Thursday, August 28, 2014

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 90th 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