back to school – Heise Reads & Recommends

50 Perennial #ClassroomBookADay Favorites to Kick Off the Year

Jillian — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 02:05:17 +0000

Kicking off the school year when you will read aloud a picture book every day can feel daunting. There are SO MANY choices and also SO MANY books you will need to read. To help with this, I have curated back-to-school recommendations the last several years to support your efforts in building community, supporting students, and setting the right tone from the start; as well as getting discussions going and growing excitement and buy-in around your #ClassroomBookADay goal for the year.

{Links to previous year’s back-to-school recommendation lists 2021 / 2020 / 2019 / 2018}

This year, as I attempted to narrow down the list, I realized just how many “old” favorites I wouldn’t have space for. So I decided to share a list of newer choices as well as a second list of perennial favorites that many educators doing #ClassroomBookADay have found successful in varying circumstances and communities so they aren’t forgotten. And it was still SO difficult to have to condense these lists!

I still ended up with 50(!!) titles on the Favorites list! We are incredibly lucky to have a wealth of high-quality, inclusive, engaging, impactful picture books available to use in recent years. So get your hold requests ready as we head back-to-school soon (or maybe you already have – starting in a new district this year I was much later in getting this post done than I anticipated)!!

PERENNIAL #ClassroomBookADay FAVORITES to Kick Off the Year

The Rabbit Listened
Allie All Along
Not Quite Narwhal
Strictly No Elephants
Jabari Jumps
There Might Be Lobsters
Mixed: A Colorful Story
Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes, and Stinkers: Celebrating Animal Underdogs
Alma and How She Got Her Name
Can I Give You a Squish?
The Field
I’m Trying to Love Spiders
Always Anjali
After the Fall
It’s Not All Rainbows
Where Oliver Fits
My Teacher is a Monster! No, I Am Not.
When Aidan Became a Brother
The Name Jar
When We Are Kind
Our Skin
My Friend Maggie
I Walk With Vanessa
The Perfect Seat
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates
Prince & Knight
The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh
Drawn Together
The Day You Begin
Your Name Is a Song
All Are Welcome
Be a Friend
Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse
Be Kind
The Big Umbrella
Under My Hijab
Wild About Us
Bernice Gets Carried Away
Flight School
Pardon Me!
Meet My Family! Animal Babies and their Families
A Friend For Henry
One
Explorers of the Wild
Stick & Stone
Too Tall Houses
Bluebird
Claymates
We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga
Don’t Touch My Hair!

You can shop this list & many more for your personal or classroom collection at my Bookshop page!

Try This… Update Your Name Stories Read Aloud

Jillian — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 16:51:36 +0000

A few days ago I posted a list of alternative options to update your first day read aloud by replacing First Day Jitters with newer titles. Today I’m sharing updated alternatives for the classic (and somewhat overused in classrooms) Chrysanthemum.

Classics can be beloved for a valid reason, but I know that books that are 20+ years old may not hold the same connection for students today – even as simply as how outdated the art can look – not to diminish Henkes, but technology in art and printing has come far. So instead of sticking with the tried & true favorite this back-to-school season, or maybe in addition to, perhaps try one of these newer titles around names with more inclusive, authentic representation. Because as cute and sweet as that mouse is, there are MANY more representations needed in today’s elementary classrooms to help all of our young people to feel a sense of community and belonging.

So, instead of the beloved Chrysanthemum this year,
try one of these other 17 options instead!

Instead of Chrysanthemum, try these!

My Name Is Saajin Singh
That’s Not My Name!
Call Me Max
My Name Is Bana
Josie Dances
THAO
~~Tell~~ Teach Us Your Name
Your Name Is a Song
Alma and How She Got Her Name
Becoming Vanessa
Always Anjali
The Girl Who Named Pluto
My Name is Sangoel
The Arabic Quilt
Calvin
I Am Not a Fish
My Name is Aviva

You can shop these lists & many more for your personal or classroom collection at my Bookshop page!

Try This… Update Your First Day Read Aloud

Jillian — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 23:14:27 +0000

As I have deepened my picture knowledge over the last eight years of doing #ClassroomBookADay, and now as a school librarian, one of the things I notice is that many teachers have a tendency to stick with tried & true favorites for read aloud. Especially for back-to-school time. I think a lot of it comes from always feeling a bit of overwhelm at the amount we have to do to be ready for every new school year, so relying on something we already know means one less new thing to have to worry about. But with the wealth of children’s literature we have available to us today, and how much beautiful representation and connection we can find from it, I have a hard time with using the same go-to books. There are just so many other amazing options!

