Oh, April! The month of Springtime, new beginnings, eggs, Easter, Earth Day, and National Poetry Month! Now, that April has arrived let's get your classroom library ready. Today I want to share with you some of my favorite books that I used in my classroom. These books will easily become a hit in your classroom as well! Come check out some of my favorites!
1. The Easter Bunny's Assistant
The reason I love this book is that it's adorable and perfect for 1st-2nd graders. The book is about a rabbit who is getting ready for Easter. A cute little skunk wants to help and gets so excited he can't control his gas. My students always laughed every time we read this book! For an extension activity, you can have your students complete the Family Art Project Disguise an Easter Bunny. You will find that your students will come up with the most creative disguises and they will be so excited to share! As an added bonus you can turn the project into a cute bulletin board!
2. What a Waste
In honor of Earth Day, this book is the perfect way to introduce environmental issues to your students. The book focuses on recycling, pollution, litter, and renewable energy with much more in between. Another reason I love this book is that it presents information in a way that young children can understand and the illustrations are beautiful! If you are looking for a great extension activity try this Earth Day Craft for Geometry. This is a fun and interactive project that can be turned into a bulletin board added to windows or displayed in your hallway.
3. Bunny's Book Club
This book is another favorite of mine and will have your students wanting to go to the library! It's a wonderful story about a bunny who wants to read and sneaks into the library at night to take home books. Soon he starts bringing his friends and they all start taking books. Until one morning they get caught! Don't worry the librarian gives the bunnies their very own library card. They are now able to check out books as often as they would like and in the end, a book club is started.
4. Giraffes Can't Dance
In honor of National Poetry Month, I had to mention this wonderful book! I love the message of this book which focuses on confidence and positive self-esteem. The book is about a giraffe named Gerald who wants to dance but is constantly made fun of by the other animals. He finally meets a cricket that tells him everyone is able to accomplish their dreams. I never get tired of reading this book and the illustrations are so fun and full of detail!
5. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Chick!
I mentioned in my March Read Alouds blog post that I love “There was an old lady” books as they remind me of my childhood and my students always thought they were hilarious! This particular book is no different and a great book to tie into Spring or Easter time. This is also a wonderful book for beginning readers although, I feel any age group would particularly enjoy this book.
So, there you have it! Those are some of my favorite books for the month of April. I know there are many other books that I did not mention. What is one of your favorite April read alouds? Comment below and share your favorite book. I always love finding new ones to read!
