Books to Use at the Beginning of the Year

Books to use at the Beginning of the Year

For a launching unit, you can really use almost any book. Here are some things I’m thinking about in building this stack.

·  Favorite books that I’ll use throughout the year that I want to introduce early on.

·  Books that are both story books and list books (including some list books that teach you about a topic).

·  I want at least some of them to be books where the author and illustrator are the same person.

·  If I’m combining a Launching unit with a unit on Where Writers Get Ideas, or Reading Like a Writer, or and Illustration Study, then I’ll want to include books from those stacks (some of which are the same anyway).

·  Books that will engage young children, books they’ll particularly enjoy

Some favorite books to start the year.

*some more appropriate for PreK, some K, some for 1st/2nd

Roller Coaster – Marla Frazee (story)

Knuffle Bunny- Mo Willems (story)

Knuffle Bunny Too and Knuffle Bunny Free- Mo Willems (story)

Wemberly Worried – Kevin Henkes- (story)

Birds- Kevin Henkes (list)

How to Heal a Broken Wing- Bob Graham (story)

Let’s Get a Pup Said Kate- Bob Graham (story)

The Trouble With Dogs Said Dad –Bob Graham (story)

City Dog, Country Frog- Mo Willems, John Muth (story)

Dogs- Emily Gravett (list)

Trucks Whizz Zoom Rumble- Patricia Hubbell (list)

A Nonfiction Books about Trucks (or another pairing of a list book and a nonfiction book on the same topic. ) (list)

Several Nonfiction books

Bat Loves the Night – Nicola Davies (or another favorite Nicola Davies book) (lit. nonfiction)

Clip Clop- Nicola Smee (story)

Night at the Fair- Donald Crews (list)

My Big Brother or My Big Sister- Valerie Fischer (list)

Freight Train- Donald Crews (list)

Mud- Mary Lyn Ray (list)

Walk On- Marla Frazee (list)

In My New Yellow Shirt- Eileen Spinelli (list)

All the Places to Love- Patricia McLaughlin (list)

Owl Babies- Martin Waddell (story)