Elementary Teachers Share Their Favorite Children’s Books

I’ve asked some elementary teachers from Kindergarten all the way through 5th grade to share their favorite children’s books of all-time.   Keep reading to see what teachers chose as the best children’s books!

These teachers have been reading children’s books almost daily for years, so I know it was hard for them to narrow down their list of favorites. Keep on reading to see which books made the cut as their favorite children’s books! 

Cheri~ Kindergarten

1. Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin

This is an awesome book for younger children.  It comes with a song that is very catchy where your child/student will be singing a long and eventually be able to retell the story.   This book also teaches colors and has a great moral.








2. Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin

Another book written by Eric Litwin similar to the origninal Pete the cat.This one teaches numbers with a subtraction element.









3. All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon

This picture book is awesome and has great illustrations. It’s very poetic and implies that the world is all of us and we need to take care of it.









4. All Fancy Nancy books  by Jane O’Connor

I haven’t read all of these; however, I do like that they teach all kinds of vocabulary and even explain it. Girls tend to like these books as the main character is rather “girly”.








Kelly~ 1st Grade

1. I Don’t Want to Go to Bed! by Julie Sykes

This story has repetitive text and bright illustrations. It has some great messages- it is best to follow instructions to start with, and that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. The kids always like the bush baby!






2. Counting Crocodiles by Judy Sierra

This one is fun! It has rhyming text without being mind numbing. The crocs in the story are very zany, and I love the tricky monkey. The kids and I love saying ‘sillabobble sea’ most of all. The kids like counting the crocs at the end!





3. Little By Little by Amber Stewart

I read this the first week of school and display it where it can be easily referred to all year.  It reinforces my message that you don’t learn to read overnight, but by taking small steps toward your goal, working hard and never giving up. The kids really seem to get it.







Felicia~ 1st Grade

1. Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Aweibel

2. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

Leslie~ 1st Grade

1. Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

2. Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

3. Owen by Kevin Henkes

Dianne~ 2nd Grade

1. Tough Boris by Mem Fox

2. Koala Lou by Mem Fox

3. The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

Jan~ 3rd Grade

1. Frindle by Andrew Clements

A story that has fun with words. Kids at this age like words. This story builds on this and allows them to think about derivative of words and even how they could create a word and think about its use.








2. The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynn Reid Banks

A great read-aloud with characters that really come alive within the text. Great vocabulary development. Children love the plot and predicting what will come next.








3. The Castle in the Attic  by Elizabeth Winthrop

A great follow-up to Indian In the Cupboard. I like to compare and contrast characters, setting, and plot between this book and the book above.









Paul~ 4th Grade

1. By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman

This is a really incredible depiction of the California Gold Rush. The two main characters, Jack and Praiseworthy, are constantly coming up with clever ways to get themselves and their friends out of trouble. Kids learn about the Gold Rush even though they just think they’re reading an entertaining book.







2. The BFG by Roald Dahl

3. Bandit’s Moon by Sid Fleischman

Also centered around the Gold Rush, Bandit’s Moon tells about the infamous bandit, Joaquin Murrieta. The story shows things aren’t always as they appear, as Joaquin turns out to be a caring man who was wronged. It doesn’t take long before you’re cheering on the ‘bad guy’.







Moya ~ 4th Grade

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

 I like to begin the year with this book as my read aloud. It has short chapters and beautiful illustrations. It appeals to both boys and girls.The kids love it while we’re reading it together, yet it is not a book they often choose to read on their own.






I have many girls who are always asking me for new series books. These are two of their favorites:

Twice Upon a Time #1: Rapunzel, The One With All the Hair by Wendy Mass

Twice Upon a Time #2: Sleeping Beauty, The One Who Took the Really Long Nap by Wendy Mass

 There are other books in the series but these are the two I have. I encourage the girls to read the actual fairy tale before reading these books.
Another series my girls like is The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley.







I think the girls like these because they are related to fairy tales, but set in modern time and there is a lot of adventure and mystery.


The Fairy Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm, Book 1) by Michael Buckley

READ MORE: http://buggyandbuddy.com/elementary-teachers-share-their-favorite-childrens-books/