I have a general rule to go by when working through weeding a school library – if the book was published before I graduated high school, we probably have better options now! That’s a 20-25ish year aged range. Sure, classics have their place, but if we want to connect with the kids of today, who are surrounded by screens and digital media, we’re going to need to rely on more updated imagery in the print books we choose also. Plus, if we are still relying on the same book for the first day of school that we used 20 years ago, that means kids have probably heard it more than once. And that means this year is a great time to update it to something more relatable that will support students’ social emotional learning and start building classroom community from the very start.

So, instead of the overused First Day Jitters this year,
try one of these other 18 options instead!

Instead of First Day Jitters, try these!

A Case of the Zaps
This Is a School
First Day Critter Jitters
Butterflies on the First Day of School
Lena’s Shoes Are Nervous: A First-Day-Of-School Dilemma
The Arabic Quilt
A Small Kindness
A Tiger Tail: (Or What Happened to Anya on Her First Day of School)
Isabel and Her Colores Go to School
School’s First Day of School
Strictly No Elephants
Mae’s First Day of School
Danbi Leads the School Parade
The Queen of Kindergarten
My First Day
Calvin
I Am! Affirmations for Resilience
The King of Kindergarten

You can shop these lists & many more for your personal or classroom collection at my Bookshop page!

Back-to-School 2021 Picture Book Read Alouds for #ClassroomBookADay

Jillian — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 19:26:11 +0000

Back-to-school season this year brings with it some unique emotions and need for topics as we enter a third pandemic teaching year, some with students who were virtual for most of last year. This year I am including some new books, and some old favorites, in this list of 40 picture books I recommend right now. It includes many SEL connections, and more, with themes/topics relating to being yourself, making friends, emotional intelligence, affirmations, consent, play, learning about the viruses, public health measures, being there for people, community, remembering 9/11 twenty years later, and more, I’m hopeful you will find books that also speak to your specific classroom, school, and family needs. Wishing all the best to everyone as we head back to school.

Please wear a mask, & get vaccinated if you’re able to,
so we don’t end up with a fourth pandemic teaching year in 2022!

Be sure to check out my recommendation list of 24 Picture Books About the 1st Day of School for even more options!

You can shop this list at Bookshop.org to support independent bookstores & my work.

Sharice’s Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman
An Equal Shot: How the Law Title IX Changed America
We All Play
Six Feet Together
30,000 Stitches: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag
Don’t Worry, Little Crab
Meesha Makes Friends
It’s Not All Rainbows
I Am Smart I Am Blessed I Can Do Anything
Can I Give You a Squish?
Dr. Fauci: How a Boy from Brooklyn Became America’s Doctor
Jabari Tries
Juna’s Jar
Where Oliver Fits
Thao
The Cot in the Living Room
Our Skin: A First Conversation about Race
Be You
I’m Trying to Love Math
Someone Builds the Dream

June Almeida, Virus Detective! The Woman Who Discovered the First Human Coronavirus
When We Are Kind
Be Strong
When the World Went Quiet
Jacob’s Room to Choose
This Very Tree: A Story of Resilience, Community, and 9/11
I’m Worried
Friends Stick Together
The Rabbit Listened
I Am! Affirmations for Resilience
Flying High
I Got Next
Jayden’s Impossible Garden
The Color Collector
I Walk With Vanessa
My Two Border Towns
The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh
Bear Needs Help
It Is (Not) Perfect
Ten Beautiful Things

back to school – Heise Reads & Recommends

50 Perennial #ClassroomBookADay Favorites to Kick Off the Year

{Links to previous year’s back-to-school recommendation lists 2021 / 2020 / 2019 / 2018}

PERENNIAL #ClassroomBookADay FAVORITES to Kick Off the Year

You can shop this list & many more for your personal or classroom collection at my Bookshop page!

Try This… Update Your Name Stories Read Aloud

So, instead of the beloved Chrysanthemum this year, try one of these other 17 options instead!

Instead of Chrysanthemum, try these!

You can shop these lists & many more for your personal or classroom collection at my Bookshop page!

Try This… Update Your First Day Read Aloud

So, instead of the overused First Day Jitters this year, try one of these other 18 options instead!

Instead of First Day Jitters, try these!

You can shop these lists & many more for your personal or classroom collection at my Bookshop page!

Back-to-School 2021 Picture Book Read Alouds for #ClassroomBookADay

Please wear a mask, & get vaccinated if you’re able to,so we don’t end up with a fourth pandemic teaching year in 2022!

You can shop this list at Bookshop.org to support independent bookstores & my work.

So, instead of the beloved Chrysanthemum this year,
try one of these other 17 options instead!

So, instead of the overused First Day Jitters this year,
try one of these other 18 options instead!

Please wear a mask, & get vaccinated if you’re able to,
so we don’t end up with a fourth pandemic teaching year in 2022!