One of the best parts of my job, if not, THE very best part, is reading books to students in the library, but how do I decide WHICH books i’m going to buy FOR the library in the first place?
I read many wonderful blog posts and reviews of books on other people’s beautifully curated, up to date, aesthetically beautiful blogs. Some of the people I pay the most attention to are listed here, and others I love to follow are:
*The wonderful Sarah Yewman of Picture Books Blogger fame
*James and the team who dish up delicious at Magpie That
*The unstoppable Pernille Ripp who seems to be able to juggle so many things at once and consistently impresses me with practicing what she preaches
*Erica at What do we do all Day has booklists, ideas for how to unplug and parenting tips.
*Mrs Knott, a Literacy Specialist, blogs regularly about the books she is reading and I always learn from what she shares on Mrs Knott’s Book Nook.
*Jillian Heise over at Heise Reads and Recommends often shares great new book reviews and other literary content.
*An incredibly curated blog I follow is Maria Popover’s at Brainpicking’s, it is not just about books, but many aspects of our shared experience, and I greatly admire what she contributes to the world.
Here are some of my favourite picture books that I seek out over and over
Books to Aid Transitions
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- What you Know First by Patricia MacLachlan
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- Before I Leave by Jessixa Bagley
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- Lenny and Lucy by Philip Stead
Books to Promote a Growth Mindset
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- A Splash of Red by Jen Bryant
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- How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers
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- Rosie Revere Engineer by Andrea Beaty
Books to Encourage Determination
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- Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle
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- A Boy and A Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz
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- Emmanuel’s Dream by Laurie Ann Thompson
Books to Spark the Imagination
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- Claymates by Dev Petty
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- Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
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- What do you do with an Idea by Kobi Yamada
Wonderful Wordless
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- Unspoken by Henry Cole
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- The Only Child by Guoljing
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- That Neighbor Kid by Daniel Miyares
Wonderful Die-Cut Books
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- Alphabet by Laura Vacarro Seeger
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- The Hole by Oyvind Torseter
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- Green by Laura Vacarro Seeger
Books to Introduce Math Concepts
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- The Boy Who Loved Math by Deborah Heiligman
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- Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
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- Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni
Creative Concept Books
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- Press Here by Herve Tullet
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- Andrew Drew and Drew by Barney Saltzberg
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- Black and White by David Macaulay
Books to Introduce Empathy
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- Dream by Matthew Cordell
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- The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
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- Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
Books to Encourage Gratitude
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- I Wish You More by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
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- What Does it Mean to be Present by Rana DiOrio
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- The Thankful Book by Todd Parr
Books to Ease Loneliness
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- Herman and Rosie by Gus Gordon
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- The Storm Whale by Benji Davies
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- Boats for Papa by Jessixa Bagley
Books to Open Minds
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- Jacobs New Dress by Sarah Hoffman
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- An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes
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- And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson
Beach Shot
the barefoot librarian 