Its no secret that I LOVE books. I enjoy getting lost in a story, gaining a new perspective, or learning something new. When I find books I enjoy, I love sharing them with others. My favorite thing to do as a classroom teacher was to share a book by reading it aloud to my class. There is nothing like introducing a group of kids to a book or giving them the opportunity to enjoy a book again.

Even though I don’t have my own class anymore, I still love reading aloud in classrooms. My favorite way to volunteer is to read in my own children’s classrooms. I love getting to see my kids and their friends in this setting. I feel like I get to know their personalities a little bit better and I get to learn about their friends a little bit too. My kids love it when I come to read. They love seeing me during their school day and they love to help me pick out the perfect book to share. I am sure this won’t last forever so I am definitely trying to take advantage of it while I can.

Today I got the chance to read to my daughter’s class. As I made my selection of books, I thought about how I am often asked about great books to read aloud to a classroom. Some of my friends feel a little intimidated or anxious about picking out the best book to read aloud to a group of kids so I thought I would share a few tips and some of our favorite read alouds perfect for a classroom.

Tips:

– Don’t be afraid to pick one you think the class has heard before. Kids love repetition and they love to share that they’ve read a book you selected. When a kid shouts out, “Hey, I’ve read that book!” You can always tell them that you think that’s awesome and not to spoil the end for their friends. Kids love feeling like they are in on a surprise.

– Choose something that has large pictures or doesn’t have super small details in the pictures that are critical to the story. Since you will be reading to a large group, you will want to make sure that everyone can see the important things on the pages. If kids can’t see well, they can become disengaged with the book.

– Don’t choose something interactive like, Press Here by Herve Tullet. While this is an awesome book to read at home with your child, it is not an easy one to read while children are having to take turns and move about. Feel free to choose a book that has something that all the kids can do at the same time such as making sounds or joining in on a rhyme or making facial expressions or doing small movements. The key is to offer everyone the chance to be engaged.

– Choose something that isn’t too long. For example, my daughter’s teacher has a 30 minute slot for us to read. I often take 3-4 books that take 7-10 minutes to read. This will keep the students more engaged. If possible, I like to connect the books by a theme, the author, or a topic.

Here are our top picks for read alouds in classrooms

Pre-K Classroom Read Alouds

If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond

            We love the If You Give… series. Each of the books in this series would be great to share with a class. Kids love to follow along with the cat (or mouse, or pig, or moose, or dog) as each adventure reminds him of something else. If you wanted to take an activity to go along with the book, you can always take cupcakes and/or let kids sequence the story with cards like the ones found here. You could have the kids complete the sequencing activity as an individual, in pairs, or as a class.

Good Night, Sleep Tight by Mem Fox

            We love this book for the rhythm and rhyme. This one is fun to read!!  This book incorporates nursery rhymes into a story about two children wanting story after story as way of delaying bed time. Kids might join along with you as you read. J

Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham

            Z is for Moose is a funny take on a traditional alphabet book.  Throughout the book Moose is so excited for his turn that he keeps interrupting and showing up before it’s his turn. When another word beginning with M is selected, Moose is NOT happy. Kids will have fun with this silly alphabet book.

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri

            This book is silly and hilarious – a great combination for reading to a group of kids. This may be one many kids have read by now (especially since it’s on Amazon’s Most Sold list and a NY Times Bestseller) but one they would probably listen to over and over again.

This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

            This is Not My Hat is a Caldecott Medal winner with fantastic illustrations that follow a fish with a hat. This book entertains with humor and a cliffhanger. The illustrations are large in this book making it easier for a large group to see.

Kindergarten and First Grade Read Alouds

Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems

            Mo Willems is well known for his Pigeon Books and his Elephant and Piggie series but if you haven’t read the Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, I highly recommend it. This story is about a Naked Mole Rat who doesn’t fit in with his colony because he likes to wear clothes. This story has a great lesson wrapped in the fun of talking about being naked.

The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizolli

            This book is a Theodor Suess Geisel award winner about a crocodile whose biggest fear is swallowing a watermelon seed. Kids will love to see what happens when his biggest fear comes true.

Duck! Rabbit! By Amy Krouse Rosenthal

            This is a great book that encourages kids to form an opinion about the creature at the center of the book. Two unseen characters debate whether the central creature is a duck or a rabbit. Kids love sharing their opinion about what they think the creature is.

Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend by Melanie Watt

            We love this book about a paranoid squirrel who is afraid of everything (even things that aren’t possible). We love how he evolves through the story as he learns that the perfect friend may not be what he originally imagined. If you need an extension activity, you could ask the children to share (by telling, drawing, or writing) what makes a good friend. If drawing or writing, you could take cute paper or cutouts for the kids.

