As we prepare to head back to school this year, things are anything but ordinary. Despite all the unknowns, the value of sharing picture books with our students (either virtually or face-to-face) has not changed. Picture books have the power to create a welcoming, compassionate, and inclusive environment in your classroom.

When you share a picture book with your class, your students are likely to refer back to it again and again. Students will remember the books you read and will often reminisce about reading them. The words “Do you remember when we read?” will fill your classroom so often that you can’t help but smile when you step back and realize the impact the book has had.

picture books improve reading, writing, and literacy analysis

When listening to or reading to a picture book, students are given the opportunity to engage with and understand the story elements, allowing them to deepen their comprehension. As the readers move through the story, they can make inferences and predict what will happen next. Picture books provide the perfect opportunity for a mini-lesson on elements of literacy such as plot, setting, character analysis, imagery, symbolism, foreshadowing, dialogue, word choice, and theme.

Regardless of what skill you are working on in writing, there is a picture book that will serve as a model for author’s craft in that type of writing. Looking to improve sentence structure, dialogue, descriptive language, mechanics, or writer’s voice? Pulling excerpts from engaging picture books allows students to see the technique being used by a real author, making it easier to apply it to their own writing.

picture books can teach complex matters in a simple way

When I want to reach that one student that is so quiet that they seem to go unnoticed by the others in the class, I reach for The Invisible Boy. When I want to remind my students of the impact our actions can have on one another, I read Each Kindness, Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Day, or Malala’s Magic Pencil. When a student has seemed to forget that they are perfect just the way they are, I encourage them to read The Box Turtle or Carl and the Meaning of Life. If it seems like a reminder on the importance of honesty would be a timely lesson, I reach for The Empty Pot, A Bike Like Sergio, or A Day’s Work. While no picture book can provide all the needed social and emotional learning and the depth required, the books do provide the opportunity to start those meaningful discussions with our kids. Many believe that picture books are just for “little kids” when in fact many pictures books are just waiting to be shared with students of any age so that they can pull the message from the text and make connections and applications to their lives.

For the past ten years, Cathy and Mandy have shared #PB10FOR10 or 10 picture books that are must-haves for your classroom or personal book collections. I chose each book in this collection for the valuable and timely message it shares with kids.

10 Positive Picture Books #PB10FOR10.png

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