Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard tells a valuable story on being respectful towards your teacher/adults and being grateful for what/who you have. This is such a fun story for students to read or hear read aloud to them. It is light hearted and funny but still teaches a moral lesson. The students will learn the importance of being grateful for the people in your life and treating them with the respect they deserve. 

I would have students create a "Wanted" or "Missing Person" poster to find the two teachers, Miss Nelson and Miss Swamp. In the poster they would draw a picture of the missing character of their choice and write a brief description on the character. 

Wilma Jean the Worry Machine by Julia Cook is a new favorite Children's book of mine. This book spreads awareness of anxiety disorders in Children and young students. This topic is rarely discussed in the classroom, if ever. This book discusses anxiety in a way that is appropriate for all ages but also beneficial. This is a way to help students in a classroom without singling them about their anxiety, or worry. Many students will be able to relate to the main character, Wilma Jean, and her many worries about school. This relation to the text may be comforting to many students because they will realize that they are not alone in this feeling. 

This book would be an excellent read in the first week of school or once school has picked up and students have grown to dislike certain parts of the day. I would read this book aloud to the class, stopping to discuss the obstacles Wilma Jean is facing. At the end of the class I would have a discussion about the problem (Wilma Jean getting the worry flu because she was worrying so much) and solution (finding a way to concur her fears at school and wearing the worry hat). While discussing, I would create a class chart to document the student's responses. Then, I would ask students to draw a hat in the writing journal and draw a horizontal line in the middle (similar to how it was drawn in the book) to separate their personal worries that they can control and can't control. This would be private and would not be shared with the class.

Lexile Measure: AD630L

The Berenstain Bears Go to School by Stan and Jan Berenstain is a cute and relatable story on Brother and Sister Bears's fear of the first day of school. This book paints the picture of the first day of school that many readers, no matter how young or old, have painted once before. This book has an excellent message that no matter how scary something may seem, take a chance and you may be pleasantly surprised.

This is such a lighthearted and warming story that is inviting for young readers who are beginning school. I would read this book on the first day of school, especially if my students are Kindergarteners. After reading this book, I would connect it to a first day of school activity that allows students to share a little something about themselves. In higher grades, this book could be connected with decoding text to find the central message or finding the traits of characters.

Lexile: 520L
Accelerated Reader Level: 3.2

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson is a great novel that tells a touching story about friendship and loss. This novel is easily relatable to any audience as most have felt like an outsider at some point in their lives. It is easy to fall in love with the characters and relate to their conflicts in the novel.

This is a perfect novel for the classroom as it has a great deal of symbolism for students to learn from. The symbolism in this book can be broken down during class discussions and further enhanced through a variety of comprehension activities. There are endless possibilities to using this novel in the classroom!

Accelerated Reader Level: 7.0

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is a phenomenal classic for every generation! This book teachers such an important lesson that is appropriate for readers of all ages. I enjoy the simple illustrations and language which is great for beginning readers. The story line is easy to follow and interesting.

I would use this in the classroom when learning about finding the central message in a text. After a lesson on finding the central message, I would read this book aloud with my class and discuss the central message of this book with the students.

Accelerated Reader Level: 2.6