from Amazon – thank you! My 3 y/o starts at the school nursery next week and is currently slightly Spot obsessed – we are reading our 4 Spot books on repeat even the Easter one! She will love this. I will print some colouring off for her tomorrow too.
    #MMBC


    1. Catherine avatar

      I hope that your little one enjoys herself at nursery. This Spot story is perfect for introducing the concept of school to younger children ๐Ÿ™‚


  10. Debbie Roberts avatar

    Hi Catherine, what a perfect book for children just heading into the big, wide world of school! Spot The Dog books have been around for a long time now and it’s good to see they are still going strong!

    Thank you for linking up with the #MMBC.

    xx


    1. Catherine avatar

      Spot is such a fun character for children to identify with, he’s brilliant at introducing children to new experiences ๐Ÿ™‚