Elementary school is a time where students learn how to include (or exclude) others in their play. Using read alouds can help kids understand how important it is to make sure everyone is welcome.
Check out this list of my favorite picture books about including others!
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The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates
When it starts to rain, there is an umbrella by the door. And it is a big umbrella. This umbrella is SO big that there is room for everyone underneath it. It doesn’t matter if you are tall. Or plaid. Or hairy. A wonderful story about inclusion and tolerance.
Join the Colorful Apple Book Club to grab the lesson for The Big Umbrella!
Gibberish by Young Vo
It’s Dat’s first day of school in a new country! Dat and his Mah made a long journey to get here, and Dat doesn’t know the language. To Dat, everything everybody says — from the school bus driver to his new classmates — sounds like gibberish. How is Dat going to make new friends if they can’t understand each other?
Luckily there’s a friendly girl in Dat’s class who knows that there are other ways to communicate, besides just talking. Could she help make sense of the gibberish?
Grab the Gibberish interactive read aloud lesson!
Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev
Today is Pet Club day. There will be a lot of pets there, but elephants are not allowed. The Pet Club doesn’t understand that pets come in all shapes and sizes, just like friends. The boy and his tiny pet decide to create their own club, where everyone is welcome.
Grab this interactive read aloud for Strictly No Elephants!
The Buddy Bench by Patty Brozo
A playground can be a lonely place for someone without friends. The students in Miss Mellon’s class recognize this and, with the help of their teacher, create a buddy bench. It is a safe place for kids to sit when they feel left out or are looking for a friend at recess.
The Cool Bean by Jory John
This is a great story about what it means to be cool and how we can use this “coolness” for good. A great lesson on how we can include others and be kind.
Can I Play Too? by Mo Willems
In this story, Snake really wants to play catch with Elephant and Piggie but how? He wants to give up, but these two friends insist that they are going to find a way to include him in their game!
Grab the interactive read alouds for Social Emotional Learning!
What are some other picture books about including others that you read aloud in your classroom?
Check out this blog post for picture books about relationship skills in the classroom!
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