Read Aloud Linky Party

Hey guys...

I thought I would join Tracey at The Teacher's Chair for a linky that is close to my heart ...beginning of the year read alouds!

Those of you that know me...well, the hardest part is to not drop a ton of book titles here.

Hahaha...let's see..here are just a few faves..

 

I always start the first day of school with this cutie patootie from Melanie Watt!

My goal every year is to create a fun and safe place to learn, a place where every student is comfortable enough to step out into the unknown - something that cute little Scaredy Squirrel is just too afraid to do.

Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watts

This is always a student favorite (a teacher favorite too, but they all are it seems lol.) There is something silly and lighthearted about Scaredy Squirrel and his minute by minute schedule and list of fears. My kiddos are eager to find out if Scaredy will make it out of his tree. We refer back to Scaredy often as we talk about taking risks and being comfortable with our choices. Scaredy becomes our poster child for stepping outside our comfort zone and trying new things.

I also read another fun favorite of mine, Bark, George by Jules Feiffer. This is another of my just "put a smile" on their face stories. Even though we giggled along with it, we will come back and revisit this when we talk about different kinds of endings in our own writing. This is always a surprise ending for the kiddos, and it cracks me up to see those gaping smiles every time. 

As we continue to build a safe place to grow and learn from each other, this book is a MUST! The fact that it is illustrated by David Catrow only helps. I love anything illustrated by Mr. Catrow and usually will buy it without even reading it. There are a few of his that I will share early on, but let's start with Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell.

I feel like I say, "This is such a sweet story," so often, but this is really a sweet story! Not sure of how many other ways to say it. Molly Lou Melon is a precious character who is not afraid to be just that, her very own character. In our room it is perfectly fine to be different; that is what makes us special, and we will revel our differences and use them to help each other in every way possible! 

"Walk as proudly as you can and the world will look up to you."

This next one is a new one for me....I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ribbit! by Rodrigo Folgueira! Holy Cow...I couldn't get my own copy in my hands quick enough.  

Any..who....I must tell you about this precious story. Again, another awesome look at characters and common themes! I cannot say enough how much you will fall in love with this precious pink pig as he tries to win the hearts of a frog family that was firmly attached to their pond! In the end, the old wise beetle opens their eyes to the simple truth to their questions...who is he...what does he want?

The illustrations by Poly Bernatene are pure magic! I have spoke of him before in this previous post. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more of his amazing work!

Just look at those frogs...LOL

It does not get any better than listening to a little wit and wisdom from Grandma Dowdel! A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck is a book that I read early each year because without a doubt, we will refer back to it all year long! Grandma is such an amazing showcase of character traits, and the story is littered with figurative language! I usually have students won over with the first chapter, and I can also promise you the minute I read the last page, students are clamoring for the next book! Who would want to miss that? 

I was very fortunate to meet Mr. Peck at the Arkansas Reading Conference. "Giddy book nerd" does not even begin to describe what I looked like in line waiting to meet him, but what fun! I would just love to sit down and pick his brain for a while; such amazing talents he shares with his stories and unique characters!

Special day for me! LOVE me some Richard Peck :)

Like I said, I could go on and on...These are just a few of my faves, and those of you that have been with me from the beginning are probably familiar with them. If you have just started following me, well I am sure that you will see them again; hopefully with lots of new ones added!Happy reading, friends.


I just saw that Looney's Lit Blog is hosting a Wild About Read Alouds Linky...Deanne at First Grade and Fabulous is hosting a Picture Books for the First Week of School Linky and Jennifer at Elementary School Garden is hosting a Back to School Read Alouds Linky! How perfect... so I thought I would join in the fun!

Be sure to stop by their corners of the blogging world!

    

Looks like everyone is thinking about all the wonderful read alouds for the beginning of the year!