Iโll always remember the anticipation of a new school year approaching. That excitement of a brand new class of students โ new boxes of crayons, pencils sharpened to precision, and bright-eyed students ready to learn. And those special back to school picture books – the ones that I would use year after year, because I knew kids would love them.
With the start of a new school year came planning lessons and activities with the goal of creating a classroom community.
I would ask myself, โHow can I engage my students from the start to reach this goal?โ
One way was to integrate childrenโs picture books into each day. I found that read-aloud picture books:
- built connections through shared experiences
- supported reading comprehension
- sparked writing ideas
- could engage students with fun and laughter
Iโve chosen three of my favorite back to school picture books that I used in first grade to share with you. I used them at the beginning of the school year, but they can be read anytime during the school year.
Cookieโs Week by Cindy Ward
Cookieโs Week by Cindy Ward (illustrated by my all-time favorite children’s book illustrator – Tomie dePaola) that I have used on the first day of school. Itโs a story that details Cookie the catโs funny and mischievous antics that each happen on different days of the week.
I can still hear my students roar out laughing as I came to the day of the week when Cookie falls into the toilet. Thereโs something about laughter that puts everyone at ease. And this page definitely did!
Children would make connections by sharing their own funny cat and pet stories. Itโs was the perfect prompt for students to write about their own weekly experiences. You can do just that with My Week Booklet resource.
After lunch recesses, my students would be full of chatter. They were eager to share their stories about what happened on the playground. The children would talk about things that happened while playing โ games they played, friends they played with, funny incidents. But sometimes their talk was about struggles they had with friends – being teased or feeling left out.
I remember one of these discussions. A new student shared how he tried to fit in with a group of students the prior year. He recounted how they repeatedly made fun of him. As he continued to describe the incidents, tears filled his eyes. The pain he felt was still raw. I thought about how deeply students’ words and actions can have a lasting impact on how children feel about themselves.
His story reinforced the importance of social emotional development and children learning to value their uniqueness and worth.
2 Back to School Picture Books That Build Classroom Community
I used the next two back to school picture books to create a positive classroom culture through understanding and valuing each studentโs uniqueness.
Ruby the Copycat by Peggy Rathmann
Ruby the Copycat is a story about Ruby who is new to the school. She tries to fit in by copying the things that a classmate does, says, and wears. In the end, she learns that when she relies on her own unique abilities, her classmates accept and celebrate her. This one is both funny and heartwarming.
Stephanieโs Ponytail by Robert Munsch
Be prepared to hear your studentsโ laughter throughout this story. Just the cover of the book with the baby laughing when he sees how Stephanie is wearing her ponytail sets off their laughter. Stephanieโs Ponytail is a hilarious story about a girl who decides to wear her ponytail in unique ways when she goes to school. She finds that everyone starts to copy her. Wait until you read how Stephanie teaches her classmates and school a lesson on being yourself!
Youโll find that the these books help children practice and understand kindness, empathy, and cooperation as they work and play with their classmates.
Making the Most of these Back to School Picture Books
All three of the books above lend themselves to:
- engaging students in making predictions
- pairing reading with writing for deeper meaning
- building classroom connections with humor
Looking for ways to boost read-aloud picture book comprehension? Check out Back to School Read Aloud Activities for First Grade. Easy to use and filled with activities to help deepen understanding of read aloud back to school picture books.
Itโs your time to share. Comment to share some of your own must-have books for the first weeks of school.
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