Books for teaching kids to “Read the Pictures” Part 2

I think this long weekend is supposed to help me rest up and feel more prepared for the kids that are coming oh so soon – but instead I kind of feel like it is prolonging my anxiety and making me bite my nails more and making me feel like maybe I should go into school the whole 3 days because there is so much to do and it will never be done and the kids will come in and tie me up and I will be on the nightly news as the teacher with the crazy kinders that escaped….. can anyone relate?

These long weekends make me appreciate this quote – which is definitely relatable… I have quite the number of things that are going back and forth from school to home!

The long weekend does give me some added, much needed time to plan and prepare for my little dears, especially in regards to read alouds for the start of school. In my last post about my favorite books for teaching the strategy of “Read the Pictures” I showed you an awesome story that students love, and today I bring you two more!

First up….  an all time favorite that you probably already own, Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann.

This nearly wordless book is so fun and the kids are always participating actively and laughing at the gorilla’s antics as he becomes an accomplice in the escape of the other animals at the zoo. I always love when the kids engage with the story by talking to the characters or making little gasps or sounds – so fun to see all of their learning and excitement on their faces!

I have a jungle theme classroom which in turn leads into safari, zoo, pretty much anything animal themed so this is a fun story for us to start the year as well!

Next up is The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney.

I LOVE this cover. No title or any information, but notice how his eyes are looking to the side? If you turn over the book, you can see what he is looking at! Love how that is done, and you can see if your students notice!

This book is also nearly wordless and the captivating illustrations are sure to keep young and old readers alike engaged and wanting to see what happens next! 

Learning how to read the stories that pictures tell is such a key strategy in Kindergarten to build that early confidence as a reader. They CAN read, even if they don’t read printed words yet! Teaching this strategy with great, engaging books will help your young readers build stamina as they practice read to self. Do you use Daily 5? Stay tuned for more posts about how I use it in my classroom, and more of my favorite books!

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Alex

Founder at The Kindergarten Connection

Alex is a Kindergarten teacher with a passion for making learning fun and engaging. She's earned a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education, and Masters Degrees in Special Education and Curriculum Design. Alex is a night owl, coffee lover, and she owns more than 2,000 children’s books. Alex lives with her husband and their big black Labrador, Tank.

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