Booklists
There are so many wonderful new children's and young adult books published each year -- and there is a lot of dreck out there too. We aim to be curators as we sort through, organize, and group books so that you can find just what you need. Whether it's mentor texts for a unit on persuasive writing, or just-right books for a fifth-grade English language learner, we've scoured lists of award winners, recommendations from colleagues, and the Kidlitsophere to come up with these lists.
Latest Content
What I Am Reading the First Week of School
Jen Court plans to fill the first days of first grade with experiences around books. Selecting books carefully to create a sense of community in the classroom from the very beginning is the goal of this first-week booklist.
Befriending Characters in Times of Grief (Booklist)
Melissa Quimby shares a booklist that offers comforting characters to befriend in times of grief. This is a staple for all classrooms.
Bring Me Something Funny (Booklist)
Cathy Mere offers a booklist in response to a teacher’s response to “Bring me something funny.” These books are sure to fill your classroom with lighthearted laughter.
Creating Thematic Text Sets for Inquiry
Stephanie Affinito guides us to carefully curate text sets so that not only are they suited to students’ interests, but students are guided through the sequence of reading them. There’s no better way to launch students’ curiosity and reading motivation!
Five Books for Teacher Reflection
Stephanie Affinito offers five picture books to encourage teachers to relax and consider how to prioritize their own wellness.
Transitional Chapter Books: A Deeper Look at Features and Formats (Booklist)
Josie Stewart and Hannah Tills share a robust booklist for transitional chapter books. There is more incidental representation than ever, and a variety of formats welcome young readers to chapter books.
Intergenerational Booklist
Bitsy Parks shares the process of building a booklist to deepen the connections and synthesis of culture, family structure, and experiences. Use this booklist of 10 picture books to lead a powerful conversation in your classroom and empower young students to grow in their analysis.
Novels in Verse (Booklist)
Leigh Anne Eck curates a fantastic booklist of novels in verse for middle-grade and young adult readers.
What Criteria Should We Use When Selecting Whole-Class Texts?
Christy Rush-Levine reminds us that text selection affects students. By shaping a unit of study to contain texts of varying formats and representing a wide variety of characters, students are empowered to develop their own ideas even while reading a whole-class text. Download a diverse text list to deepen a discussion of how family shapes identity.
Book Talk: Sheets and Delicates by Brenna Thummler
Christy Rush-Levine pairs Brenna Thummler’s books Sheets and Delicates in a book talk for her sixth-grade class.
Books to Fuel Creativity and Imagination
Stella Villalba shares books that will fuel your creativity and nourish your imagination.
Picture Books that Help Construct a Wider Definition of Home
Stella Villalba compiles a book list about the topic of home. She shares the way she allows students to co-construct their own understanding of home by using picture books that provide a variety of lenses through which to view the topic.
Lead with Art, and Literacy Will Naturally Follow
Stella Villalba widens our perspective by sharing the link between art and literacy with suggested picture books to help build the bridge.
Beyond Personal Narrative: A Change in Perspective
Cathy Mere nudges us to consider perspective as a craft move and provides a stack of mentor texts in this book list.
Building Informed Empathy with Picture Books
Nawal Qarooni Casiano shares three gorgeously varied picture books and guiding questions designed to cultivate an inquisitive stance and informed empathy in students.
Best Graphic Novel Adaptations for the Middle Grades
Shari Frost shares her favorite graphic novel adaptations for the middle grades.
Picture Books That Affirm and Celebrate Students’ Identities
Stella Villalba shares 2020 picture books to celebrate and affirm students’ identities.
Issues Overload
Shari Frost finds that the issues students may be dealing with in some children’s books can be overwhelming. She shares some of her favorite books for grappling with one troubling topic at a time.
Picture Books for Mental Wellness
Mandy Robek learns a lot about worry from her daughter, and discovers a treasure trove of picture books to promote mental wellness and help students cope with difficult emotions.
Meet Someone New Monday: Using Picture Book Biographies to Bring Marginalized Voices into the Classroom
Melissa Quimby creates “Meet Someone New Monday” to inspire students with picture book biographies of little-known artists, activists, and citizens who accomplish remarkable feats.
Letting Students Organize Informational Books
Mandy Robek is a little nervous about setting her students loose to organize informational texts, but she couldn’t be more pleased by what they learn in the process.
Reassuring Worried Children with Picture Books
Mandy Robek learns a lot about worry from her daughter, and at the same time discovers a treasure trove of children’s books to help students overcome worries.
Reading and Writing for the 100th Day of School
The 100th day of school has become an opportunity for classroom and schoolwide celebrations. Shari Frost provides many resources to ensure reading and writing are front and center on this special day.
Raising Student Voices: Mentor Texts
Helping students find and raise their voices so that they can someday change the world is one of the most important things we do. Cathy Mere shares some of her favorite mentor texts for this essential work.
Detour Texts
Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan explain the concept of “detour texts”—picture books to use as mentor texts in the intermediate grades to illustrate complex literary elements. They also share three of their favorite new children’s books to use as detours.
Expanding Black History Month Reading
A heavy sigh from a student is a cue to Shari Frost that he has heard the same Martin Luther King picture book biography one too many times in February. She shares her top picture book picks for expanding children’s awareness of black history all year long.
Picture Book Biographies
Stella Villalba shares some of her favorite new picture book biographies for bringing history to life for young learners, with a focus on perseverance.
Refugees: A Children’s Booklist
There is probably no population more misunderstood or vilified than refugees. Stella Villalba shares a booklist to help young students understand the refugee's plight and experiences.
Comics and Graphic Novels for Tweens
Comic books and graphic novels are genres tweens adore, but teachers sometimes struggle to embrace. Ruth Shagoury creates a booklist with engaging books in the genre any teacher would enjoy.
Books on a Budget
There are scores of new children’s books that continually tempt teachers. But how do you stock your classroom library with a limited budget? Shari Frost shares proven strategies.
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