https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t en-us 2020-06-24 16:36:29 UTC 2025-12-09 16:06:21 UTC hello@padlet.com cstepp4 https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/638983781 Little Excavator is a cute book about a very small excavator who wishes he could do the things all the bigger ones do. He comes to find out that, because of his size, he can do some things that the bigger ones cannot! This book would be great for a discussion on how our differences that we often view as negative traits can actually be turned into positives, depending on the situation. Students can compare / contrast, and use prior knowledge to think about times when they wished they were bigger and times when being smaller was beneficial to them. Great vocabulary included in the book are: excavator, mighty, and jam. ]]> 2020-06-24 16:39:44 UTC https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/638983781 cstepp4 https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639029604 I am a Rainbow is a thoughtful book about emotions and how our emotions can not only change how we feel; they can affect others as well. The book states, "It's not always up to you, the way that you feel. But, how you act is a different deal." It is important for kids to be aware of their emotions and to understand that we are ALL a rainbow of emotions. An activity involving colors and emotions (the book focuses heavily on a color-emotion pairing/relationship on each page) could be great for this book. Great vocabulary include: jealous, courage, & filter. I am a Rainbow is slightly complex and would be a great read-aloud book for a kindergarten class od students working on expressing emotions in a healthy way. ]]> 2020-06-24 17:24:33 UTC https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639029604 cstepp4 https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639030288 Daniel's Good Day is a story about a young boy going on a walk to his grandma's house. He asks his neighbors: What does it mean to have a good day (for you)? Having a "good day" can mean something very different to everyone. This would be a great talking point in class and students could participate in a drawing / writing activity to feature what they think a "good day" consists of. This book, additionally, offers great illustrations and diverse characters. There is also a repetitive nature to the text so students working on phonemic awareness can benefit from this as a read-aloud. Great vocabulary words from the book include: neighborhood, steady, and shady. Daniel's Good Day is slightly complex and would be best suited for a kindergarten classroom read-aloud. ]]> 2020-06-24 17:25:12 UTC https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639030288 cstepp4 https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639032121 Tomorrow I'll Be Brave is a lovely picture book about all the ways that someone can be brave. The cover depicts outdoor adventures; students could discuss what could be challenging / fun about outdoor activities like mountain climbing, camping, etc. There are lots of adjectives in the book with accompanying pictures that students could discuss: How does this word fit this picture? What does it mean? The illustrations and text features in this book are beautiful. Great vocabulary words featured in this book include: adventurous, strong, and curious. Tomorrow I'll Be Brave is slightly complex and would work well as a read-aloud for a kindergarten class of students. ]]> 2020-06-24 17:27:00 UTC https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639032121 cstepp4 https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639032584 My Dog Laughs is a story about multiple pet owners (children) and their dogs. The book depicts owners who look like their dogs, dogs that look like one another, and different activities that they all like to do together. This book offers great opportunity for comparing / contrasting as well as an open background knowledge discussion with question/answer. There is also great diversity depicted, as well, as there are characters featured in wheelchairs, with glasses, etc. (My daughter wears glasses, so I always love characters in books who have them too so I can say - look! They have glasses like you!). Great vocabulary words from the book include: posture, graceful, & mistakes. My Dog Laughs is slightly complex and would be a great read-aloud for a kindergarten or first grade classroom. ]]> 2020-06-24 17:27:30 UTC https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639032584 cstepp4 https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639062615 There's a Hole in the Log is a wonderful, fun sing-along book for kids to really engage with. The text is very repetitive with additional lines being added on for each page, and students will have the opportunity to practice rhyming and phonemic awareness/fluency skills. It is important to keep reading aloud FUN for kids, and this book does just that by offering a sing-along type text. Great vocabulary words from the book include: chomp, snap, & gulp. There's a Hole in the Log is slightly complex best suited for very young children (probably pre-K or kindergarten) as a read-aloud. ]]> 2020-06-24 17:56:06 UTC https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639062615 cstepp4 https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639064777 The Wonky Donkey is a HILARIOUS story of a very unconventional donkey. This book is meant to make kids laugh, and it will definitely do just that. The book features funny illustrations and focuses a lot on rhyming and repetitive text; this will improve students' phonemic awareness and fluency. Great vocabulary words from the book include: wonky, honky-tonky, and mischief. The Wonky Donkey is slightly complex and, while it can get a laugh out of all ages, I would recommend it as a read-aloud for kindergarten students learning to repeat / rhyme. ]]> 2020-06-24 17:57:57 UTC https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639064777 cstepp4 https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639066723 Dream Big is a historical fiction picture book that offers a very simplified version of women's accomplishments in history. In the back of the book, there are illustrations of each of the characters from the pages that explain who they are (ex. Jane Goodall, Harriet Tubman). This book would be a wonderful