I’m a little over an eighth of my way through my picture book a day challenge with these next 7 books, and another week closer to being a dad. Here I’ll recap the picture books I read this week. Honestly, though, depending on your questioning and support, any picture book could work for any grade level. Most of these books are also great bilingual read alouds or Spanish read alouds for dual language bilingual classrooms! The books available in Spanish are noted. With it being Thanksgiving this week as of this writing, I read two Thanksgiving books to find a good one for my students.
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Let’s get to the books from my picture book a day challenge!
Book 29: So Few Of Me by Peter H. Reynolds
(Leos in Spanish)
Who can’t relate to having too much to do? Kids more and more have after school activities, sports, and other obligations that can overwhelm them. I have some students who get very anxious if they don’t get out of class right when the bell rings because of all that they have to do. This book is perfect for showing kids that the more they take on, the more they have to do. Making to-do lists is a great executive function exercise, but this book shows that we need to do less and take time for ourselves.
Check out the full lesson plan and activities HERE
Book 30: Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown
(El Sr. Tigre se vuelve salvaje in Spanish)
All of the animals in the city were happy with how things were…everyone except Mr. Tiger. This book by Peter Brown (also author of The Wild Robot) shows kids the importance of individuality and doing what they enjoy. Mr. Tiger did not like dressing up and being proper, so he decided to go wild. This eventually leads him to stop wearing clothes (raucous laughs from students guaranteed) and living in the wild. It’s great, but then Mr. Tiger starts to miss his friends. What if they don’t like him for how he really is, though? This shows kids that true friends will accept you for how you are, and that you do not need to conform to what everyone else is doing.
Check out the full lesson plan and activities HERE
Book 31: And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
(Con Tango son tres in Spanish)
More and more our students are coming to school with the “non-traditional” mother-father family unit. Even if this does not include anyone in your class, I guarantee that your kids will one day encounter a person with two dad or two moms. Regardless, this book shows that the important thing is that the parents love each other in a real world context. This book tells the story of two chinstrap penguins in the Central Park Zoo in New York. A great way to have an open conversation about families and adoption.
Check out the full lesson plan and activities HERE
Book 32: The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett
(Los renos rebeldes de navidad in Spanish)
Well, it’s the start of the holiday season, and how can you think about holiday books and not think Jan Brett? I had never read this book and it was a PERFECT book for kids especially in winter. Maybe it’s just me, but in winter my kids start to get snippy with each other. I think of it like we’re a family on a long road trip and about halfway through people get tired of being in the car and start getting angry at each other.
In this book, Teeka an elf is tasked with getting Santa’s reindeer ready for Christmas. She doesn’t know the reindeer and she starts yelling at them rather than listen to them. She eventually learns that what she is doing is not working, and works with the reindeer to have them ready just in time. It shows kids how important it is to listen to your teammates to work together.
Check out the full lesson plan and activities HERE
Book 33: The Mitten by Jan Brett
(El miton in Spanish)
Another Jan Brett book? Come on! This one is a classic book based on The Mitten folktale. My picture book a day challenge would not be complete without it! Nicki asks for white mittens from his grandmother, but he loses one mitten while playing in the snow. One by one animals snuggle into the mitten expanding larger and larger each time. A bear nestles in, but the mitten does not break. A tiny mouse climbs onto the bear’s nose, causing it to sneeze and all of the animals fall out. Jan Brett’s side illustrations are great for teaching predicting and inferring.
Check out the full lesson plan and activities HERE
Book 34: Blizzard by John Rocco
(Tormenta de nieve in Spanish)
This book is an amazing true story from the life of the author John Rocco who also wrote Blackout. It tells the tale of a huge snowstorm in the author’s childhood that blocked the town for a week. It was fun at first until supplies got low. John loved to learn about arctic exploration, so he naturally knew how to help his neighborhood. He fashioned a pair of snowshoes from tennis rackets and walked to the general store and brought back supplies for all of his neighbors. It shows kids how even the smallest person can make a huge difference. You just need to have the interest and the knowledge to make a difference.
Check out the full lesson plan and activities HERE
Book 35: The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett
This is a perfect fractured fairytale for winter. I personally had never read it, but it had all of the hallmarks of Jan Brett’s works. The side illustrations show the parallel storyline that is great for analyzing the text to illustration connection. Also perfect for comparing and contrasting this tale to the original Goldilocks and the Three Bears fairytale.
Check out the full lesson plan and activities HERE
Great Books From Facebook and Instagram
If you haven’t checked out the Facebook Page or Instagram @joshteacheseverything, you’re missing out! The community of readers and picture book experts with both teachers and librarians in the JTE community is AMAZING. Here are some of the books that some of the members were reading this week:
Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown
What picture book are you reading?
P.S. Look for more freebies next week and every week in my weekly email! Check out my Facebook and Instagram for hints as to what book the freebie may be from next week!
If you haven’t signed up for my emails, you’re missing out! I’m sending weekly freebies during my Picture Book a Day Challenge. This week’s freebie is my week of lesson plans and activities for So Few Of Me. Sign up below to get yours!
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