Have you ever tried to get a child to bed? Even now, my 12 year old struggles with going to bed. Imagine that you’re this incredibly nice granny, willing to do anything to help your grandson go to bed. Then imagine that his needs are UNending! This very funny book kept my kindergarten and first graders laughing and laughing as granny makes her grandson Patrick a bed (from scratch), a pillow (from scratch), a blanket and a teddy bear only to find that when he has everything he needs, it’s morning. WHAAAT! I’m not sure this book will put anyone’s children to sleep, but it will keep them laughing. Enjoy!
Kindergarten read aloud
All posts in the Kindergarten read aloud category
Over and Under the Snow, by Kate Messner
Published January 3, 2013 by Dagmar
This book is wonderful and so eye-opening for my students, many of whom live in urban Oakland and haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing a snowfall. I love asking my first graders to close their eyes and imagine the cold and the soft snow beneath them. Then, we talk about all the different animals that live above and below the snow. The illustrations, by Christopher Silas Neal, are wonderful.
Synopsis: A father and his daughter ski through the woods. The father explains about all the different animals living above and below the snow, including owls, shrews, deer, deer mice, voles, snowshoe hares, bullfrogs, foxes, chipmunks, black bears and bumble bees.
Press Here, by Herve Tullet
Published December 28, 2012 by Dagmar
If you’ve ever wanted to make a young audience scream with delight, read them this book. You’ll need an audience volunteer. Press Here is magical. Not only did my older students absolutely loved it, but my younger students are completely overjoyed by it. I had to ask them to keep it down, or the fifth grade next door wouldn’t be able to work! (My first graders even recognized a pattern in the book and started chanting it.) Highly recommended as a read aloud.
Synopsis: Follow the instructions in the book (involving pressing dots, shaking the book or clapping) to see what happens. Is it magic? Maybe!
Kitten’s First Full Moon, by Kevin Henkes
Published December 12, 2012 by Dagmar
Kevin Henkes is a well-loved author. With very little text and simple black and white drawings, this book is perfect for read alouds with young students. Kitten wants a glass of milk and mistakes the moon and then the moon’s reflection for a bowl of milk. Poor kitten! Luckily, kitten goes home and finds a nice glass of milk.
“Stand Back, Said the Elephant, “I’m Going to Sneeze!” by Patricia Thomas
Published December 6, 2012 by Dagmar
Oh, oh. The Elephant is going to sneeze. The last time he sneezed, terrible things happened. This was a very fun book that was applauded after I read it to our pre-k class today.
Synopsis: Elephant warns everyone that he’s about to sneeze. Every animal begs him not to sneeze, because the last time he sneezed, the monkeys were blown out of the trees, feathers were blown off all the birds, the fur was blown off the bear, etc. Luckily, a little mouse scares the elephant just enough that he forgets to sneeze. Everything looks like it will end well, until the elephant falls to the ground laughing, because he didn’t sneeze. Oh, oh!
Cat Up a Tree, by John and Ann Hassett
Published December 6, 2012 by Dagmar
Such a funny book! A great read aloud for K-2.
Synopsis: Nana Quimby sees cats up a tree and calls for help. Every person she calls, including the fireshouse, the post office, the police station and city hall all say they can’t help. Soon there are forty cats up a tree! Finally Nana lets the cats into her house. When the mayor calls reporting mice everywhere in town, Nana Quimby gives him her own, very unhelpful response.
Over the River and Through the Wood, by Lydia Maria Child
Published November 28, 2012 by DagmarA timeless classic with beautiful woodcut illustrations by Christopher Manson. Perfect for a Thanksgiving holiday read for younger students. My students love to sing it with me (even if they don’t know all the words). 😉
A Sick Day for Amos McGee, by Philip C. Stead
Published November 17, 2012 by Dagmar
A sweet story about friendship. Great for pre-school and kindergarten read alouds.
Synopsis: Amos McGee is a zookeeper who takes the bus each day to go to the zoo. Although he has lots of work to do, he always finds time for his friends. The elephant loves chess, the tortoise loves to race, the penguin loves to sit quietly, the rhinoceros always needs a handkerchief for his runny nose, and the owl likes to have stories read to him, because he is afraid of the dark. When Amos is sick and can’t come to work, the animals get on the bus and go to see him. One by one, they take care of Amos, just as he always takes care of them.
Room on the Broom, by Julia Donaldson
Published November 15, 2012 by Dagmar
While I’m still remembering my Halloween read alouds, I want to mention one of my favorites. Room on the Broom combines great rhyming with enough repetition to keep even the youngest listener engaged. The illustrations, by Alex Scheffler, are great and the story funny and sweet. I read this to my pre-k and K classes.
Synopsis: A witch is flying on her broomstick with her cat and drops her hat. A dog finds it but asks, “Is there room on the broom for me?”. As the story progresses, the witch drops a stunning number of things and gives a ride to many different creatures. When the witch’s broom snaps in half, all her passengers fall into a bog. She flies into a cloud, only to meet a fierce dragon who wants to eat her. All of her animal friends gather themselves together. Covered with bog slime and stacked one on top of the other, they look so fearsome, they scare the dragon away. Left without a broom, the witch and her friends make a brew and create a spectacular new broomstick with room for everyone.
Sing, Sophie, Sing! by Dayle Ann Dodds
Published November 10, 2012 by DagmarSing, Sophie, Sing! by Dayle Ann Dodds never fails to get laughs when I read it aloud. I think it works best with kindergarten and 1st graders. There are lots of funny phrases. If you can sing and pull off a southern accent, all the better.
Synopsis: Sophie’s singing and guitar strumming bothers everyone in her family until a big thunderstorm scares her little brother. When Sophie stops Baby Jacob’s tears, everyone finally appreciates her singing.
Kids' Lit Corner 