Community Building Picture Books for Upper Elementary Students

If you are like me, you read many, many picture books during the first few weeks of school to settle into new routines and discuss the new school year’s expectations. What better way to build relationships than by getting cozy with your new students in your freshly organized classroom library and discussing exciting new books?  

Picture books are also a great way to begin discussions about your classroom community. My goal is always to create a classroom atmosphere where students feel safe to take risks and feel a sense of belonging, not just for back-to-school season but for the entire school year.  

The picture books listed below are my go-to books. I love to read them with my new students to begin creating a strong classroom community. These books allow for meaningful discussions and role-playing activities and have similar themes.

What I love about each of these books is that they have a main character who changes throughout the story, allowing for comparison and contrast of not just the stories but also the characters. 

Be sure to grab the free printable activities to use with these books at the bottom of this post!

1. Weslandia Written by Paul Fleischman

This is one of my favorite books to read and refer back to all year long. This book is about a boy who feels like he doesn’t fit in with his peers and is strong enough to not be a follower to all the current trends. Instead, he begins his own land where he is free to be himself.  The land he creates reflects his interests and his unique personality. He finds out that by being himself, he ends up with more friends than he could imagine. A fun follow up activity is for students to create their own land based on their interests and unique personalities. This is a great way for students to get to know one another, too. This is a definite must-read! 

2. One Written by Kathryn Otoshi

This book is filled with many metaphors, but truly perfect for any grade level. The main character of this book is Blue, who normally likes himself, except when hot-headed Red is around. With the backing of his colorful friends and a new friend too, Blue has the courage to stand up to Red. This book offers the opportunity to discuss how students can work together to look out for one another in your budding new classroom community. This cleverly written book will become your new favorite back to school read-aloud! 

3. The Invisible Boy Written by Trudy Ludwig

This book is about a quiet boy named Brian who literally feels invisible everywhere he goes while at school. The illustrations are amazing, with colors that reflect how Brian is feeling. When Brian is feeling invisible he is drawn in black and white. Brian becomes more colorful as his feelings change and he becomes visible to his peers at school. This story is very relatable, allowing students to make connections on each and every page. 

Bonus Book Suggestion #1: Out of Nowhwere by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

This book is one that you will love to read to kick off the school year and then again to wrap up the school year as it celebrates the power of friendships. This book follows the friendship of Beetle and his friend Caterpillar as they became fast friends out of nowhere. But one day, Caterpillar disappears and so Beetle's search begins to find his missing friend. With obstacles in front of him, and distance between them, Beetle learns that true friendship endures changes!

Bonus Book Suggestions #2: The Together Tree by Aisha Saeed

The Together Tree, written by Aisha Saeed, is a must-read in every classroom during the back-to-school season! this story follows Rumi in his new school. The other kids do not welcome Rumi. He is teased for his shoes and the kids laugh at him, so he ends up spending recess alone under a big tree. After one student, Asher throws a rock at him, things change. Some other students go over to Rumi to check to see if he is okay. This sparks Rumi's beginning of new friendships. Over the next few days, Rumi shares the drawings he has made under the tree. By the end of the story, Rumi includes Asher in his new friendship group. I especially love the author's note at the end of this book! This is a must-read page as it sheds light on the true story that inspired the book!

These stories can be easily compared and contrasted by students in small groups after reading them aloud. With such similar themes, your students will have so much to talk about! Grab the free activities and discussion questions at the bottom of this post.

Kick off your classroom community discussions easily with these books. Use one a week for a few weeks, or one a day for a full week. Don;t forget to reveist these books all year long to keep your positive classroom community strong!

Looking to continue to discuss classroom community with your students each day? These quotes are a great way to engage students in discussing important themes like kindness, friendships, and, of course, community building! Perfect for morning meeting time or after-recess discussions.

You would love to also read:

Building Classroom Community Activities

Simple Ways to Bring Kindness into Your Classroom

Reading Strategy Activities to Use All Year Long

Kicking off Reading Workshop in Your Classroom

Grab this must-have Community Building Pack!