Going Places by Peter and Paul Reynolds

            We love this story about how two kids approach a contest in different ways. This story (as typical of Peter Reynolds’ books) is inspirational and thought-provoking.

Let’s Get a Pup Says Kate by Bob Graham

            This story is about a family adopting a dog from an animal shelter. While the puppy they take home is exactly what they always wanted, they can’t keep from thinking about another dog they met at the shelter. This sweet story is usually a crowd pleaser.

We Are in a Book by Mo Willems

            In typical Mo Willems fashion, Piggie and Elephant hilariously entertain readers as they realize they are characters in a book. Kids always find it funny when Elephant and Piggie come to the realization that the book will end.

Second and Third Grade Read Alouds

The Dot by Peter Reynolds

            This book has been a favorite of mine for a very long time. I love to read this to all age levels and have even read this to teachers during presentations. This motivational book demonstrates that sometimes you just need to make a mark while also showing the power of believing in someone.

What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

            This informational book lets kids image what animals might have a nose for digging, ears for seeing, or even eyes that squirt blood. This book is an interactive book that is good for a class read aloud as kids can orally share their guesses as to which animals belong to the interesting body part. This Caldecott Honor is beautifully illustrated and fun to read.

Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen

            This is a sweet book about a lion who loves to attend children’s story time at the local library. While not everyone loves that the lion is in the library, an event causes the lion to be appreciated and even welcomed.

Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell

            Another of my all-time favorites! This beautiful book shares Jane Goodall’s inquisitive nature and love for the outdoors as a child. The integration of amazing illustrations and real photographs lead to the message that dreams can come true.

Neck & Neck by Elise Parsley

            This hilarious book is about a giraffe who loves all of the attention at the zoo until his popularity is threatened by balloons. Kids love this funny story about overcoming jealousy and doing the right thing.

Courage by Bernard Waber

            This is a book I always go to when I want an inspiring read aloud! Bernard Waber shares how we can have courage in a variety of ways. I love to ask groups to write or draw what courage is to them after reading this book. It is so interesting to share these with the group. It’s great to celebrate courage in big ways and small ways.

Dear Mrs. LaRue by Mark Teague

            In Dear Mrs. LaRue the dog is writing letters to his owner who has sent him to obedience school. It is fun to see the juxtaposition of the letters from the dog’s perspective and the illustrations showing his situation. This is a fun one to read!

Hey, Little Ant by Philip and Hannah Hoose

            I love this book for showing different perspectives. This book was originally a song by this father and daughter team. The book is a conversation between a boy and an ant about whether or not the boy should step on the ant. Kids love the illustrations that fantastically compare the boy and ant. As an extension, I have asked kids to take sides and defend their choice. I have also assigned groups (2-3 groups in favor of the boy letting the ant go and 2-3 groups in favor of the boy stepping on the ant). The assignment of groups can help make sure the groups are more even. When I assign groups, kids may be assigned to a group that they don’t necessarily agree with so it provides an extra challenge to come up with the reasons to support the assigned view.

Fourth and Fifth Grade Read Alouds

Gorilla by Anthony Browne

            I love reading this picture book to classes! I have read this book to third graders too with success. This book has so much to discuss and kids often have different views about what is taking place in the story which can lead to great discussions.

How to Turn $100 into $1,000,000 by James McKenna, Jeannine Glista, and Matt Fontaine

            This comprehensive guide for kids is from the creators of Biz Kid$ and Bill Nye the Science Guy.  This book is packed full of engaging vignettes, well-written descriptors, and clear illustrations that make difficult financial concepts easy to understand. While you wouldn’t read the whole book to a class, it is easy to choose a section from this book to read aloud to the class. You may even inspire kids to choose to read the rest of the book. I have found kids to be highly motivated by this topic.

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

            While this book may be written for younger kids, it is still a great read for older students. This book is a great way to open up conversations with older students about how they can relate (or not) to the main character’s perseverance. They also typically enjoy discussing how sometimes things turn out differently than we originally imagine.

What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada

            This series (What Do You Do With an Idea?, What Do You Do With a Problem?, and What Do You Do With a Chance?) is awesome for inspiring kids. We have all been there when an idea seems too big, too odd, or too difficult – this book opens up conversations about how we can bring those ideas to life.        

Every Living Thing by Cynthia Rylant

            This book includes 12 short stories that each capture the moment a person’s life is changed because of their experience with an animal. Many kids love and can relate to experiences with animals making these stories engaging and thought provoking.

Some other options would be the nonfiction series Who Was and Ordinary People Change The World

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What are your favorite read alouds to read to a class?