My Favorite Books to Launch the School Year

Hi Everybody!

I've been very busy visiting all my schools helping people get ready for the new school year. Everywhere I go I bring my suitcase full of my favorite books to read during the first month of school. 

I'm a little bit picky when it comes to these books. Just because it's a book about the first day of school, or it has kids reading and writing in it, it doesn't necessarily make it onto my list. Only my favorite books that I have read aloud to kids are on this list. There are lots of other wonderful books I could have added--I just haven't had a chance to read them to kids yet!

These books are arranged loosely in order of difficulty/maturity. Having said that, upper grade teachers and parents, don't be afraid to use the picture books! You might be surprised at the conversation that goes on!

Kindness and Friendship Picture Books:

Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae

It’s Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni

Swimmy by Leo Lionni

Ugly Fish by Kara LaReau

My Teacher is A Monster (No I Am Not!) by Peter Brown

Don’t Laugh At Me by Steve Seskin & Allen Shamblin

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Stand Tall Molly Lou Mellon by Patty Lovell

The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill

My Best Friend by Mary Ann Rodman

Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson

One Green Apple by Eve Bunting

The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

Kindness and Friendship Chapter Books:

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

Counting by 7s by Hollly Goldberg Sloan

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea

Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

Overcoming Fear/Building Agency and Resilience Picture Books

Big Plans by Bob Shea

Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg

Ish by Peter Reynolds

The Dot by Peter Reyndolds

Courage by Bernard Waber

The Writerly Life:

Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon

David’s Drawings by Cathryn Falwell

Rocket Writes a Story by Tad Hills

The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli

Little Red Writing by Joan Holub

The Boy Who Loved Words by Roni Schotter

Max’s Words by Kate Banks

Nothing Every Happens on 90^th Street by Roni Schotter

The Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk

I’m in Charge of Celebrations by Byrd Baylor

Building a Reading Life:

Wild About Books by Marc Brown

We Are in A Book! By Mo Willems

How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills

How to Teach a Slug to Read by Susan Pearson

If I Were A Book by Jose Jorge Letria and Andre Letria

Bats at the Library by Brian Lies