The fall is a great time to refresh your classroom or home library with new books! I have found 8 terrific new books that your class will love! They are new as of 2021 and you can find them at Amazon (just click on the cover images below), your local book shop, and your town and school libraries!
2021 Picture Books
Don’t Hug Doug by Carrie Finison
One of the major themes in children’s literature these days is consent. Don’t Hug Doug (He Doesn’t Like It) is a great book to help children with these concepts. Plus it’s told in a fun, relatable way.
Milo Imagines the World by Matt La Pena and Christian Robinson
Milo has a big imagination and he spends the story imagining what the lives of people he sees is like, and then draws what he imagines. He then realizes that one of his assumptions about someone was totally wrong. The story is a great message for children.
Big Feelings by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman
Kids have big feelings and this book reminds them (and us) that it’s okay to feel those feelings. The story helps children think about how they can handle setbacks in fun and helpful ways.
Send a Girl! The Story of How Women Joined the FDNY by Jessica Rinker
This book tells the story of the quest of Brenda Berkman to join the FDNY 30 years ago. It was a frustrating journey, and it helps us see it can take patience and perseverance (and strategies for dealing with problematic people) to meet your goals.
Keep reading for more new books your class will definitely enjoy!
Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler and Loren Long
It is refreshing to help students think about the essential jobs a person can do, besides being a professional athlete or Youtube “star”. This beautifully illustrated book explains that an architect might design a building but it takes builders, loggers, builders, engineers, electricians, welders, plumbers, steelworkers, stoneworkers, and more to finish the job!
A Pizza with Everything on It by Kyle Scheele and Andy Pizza
This book is a fantastical story (and it’s funny) that tells about a boy and his pizza baker dad, who make a pizza with (obviously) everything on it! Hilarious and creative!
Hair Twins by Rahkhee Mirchandani and Holly Hatam
This the story of an endearing Sikh daughter and father who share similar hair and bond through their daily routine. I love that this focuses on main characters of Indian descent which is not represented in many books at my school.
The Midnight Fair by Gideon Sterer and Mariachiara Di Giorgio
This book is wordless, with gorgeous and fascinating illustrations. There is so much to see in these illustrations and you can find animals and humans together in the human world. I picked this one as the final book to recommend since it is unique! Your students can imagine their own story!
Other Blog Posts to Help You with Teaching Reading
- 8 Ways to Use Pop Its to Engage Learners
- Reading Intervention All in One Place
- Reading Intervention: Where to Start
- Fun Ways to Practice Trick Words
- 10 Read Alouds that Might be New to You