Check out my favorite bulletin boards to keep your classroom community strong like this one!

 

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*affiliate links: “Think Grow Giggle is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.” (source: Section 5)

4 Read Aloud Books for the End of the School Year Upper Elementary

It seems that each year, the school year flies by faster than the year before! September, November, the holiday season, February, BLINK, and suddenly, it is the end of the school year and you are looking for that perfect read aloud for your upper elementary classroom!

Those last few weeks of school are as crazy as the first few. End-of-year assessments, report cards, assemblies, celebrations, and fitting in the last pieces of the curriculum. My plan book for the last few weeks of school fills up so quickly, which is why I can never plan too early for those memorable end-of-year activities and read-alouds. 

And I don’t know about your end-of-year schedule, but mine always seems to be choppy, with small windows of time to do activities here and there. To make the most of those in-between times, I like to be prepared with as many end of year activities as possible! These sweet picture books and activities are the perfect way to fill those holes and create even more unforgettable moments with your students.

Here are my favorite four picture books to read aloud during those last few weeks (or days) of school with your students. 

1. Breathe Written by: Scott Magoon

This book stumbled across my path recently, and I couldn’t be happier to have found it! What a sweet book that is a quick read perfect for that emotional last day of school!

This book can really stand alone as the last thing you do with your students before dismissal on the last day. Each page is incredibly meaningful with powerful words that not only represent the expectations that you had for each student during the school year but also the hopes that you have for your students for the summer and as they continue to grow. Have your students complete this illustration and writing companion activity about how they plan to spend their summer, following a read-aloud of this book. 

Grab the free activity to use with this book right here!

2. The Raft Written by: Jim LaMarche

If you follow me on social media, then you know I absolutely adore this book! 

We read it at the beginning of the year and refer back to it all year long during almost every reading unit. We use it to help identify character traits, how the character changes, theme, symbolism and just about any other reading topic you can think of. The main character in this book has to spend the summer with his outdoorsy grandmother who does not have a TV. The main character, Nicky, thinks he will have a terrible time but instead ends up having a summer filled with discovery. We can never get enough of this book! If you have already read it this year, revisit it and try this summer sketches and writing companion activity with your students to mirror what the main character does in the book. 

3. My Teacher Likes to Say Written by: Denise Brennan-Nelson

This book is so much fun to read and a perfect way to wrap up the school year! 

It is a compilation book of classic idioms, proverbs, and clichés that you have surely said at some point during the year! Not only does this book illustrate each saying to help them understand what each means, but the author explains each in detail. Wonder which one of your catchphrases has stuck with your students this year? Have your students complete this reflection activity all about you, after reading aloud this book. These come out adorable! Compile into a book for a fun memory book. 

4. Last Day Blues Written by: Julie Danneberg

Is there a more classic story to read to your students on the last day of school? This companion book to First Day Jitters, The Big Test, and First Year Letters, also written by Julie Dannenberg will give you and your students all the happy feelings as you realize your school year has come full circle, especially if you have read the other titles in this series during the year. 

The characters in Last Day Blues worry that their teacher will miss them all summer long (how sweet)! The book focuses on the students coming up with ways to make sure that their teacher is not sad all summer without them. It is a heartwarming story and your students will love to see these familiar characters once again. What better way to reflect upon this book, then by having your students illustrate and write about what they think YOU will do all summer long! Have your students create two different illustrations in the sunglasses on this page and write about the two things that they can "see" you doing over the summer. 

The end of the school year sure is an emotional roller coaster! Reading these books together at the end of the school year always help us to relax and reflect on the many days and memories we shared together. I look forward to sharing each and every one of these picture books with my students each year. I hope that you enjoy sharing them with your students, too! 

You will love to read:

End of Year Activities: For In Class and Remote Learning

End of Year Read Alouds

Must Do End of the Year Activity

Kick off Summer Reading in Your Classroom Now!

Tips for End of Year Projects

Check out my favorite end of year projects!
Like this one!

 

*affiliate links: “Think Grow Giggle is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.” (source: Section 5)