An important decision that you will have to make as an educator, will be which kindergarten books to read. In this fourth post about the kindergarten classroom environment, I will give you some ideas and guidance on how to pick books for your classroom library and for read-alouds.

Which books are a favorite in your classroom? Let me know in the comments!

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Kindergarten Books to Read

I like to be critical when I am choosing new books to add to my classroom library. When I first started teaching, I would find inexpensive books or ones that I thought would be ‘cute’. Now I take a more critical look at the books that I am picking out and finding ones that best fit the needs of my students.

Inspire and Provoke Learning

Some of the books I pick out are because I know that they will be able to spark some curiosity or enhance learning. For example, when putting out a math provocation, I love having a book to go along with the concept (Math Counts books are amazing for this). I have a blog post with lots of math book ideas for the beginning of the school year.

I also use them for literacy or science, art and building. Anytime I set up a provocation, I try to have a book that students can reference or get inspired by.

A lot of the time, I reach out to the teacher-librarian at our school to help me find books about a subject. If you do not have a library at your school, the local library can also be a great resource for books. I don’t think I would be able to buy books for every inquiry or provocation that happens in the classroom!

Windows and Mirrors

Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop wrote an essay that I have quoted and used many times as a kindergarten educator. If you have not had the chance to read it yet, you should go do that now (it is 2 pages so no excuse!)

Now, when picking out books to add to my classroom library, I look at them through the lens of windows and mirrors to help me choose. These are usually books that I purchase to keep in my classroom all year long.

My most recent purchase of books was It’s a Mitig! and Brown: The Many Shades of Love. Check those out if you are looking for new kindergarten books to read.

Let me know in the comments what your favourite kindergarten books to read are!

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