A few days ago I requested about ten books to be sent to my public library and they're all in!!! All of the books I requested are centered for the beginning of the year as read alouds with your new kiddos. I went to pick them up today and was so excited just from seeing the covers. I just finished reading them all and I can't wait to share them with my students. I know my new kiddos will just love them!
Usually my favorites for the beginning of the school year are First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg (to see the kids so puzzled right at the end) and Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester (every year it pulls at my heart strings because I love Wodney oh so much!). These have been my "go-tos" for the last few years.
However, the ones I've shared below are new to me. There were a few that were just so wonderful I needed to share! They cover a range of topics that you will want to cover in the first few weeks of school like bullying, tattling, and excitement!
The first one I read was called Dear Teacher by Amy Husband. It was an adorable book (in the shape of envelope by the way) about a student writing friendly letters to his teacher about his adventures that are stopping him from coming to school. The boy is witty, fun, and goes on great excursions that will keep the students' interests. You could read this at the beginning of the year or when teaching how to write friendly letters.
The next one was The Juice Box Bully; Empowering Kids to Stand Up for Others by Bob Sornson and Maria Dismonday. This one was great because not only did it explain about bullying, but it also talked about standing up for others and not being a bystander to bullying.
After that I read It's Back to School We Go! First Day Stories from Around the World by Ellen Jackson. This one shares how the beginning of school is different for kids in different countries. It shares when they start school, how many times a week they go to school. and other interesting facts. Each page is dedicated to a new country and a child from that country. The child shares about their normal day at school. I think for this read aloud I will break up it over a span of two weeks. Every day I will read a new page to the class and we will discuss how that country is similar and different than our own.
The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill and Laura Huliska-Beith was ADORABLE. This is another great book about bullying. I loved the rhythm and illustrations of the book! It shares how "Mean Jean" controls recess time until a new student comes in. I enjoyed this story because it gave a new perspective on WHY Jean was a bully at recess. I am interested to see if, when asked, my students will pick up on that.
(Adorable, right!?)
Next, was A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue by Julia Cook. Last year I had a really terrible time with tattlers in my room. It was driving me MAD! Was anyone else out there feeling the struggle!? So this year I decided to nip that in the butt (or at least try) right at the start of the year. This book is wonderful because it shares Josh's (the tattler) reasoning behind each tattle, which I liked because if you do have those tattlers in your class they won't feel uncomfortable knowing they meant well and just didn't know the difference between warning and tattling. I also loved it because it goes over 4 rules that help students know when to tell and when to not. I CANNOT wait to read this book. The yellow and purple spotted tongue adds a fun twist to tattling too!
Last, but not least (and I hope ya'll are still with me is) Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes. I think I adored this book mainly because I related so well with Wemberly to when I was a child. Wemberly worries about absolutely everything which I'm sure a lot of our kiddos can relate to as well. It tells her story and how meeting a new friend on the first day of school who also worries makes her come out of her shell. This book was extremely cute and sweet!!
(Look at that precious face!)
Well folks that's all I have for now. I can't wait to read these lovely books to my students throughout the first weeks of school. There are so many great lessons that can be learned and related to from these great stories.
So tell me, what is your favorite book to read on the first day of school??
