Show & Tell Tuesday-Read Alouds

 I'm excited about linking up with Denise for Show & Tell Tuesday-Read Alouds (so many great recommendations)! Without a doubt, read alouds are my favorite time of the day!!! The rich discussions, deep thinking, and collaboration that goes on during this time in my classroom makes my head spin...literally! I have so many favorites, but I'm going to condense my list to 3 picture books and 3 chapter books. I guess this gives me another thing to post about at a later date! I'm very fortunate and have a big massive collection of books and can't read them all in one year, but my "MUST-HAVES" include:

 Faithful Elephants is a true account of the war in Japan during WWII told from the perspective of the zookeeper.This book is as incredible as it is sad. It shows children the impact of war without violence, but may be for an older audience. This book will definitely tug at your heart! That being said, the passion and emotion I get from my students writing responses to this book is incredible!

Warning: I've NEVER read it without crying!

 A must read for February: Henry's Freedom Box is a true account of the Underground Railroad. It's inspiring and touching. This short narrative has gorgeous illustrations (Caldecott Honor) and keeps you on the edge of your seat to see if Henry makes it!.

Just read this one last week! It seems like I'm recommending a lot of heartbreaking stories (my students say EVERY book I read is sad!), but they spark so much emotion, which makes for great lessons in reading and writing! This narrative is also about the Underground Railroad, but is told from the rag doll's perspective. It's a creative book to teach students about this subject. 

 

 OMG! Stumptown Kid is such a suspenseful action-packed novel! You and your students will find yourselves cheering out loud during this read aloud! It sparks many feelings: from outrage to extreme delight! Although it has a baseball theme, boys and girls love it! It's set during segregation and teaches kids about equality. This book fits so many themes: overcoming challenges, equality, teamwork, believe in yourself, friendship, the list goes on and on.

An all time favorite! (Love Jerry Spinelli) Just finished this novel last week-it has a twist ending, leaving us up in the air. As much as my students begged me to read so we could finish the book, they didn't want it to end! The main character has so much weight on his shoulders and has big decisions to make for a 10 year old. Students can easily make connections with this book because they can relate to peer pressure, love for animals, secrets, and fitting in. You won't be sorry if you read this one! We're working on a project that I'll be posting by the end of the week. It's my latest creation and my students are thrilled about it! (Stay tuned so you can learn more!) 

 A classic-Hatchet. Every time I read this book (at least a dozen times) I find something new and interesting! It's a story of survival (physically and mentally). Brian struggles with giving up and losing hope, but soon realizes his positive attitude is his key to survival. Gary Paulsen's craft is easy to spot in this book and I love that my students start copying his style in their own writing...makes me so happy!

 

These are my LBBs (little black books) for my classroom. I hope you will use one in your classroom! I've love to hear your favorite read aloud. Please share below.