Children's Books About Moving to a New House

The best children's books about moving let a child feel the hard parts, like leaving a home they love, and picture the new ones: a new bedroom, a new school, a new friend. From our own library, we'd start with Socks & Tuxedo: The Big Move, a funny classic in which two cats try everything to stop a move, and Socks & Tuxedo: Roomba of Destiny, for children who resist any change. Then add the personalized books that put your child in the story for what comes next: Me & Spark Aren't Afraid of the Dark for new nighttime shadows, First Day Hooray! for a new school, and The Friendship Spark for a first new friend.

Our personalized books turn one photo into your child's illustrated character, with their name in the story. They are written for ages 2 to 10, and you see a free preview before you buy. This is a guide to our own books, along with practical steps from child-development guidance.

Quick picks: children's books about moving

The standard US one-time hardcover price for a personalized book is $44.99, plus shipping and tax. Classics have their own price on their product pages, and shoppers in other countries see their own price at checkout. You can browse more books in our Dealing with Change collection.

How do I help a toddler understand moving?

Start with a simple, honest explanation and something they can see. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry suggests that parents explain clearly why the move is necessary, show children the new area with maps and photos, and point out something there they'll enjoy, like a park or a lake. ZERO TO THREE notes that babies and toddlers pick up on their parents' stress and may act out because of it, so a calm, steady routine helps everyone.

A story helps too. When a character goes through a move first, your child can watch the boxes and the worry from a safe distance, then talk about it. A few more ideas:

1. Read before the boxes come out. Share a book about moving early, then keep reading it through the packing and after you arrive.
2. Let them pack a box of favorites. A small box of their own (a well-loved toy, a night light, a few books) gives a child something to do and something to unpack first. That's our suggestion, not formal guidance, but it gives little hands a job.
3. Give them a say in the new room. The AACAP suggests letting children help design or furnish their room.
4. Keep old friends close. Help your child stay in touch with friends from the old neighborhood through calls, letters and visits, as the AACAP recommends.

If your child seems persistently sad or distressed after a move, talk with your pediatrician. A book is a conversation starter, not a substitute for support.

Socks & Tuxedo: The Big Move, for leaving the old house

Socks and Tuxedo love their daily routine. Mornings are for playing with yarn. Afternoons are for chasing sunbeams. Evenings are for cuddles on the couch. Then, one fateful day, cardboard boxes appear in the living room, the furniture starts to disappear, and a big truck pulls up outside. There is only one explanation: "We're moving!"

The cats hold a secret meeting under the kitchen table and decide on their only option: stop the move. They try the silent treatment. The packing continues. They build a blockade out of every toy, cushion and stray item, even an office chair. By morning, the humans have packed it all.

The cats say out loud what a lot of children feel ("I was just getting comfortable here!"), and their plans are silly enough to make the worry laughable. The book's message isn't that a new place fixes every feeling. It's that the family and the love you bring with you help a new house slowly become home.

The Big Move is one of our classics. It is not personalized: the story and art are the same in every copy, and Socks and Tuxedo are the stars. See Socks & Tuxedo: The Big Move.

Socks & Tuxedo: Roomba of Destiny, for children who resist change

Some children resist any change, even a small one at home. In Roomba of Destiny, Socks and Tuxedo wake up to a terrible sound ("whir-sqree-bleep-bloop!"), and a robot vacuum is spinning and buzzing across their floor. They decide the robot has to go. Their plan: turn the living room into a dojo for a training montage, where Socks masters the pounce and Tuxedo learns the high kick.

The battle plan gets sillier by the minute, until working together helps them understand the machine they were so set on defeating. It's a light, funny way to talk about reacting to something new before we know what it is, which is a big part of any move. Roomba of Destiny is also a classic and is not personalized. See Socks & Tuxedo: Roomba of Destiny.

Read your way through a move

You don't need all five. Pick the step your child is worried about and start there. For a toddler, The Big Move and Me & Spark may be plenty; for a five- or six-year-old changing schools, First Day Hooray! and The Friendship Spark do more of the work.

Me & Spark Aren't Afraid of the Dark, for the first nights in a new room

A new bedroom brings new shadows, new night sounds and a light switch in the wrong place. In Me & Spark Aren't Afraid of the Dark, your child insists they aren't scared of bugs, snakes or even bears. Then comes the confession: the one thing that's kind of scary is the dark. Enter Spark, a small fire friend who loves the dark and says nighttime is fun. "I don't believe him," says the hero. "But what if he's right?"

The story doesn't tell a worried child to stop being afraid. It lets them explore the dark with company and a light of their own. Read it in the first week after a move, with the night light on. There's more in our guide to Me & Spark, or see Me & Spark Aren't Afraid of the Dark.

First Day Hooray!, for starting a new school

A move often means a new school, and the AACAP notes that children in kindergarten or first grade can find a move especially hard because they're still adjusting to new grown-ups and new friendships. First Day Hooray! walks your child through a first school day, worries and all. "But what if snacks taste really bad? Will missing home make me feel sad?" Then the teacher beams at the door, and at the paint table your child spots a child who's shy just like them. "In no time at all," they find a friend.

Because your child is the one walking through the door, the new classroom starts to feel familiar before the first day. Read it a few times in the week before school starts, then once more the night before. See First Day Hooray!

The Friendship Spark, for moving away from friends and making new ones

Leaving friends is often the hardest part of a move for a child, and the AACAP points out that moves interrupt friendships: to a new child, it can seem as if everyone else already has a best friend. The Friendship Spark is about the brave first step. On the playground, your child notices a boy sitting alone. "His name is Sam, he's quiet and new." Your child walks over and asks him to play.

The book works from both sides of a move. A child who is the new kid can see how a friendship starts, and a child who already belongs can learn to notice someone like Sam. Pair it with keeping old friends close, through calls, letters and visits. See The Friendship Spark.

What are social stories for moving?

Parents and teachers often use "social story" for a short, simple story, usually made at home with photos, that walks a child through what will happen: the boxes, the truck, the new front door, their new room. You can make one with a few printed photos and a sentence on each page. Our books are picture-book stories rather than social stories, but they work well alongside one: the homemade story covers the facts of your move, and a storybook gives your child a character to laugh and worry with. For more on transitions, read how to help anxious kids with transitions.

How does a personalized book work?

1. Upload one clear photo and add your child's name. Your child becomes the illustrated hero, and the story uses their name.
2. See a free personalized preview before you buy. No credit card is needed. The preview shows your child in a scene or on a cover from the book, not every page; our Help article on the free preview explains what you'll see.
3. Get the hardcover. Each book is printed to order after you buy, then shipped to the address you choose, including your new one.

In the US, Standard delivery takes 5 to 10 business days from order to arrival, including printing, and Expedited takes 5 to 8. These are estimates, not guarantees, and checkout shows the estimate for your address. If you want a book waiting at the new house, read how long a book takes to arrive before you order.

Sources

• American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Moving: Helping Children Cope
• ZERO TO THREE: Help Your Child Deal with Relocation