Although I’m not returning to the classroom this year, I’m still rounding up my favorite back-to-school books to use in therapy with kiddos returning soon. After teaching in the classroom for 7 years, I’ve narrowed my back-to-school favorites down to these 10 picture books. These books are great any time in the school year, but these are some of my go-to’s for those first weeks back!
I’ve included YouTube links for each book as I know it’s not realistic for most teachers to buy a book every time you add a new book to your read-aloud rolodex! I have done my best to find videos where they do not zoom in on the pictures. I always recommend watching with the sound off, using your own voice and slowing down or pausing the video as needed!
This book is a great first read-aloud to do with your class to practice the routine of what an interactive read will look like. The pictures tell the story so you can spend a couple of days building a solid foundation of the plot before reading the author’s text.
TLDR version: Figurative language, pictures tell the story
**not an affiliate link, this book is not available on Amazon but I found it on Thriftbooks for a great price!
YouTube video: The Day the Teacher Went Bananas
- Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
This book is perfect if you are doing any “name games” with your class. It can be great for any discussions about any special meanings behind names and for introducing print concepts like longer words = more letters, shorter words = less letters, etc.
TLDR version: Print concepts, introducing names
- Just Ask! by Sonia Sotomayor
This book is great for helping students make text-to-self or text-to-world connections, as they can likely relate to one or more of the characters featured in the books. It also features many open-ended questions, which can be a great way to practice your early interactive read-aloud routine.
TLDR version: making connections, open-ended questions
Someone commented on my Instagram Reel where I featured this book and said that “Just Ask!” is not popular among the disability community because the message is not good when kids get bombarded by questions! If you are part of the disability community and feel comfortable discussing, I would love to hear more about this. I have seen this book used at school-wide events to promote inclusion and want to know if I should choose a different option moving forward.
- This is the Way we go to School by Edith Baer
This book can serve as an intro to a writing unit about how students get to school which is great for building theory of mind! The text is simple and predictable and could easily be used for a shared reading activity.
TLDR: rhyming words, text-to-world connections (metacognition)
YouTube video: This is the Way we go to School
- First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg
I love doing subsequent readings of this book because once students have seen the “twist” at the end, they love retelling the story again and again. This is a great story for building theory of mind and there are some great vocabulary words (like jitters!) to teach while still being accessible and easy to follow.
TLDR version: theory of mind, repeated readings for language expansion
YouTube video: First Day Jitters
- It’s Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr
I love this book for its predictable, repeated text and as simple as it is, still gives so much for students to talk about. This is another great one to use for shared reading. If you teach younger grades, this is a classroom must-have! This book could also serve as a great jumping-off point for an early writing unit because the illustrations closely mimic those of little writers.
TLDR version: auditory closure, predictable, repeated text, shared reading
YouTube video: It’s Okay to Be Different
- Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry G. Allard Jr. and James Marshall
YouTube video: Miss Nelson is Missing!
This story is a great one to roleplay with your class–students will love taking turns pretending to be the teacher! Another theory-of-mind must-have in your class library, this story opens the door for class discussions about classroom norms and expectations.
TLDR version: theory-of-mind, classroom expectations
- Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
This is one of my all-time favorite books to teach. It shows how we use writing to communicate an important message, and also introduces the concept of compromise. I love using this at the beginning of an early writing unit and then finding some authentic examples of writing as a class to do together as a shared write: writing a note to another class, sending an email to the principal, the possibilities are endless!
TLDR version: shows the purpose of writing!
YouTube video: Click Clack Moo
- Decibella and her Six-Inch Voice by Julia Cook
This book will set the stage for class norms around voice volume. Some teachers like to set different expectations around various activities like group work, individual work, partner work and the different volumes that are appropriate for each. This book can help give a name to each of those volumes and also serves as a great informal assessment for students who may have speech or auditory goals around volume.
TLDR version: class expectations around voice volume, auditory or speech goals around volume
Start at 2:35
- Llama Llama Loves to Read by Anna Dewdney
This book is full of alphabetic principles and print concepts (words are made of letters, sentences are made of words). It also can be great for auditory closure as it’s written as a rhyme. I gave this book as a gift to my students last year because I noticed many of them would return to it in our class library throughout the year.
TLDR version: print concepts, auditory closure
YouTube video: Llama Llama Loves to Read
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