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A School Librarian Sharing Books & #ClassroomBookADay

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Back-to-School Picture Books 2020 Recommendations for #classroombookaday

August 2, 2020

With all of the uncertainty facing educators about how we might be starting this school year, there is one thing I do know for certain: We can use picture books to start building relationships and connections with and among our students. Whether virtual behind a screen or in person behind a mask/shield, we can use picture books to create a more welcoming environment that honors all students and shows them they have a place in our virtual or physically distanced classroom communities.
For my back-to-school recommendations this year, I have chosen books with themes of friendship, focusing on the power of names, being welcoming to those from other cultures, doing our best in the circumstances we are given, thinking about worry and what to do with it, several around families near and far, some straight-forward ones around racism and viruses and consent, grieving those lost or moved away, dealing with worry around the first day, empowering stories, those that honor Black lives and raise up Asian American creators and characters, and a few that are just fun in thinking about our classroom and reading spaces. I believe this collection will have something for everyone to fit that first month back with students as teachers try to be responsive to the needs of their group and build community from the start.
 

I hope that these titles will bring you comfort and inspiration for the work we have ahead during this ongoing global pandemic to keep kids and relationships at the heart of our classrooms, no matter the worry, fear, anxiety, or despair that may also be present. I wish you the best in whatever your circumstances may be as we head back this year. xo Jillian

Here are 37 picture books I recommend for back-to-school read alouds this year. 

A slide collection with book covers of the 37 picture books recommended in this post.
2020 Back-to-School Picture Book Recommendations
*You can shop this list at Bookshop to support independent bookstores + my work. 

A Friend for Henry
by Jenn Bailey, illustrated by Mika Song
Gustavo the Shy Ghost
by Flavia Z. Drago
My Heart Fills with Happiness 
by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Julie Flett
One Hug
by Katrina Moore, illustrated by Julia Woolf
All Are Welcome
by Alexandra Pendolf, illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman

Not Quite Snow White
by Ashley Franklin, illustrated by Ebony Glenn
I Am Every Good Thing
by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James
A Girl Like Me
by Angela Johnson, illustrated by Nina Crews
Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes, and Stinkers: Celebrating Animal Underdogs
by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Stephanie Laberis
Evelyn Del Ray is Moving Away
by Meg Medina, illustrated by Sonia Sanchez
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates
by Ryan T. Higgins
Lift 
by Minh Lê, illustrated by Dan Santat
Black is a Rainbow Color
by Angela Joy, illustrated by Euka Holmes
Butterflies on the First Day of School
by Annie Silvestro, illustrated by Dream Chen
M is for Melanin: A Celebration of the Black Child
by Tiffany Rose
The Perfect Seat
by Minh Lê, illustrated by Gus Gordon
Can I Give You a Squish?
by Emily Neilson
The Arabic Quilt
by Aya Khalil, illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan
Always Remember
by Cece Meng, illustrated by Jago
Danbi Leads the School Parade
by Anna Kim
Swashby and the Sea
by Beth Ferry, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
Our Children Can Soar
by Michelle Cook, illustrated by 14 Black Illustrators
When Aidan Became a Brother
by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita
A Kids Book About COVID-19
by Malia Jones
Happy Right Now
by Julie Berry, illustrated by Holly Hatam
The Rabbit Listened
by Cori Doerrfeld
Jabari Tries
by Gaia Cornwall
A Kids Book About Racism
by Jelani Memory
Allie All Along
by Sarah Lynne Reul
Alma and How She Got Her Name
by Juana Martinez-Neal
Always Anjali
by Sheetal Sheth, illustrated by Jessica Blank
I’m Worried
I'm Worried
by Michael Ian Black, illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
You Matter
by Christian Robinson
Your Name is a Song
by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, illustrated by Luisa Uribe
Hair Love
by Matthew A. Cherry, illustrated by Vashti Harrison
The King of Kindergarten
by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Truman
by Jean Reidy, illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins
«
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Filed Under: #ClassroomBookADay, Picture Books

Comments

  1. cdfrank says

    August 6, 2020 at 6:33 am

    Thank you for this list and I really enjoyed your 2 classes (#ClassroomBookAday 101 & #ClassroomBookAday Power of Critical Selection). I am ordering books from Follett and am trying to pull up your Lists. What is the best path to find them? Thanks in advance!

    • Jillian Heise says

      August 15, 2020 at 5:15 am

      All of my Follett lists can be found by searching "Jillian Heise Book Lists" in Titlewave.

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