2021 Back to School Book List ♥
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and my heart is absolutely bursting with pure joy and excitement for this year ahead. While there is still some looming uncertainty about how this school year may unfold regarding the enduring pandemic, I am hopeful that we still have so much to look forward to.
I am sure this comes as no surprise that one of my favorite parts of preparing for the first days and weeks of school is planning for our beloved read alouds! I genuinely cherish our time together sharing stories because this is such an accessible, engaging, and inspiring way to build community, make connections, and nurture a culture of kindness, empathy, and inclusion.
My 2021 back to school book list includes several timeless favorites AS WELL AS many new and recently published books that I am eager to share with my scholars for the first time this year. I am beyond excited to read these incredible stories with my classroom community, and I hope you and your students love them as much as we do! Happy Reading! ♥
*Click on any of these book titles to read my full review and find resources for teaching, discussion guides, extension activities, and opportunities for enrichment!
Honoring Names
- Your Name is a Song written by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and illustrated by Luisa Uribe
- Alma and How She Got Her Name written and illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
- The Name Jar written and illustrated by Yangsook Choi
*Gentle reminder that while planning community building activities to get to know each other and learn names, be mindful of “history behind the name” prompts and potential trauma that could be associated with knowing (or not knowing) and trying to understand origin stories. Some students may not have, or may not know, special stories behind their names. To keep activities inclusive and trauma informed, forego anything that requires sharing of history or origin stories. Instead, to celebrate names, consider creating acrostic poems with positive character traits, passions, or interests for each letter of the name. ♥
Affirming Identity
- The Proudest Blue written by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S. K. Ali and illustrated by Hatem Aly
- Eyes That Kiss in the Corners written by Joanna Ho and illustrated by Dung Ho
- I Am Every Good Thing written by Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Gordon C. James
- It Feels Good to Be Yourself written by Theresa Thorn and illustrated by Noah Grigni
- What Are Your Words? written by Katherine Locke and illustrated by Anne Passchier
- Book AND extension: The Best Part of Me by Wendy Ewald — Every year, I share this read aloud and writing prompt, which is perfect to start the school year and focus on identity, affirmations, diversity, self love, empathy, and building community… All my students and their families love and appreciate their writing. Here are all my details for how I teach and facilitate the project.
Creating a Welcoming and Inclusive Classroom Community
- I Promise written by LeBron James and illustrated by Nina Mata (especially excellent for primary grades with short, rhythmic text and bright illustrations)
- All Are Welcome written by Alexandra Penfold and illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman (especially excellent for primary grades with short, rhythmic text and bright illustrations)
- My First Day written by Phùng Nguyên Quang and illustrated by Huỳnh Kim Liên
- All Because You Matter written by Tami Charles and illustrated by Bryan Collier
Nurturing Empathy and Kindness
- The Day You Begin written by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by Rafael López
- Each Kindness written by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by E. B. Lewis
- The Invisible Boy written by Trudy Ludwig and illustrated by Patrice Barton
Celebrating Courage and Creativity
- The Magical Yet written by Angela DiTerlizzi and illustrated by Lorena Alvarez
- The Dot written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
- The Book of Mistakes written and illustrated by Corinna Luyken
- What Do You Do With an Idea? written by Kobi Yamada and illustrated by Mae Besom
Upper Elementary Read Aloud
As an upper elementary teacher (I teach fourth grade), this is my favorite and first chapter book read aloud of the school year…
I always start the year with Wishtree by Katherine Applegate. This delightful story has short chapters; we read a few each day. It is a pretty easy read, lighthearted, endearing, humorous at times, heartwarming, and perfect to start the school year because it does a beautiful job exploring friendship, community, inclusion, and empathy. It is LOVELY and this story leads to many rich conversations. Here you can read my full review and find extension activities and resources for teaching.
We watch this book trailer together before we start reading. My scholars love to come up with noticings and wonderings about the story after watching the book trailer before we launch into the book.
Samantha Cronin's Kid Lit Library 