opportunity to bring a taste of social studies / social justice into the classroom of younger children. The book, while very simple with very few words, offers important information about women in history and empowers students to say "I can dream big!" Great vocabulary from the book include: brave, vibrant and bold. Dream Big is slightly complex and would work well for a kindergarten or first grade classroom read-aloud. ]]> 2020-06-24 17:59:51 UTC https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639066723 cstepp4 https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639067468 What If is about a young girl who loves being creative and making art. She ponders: What if all my supplies were gone? She goes on to list all the things she could still do to create. This storyline would be a very thought-provoking one for students and they could consider what they would do to make art/be creative if they had no conventional supplies. An activity with unconventional and/or little to no supplies could be interesting to pair with this book for sparking creativity in the classroom. Great vocabulary from this book include: carve, chisel, & ignite. What If is slightly complex and would be a great read-aloud for kindergarten or first grade students. ]]> 2020-06-24 18:00:35 UTC https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639067468 cstepp4 https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639069149 I Like Myself is all about self-acceptance and appreciating the quirky qualities that make you YOU! When people challenge the character in the book for being too "wild" or too "different" the little girl does not care and goes on being her lovely self. This book would be great for an activity that involves students writing or drawing their favorite thing about themselves. It could also be a good exercise, too, to let students share one thing they love about another student in the room. Great vocabulary from the book include: wild & tame. I Like Myself is mildly complex and would be a great kindergarten read-aloud. ]]> 2020-06-24 18:02:25 UTC https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639069149 cstepp4 https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639076093 Gaston is an adorable book about a puppy who was switched at birth (his siblings and mother are poodles). They switch back but are not happy because they had grown to love and care for the families they knew, regardless if they did not look the same. This book offers great discussion about families who may not look like one another. Students can compare and contrast the puppies in the book (there are multiple chances to do so as the author prompts for it) and share any background they have about families that look differently from one another. Great vocabulary from the book include: proper, grace, & awkward. Gaston is moderately complex and would work well as a read-aloud in a K-2 grade classroom. ]]> 2020-06-24 18:09:36 UTC https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/639076093 cstepp4 https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/640308900 Isaac is a lovely book about a young boy named Isaac who has asperger's (he is on the autism spectrum). The book offers a great look into the brain of a kid with asperger syndrome and sheds light on how his symptoms can be used to his advantage as "super powers" in many cases. This book offers great opportunity for discussion about autism and what makes kids with autism awesome, and unique. Students can ask questions and offer prior knowledge. Great vocabulary words from the book include: asperger's, fidget, & rude. Isaac is slightly complex and would be ideal for a kindergarten or first grade read aloud. ]]> 2020-06-25 18:38:24 UTC https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/640308900 cstepp4 https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/640309677 Stuck is a book about a young boy trying to get his kite out of a tree. He keeps getting items stuck in the tree trying to free it, and the storyline gets more bizarre as he begins to throw gigantic objects. While this book is intended to get a laugh from students (it is really funny!) it could also be a great opportunity for problem solving skills to be discussed. What could he do instead of throwing things at the tree to free his kite? What parts of the story could actually happen in real life and what objects are WAY too big to actually be thrown by a young boy? Great vocabulary words from the book include: unbelievably, fetched, & flung. Stuck is slightly complex and would be ideal for a read-aloud for kindergarten or first grade students. ]]> 2020-06-25 18:39:13 UTC https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/640309677 cstepp4 https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/640317995 Just Ask is a wonderful book about kids with disabilities and health concerns. Throughout, the audience (reader) is asked questions and prompted to think about what has been read / ask their own questions. It is important for younger kids to understand that children with disabilities and health concerns are just like us - they may just need to go about their everyday lives a little differently! Using this text as a learning experience and a safe-space for question asking and learning is ideal. Students could also use background knowledge to see if they know anyone like the kids depicted in the book. Great vocabulary words from the book include: dyslexia, asthma, and autism. Just Ask is moderately complex and would be great for a K-3 grade classroom of students. ]]> 2020-06-25 18:47:58 UTC https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/640317995 cstepp4 https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/640321876 The Skin You Live In opens the door for great discussion about diversity and how it is AMAZING that we are all beautiful in the skin that we were born into. The book goes on to talk about, too, how our beauty is also MUCH deeper than our skin. Focusing on reading comprehension would be key for this text because it is so important that students see the beauty in being unique. Great vocabulary words from the book include: shades, hues, & beam. The Skin You Live In is slightly complex and would be a great read-aloud for a kindergarten or first grade classroom of students. ]]> 2020-06-25 18:52:16 UTC https://padlet.com/cstepp4/3s4gsfa4i1ub788t/wish/640321876