2023 was an excellent year for reading! Here are some of my favorite picture books, nonfiction books, biographies, and more.
This was one of my favorite books of the year. The story is silly and weird and kids will love it. Upper elementary will get a kick out of it!
Another favorite of the year. I LOVE when a picture book includes a nonfiction fact and the picture book revolves around the fact. Love.
SEL but make it funny! It has some valuable information on how not to blow your top but it’s also realistic. Love Ame Dykeman.
Hello adorable series with animal facts! I am always on the hunt for nonfiction that can be read aloud, especially to younger students.
Jan Thomas!! Loved this one. It’s perfect for a lesson for…problem solving. See what I did there?
Give this book to your teachers who are tired of the same “how-to” mentor texts. It’s fun and both teachers and kids will enjoy it.
Read aloud and hear the giggles! Perfect for pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, second grade…because let’s be honest. All kids want to laugh.
One of my favorite nonfiction books of the year. It works perfectly to kick off space research.
I bet your fairytale section needs weeding. Get this book. Read it aloud. Share it with your teachers.
PERFECT for digital citizenship, or dinosaur research, or if you want to simply enjoy a read aloud with students. Love it.
I love pandas and red pandas, so I may be biased about this book BUT I love it. Make sure to check out the end pages! End papers? I don’t know.
Everybody loves seasonal read alouds and this is a great new one. Share with your teachers or read it yourself!
Is it fiction? Is it nonfiction? What will your students think? What will you think?
SEL alert! This one was interesting and not too long for a read aloud. I loved it!
Elbert! You can’t go wrong with a Jerome Pumphrey illustrator study and this is a great addition.
I I love this one was older students. It works for younger students too but it’s always fun to see what older students think about it.
Who doesn’t love Santa Shark? Mike Lowery’s illustrations are fabulous and he is a great illustrator to study!
Everyone predicted this would win the Caldecott and they were right. It’s a fabulous book.
Pigeon is back and up to no good. Kids will love it and you’ll never see it on your shelves again.
This series is quick and short for when you don’t have a lot of time for a read aloud.
A duck and an SEL message that’s not too in-your-face? Yes, please.
If you read one biography this year…read this one. Perfect for anytime of year and pairs perfectly with a biography project.
One of my new favorite Christmas books. Author study or illustrator study, or both?
Perfect for fifth grade – the comic format and subject will keep their interest!
I I love this book and think it’s great for teaching digital citizenship. You can also use it for animal research, or just a fun read aloud.
I know a lot of people love fall books, but I think I love winter books the most. This one was adorable.
I had this as a Caldecott contender and I still love it! The illustrations are great and so is the music theme.
There were so many good Christmas books this year. I absolutely loved this one.
One of my favorite early comics for kindergarten and first grade. There are few words but the stories are great.
I like this Fox book! He’s got major problems which of course lends itself to problem solving lessons.
If your teachers are looking for SEL books, share this one! It’s not too long and has a great message.
I love this series. You can use it for so many things like illustrator, growth mindset, perseverance, or an author/illustrator study.
This series is one of my favorites. Read it under a document camera so everyone can see the details in the illustrations.
A new favorite nonfiction series! Open to random pages and read the crazy facts, and use it to study author’s purpose!
Have I mentioned I love nonfiction? This book makes a great nonfiction read aloud and I chose it for my Mock Caldecott.
This book is a great kickoff for teaching about octopus facts or finding facts from a book or database.
Check back for more books!
