Back to School Picture Books and Read Alouds for the Elementary Classroom (2022)

The first six weeks of school help set the foundation for the remainder of the year – from establishing routines and agreements to developing goals and a classroom identity (Responsive Classroom). As you begin building your classroom community, consider starting the year off with read alouds and discussions about themes in picture books. In this blog post, I’m sharing some of my favorite back-to-school picture books and read alouds for the elementary classroom.

All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold

Celebrate diversity and inclusion in your classroom with All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold, a New York Times bestseller for back to school!

Our Class is a Family by Shannon Olsen

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

Teach students about empathy in this silly, fun read aloud, We Don’t Eat Our Classmates.

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson

Students will learn about courage and individuality in this award-winning and best-selling picture book, The Day You Begin, by Jacqueline Woodson.

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

A back-to-school read aloud list wouldn’t be complete without Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, a classic story about identity and individuality.

If I Built a School by Chris van Dusen

Encourage students to dream big this school year with If I Built a School by Chris van Dusen (this book also makes for a great STEM activity!).

Thank You!

Thank you for reading this blog post, featuring my favorite picture books and read alouds for back to school in the elementary classroom! What other books would you add to this list? Let me know in the comments below!

Disclaimer: This blog post may contain affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, I may receive a small portion of the sale, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I absolutely love!

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