Welcome back to the Read Aloud Classroom, where we’re making picture books work for you, even with a packed schedule. Hi, I’m Sarah, a former educator who believes in the power of Read Alouds to transform your teaching without adding to your already full plates.
I’m so excited to be with you today because it’s that time of month, our monthly roundup of brand new picture books hitting the shelves. April always brings such fresh energy to our classrooms, doesn’t it? Windows are open, spring is in the air, and we’ve got some amazing new books to share with our students.
students. I know how hard it is to stay on top of new releases when you’re juggling a million other things in your classroom, so I’ve done the research for you. Today I’m sharing 12 gorgeous new picture books that are perfect for your classroom read alouds. I’ll give you a quick rundown of each book and some ideas for how you might use them with your students.
So grab your coffee, your planning notebook, or whatever you need, and let’s dive into these April picture books.
First up, we have Brave Old Blue by Colleen Musk. Oh my goodness. This one tugged at my heartstrings. It’s about an old horse who arrives at a rescue farm feeling really unsure and afraid. He meets this sweet girl named Bobby who welcomes him, but Old Blue has all these past fears and disappointments that make it hard for him to trust.
You know, this would be such a beautiful book for discussions about trust, new beginnings, and finding comfort in unexpected places. I’m thinking this would pair perfectly with a writing prompt about a time students felt nervous. this in a new situation.
Next is City Summer, Country Summer by Keith Lehman, who’s won so many awards for his writing. This one is just gorgeous. It’s about three black boys who form this really deep connection during a summer in Mississippi. They’re exploring the woods, playing games, and just enjoying that magical summer friendship under the watchful eyes of their grandmama and mama.
What I love about this one is how it celebrates those rich connections between boys, which we don’t always see enough of in picture books. This would be a wonderful Book for a discussion about friendship, or even as a mentor text for descriptive writing about summer memories.
Hazel the Handful by Jamie Myclack is next, and this one had me laughing out loud. Hazel is this totally pampered dog who rules the roost until, you guessed it, the new baby arrives. Suddenly she’s not getting all that attention anymore, and she runs away to hide. Only to discover just how much her family truly loves her.
This is Hazel. This is perfect if you have students with new siblings at home, and it opens up such great conversations about family changes and making room for new members.
Oh, and you’re going to love reading Hedgehogs Don’t Wear Underwear by Marissa Valdez to your students. Can you imagine the giggles? This one is about Jacques, a little hedgehog with a big secret. He loves wearing underwear. But in the hedgehog world, that is absolutely not true. It’s such a funny story about being yourself and finding the courage to embrace what makes you different.
I’m already picturing the amazing class discussions you can have about identity and self acceptance. Plus, who doesn’t love a book with underwear in the title? Talk about instant student engagement.
The Littlest Drop by Sasha Alpert is really special because it features Jerry Pinkney’s final illustrations, which were completed after his death by his son, Brian Pinkney. It’s this beautiful film.
I’m thinking this would be perfect for Earth Day discussions or any time you’re talking about how individual actions matter.
Need another book that will have your students in stitches? Piggle the Pig, The Perfect Pigstie, by Dudolf, is it. Piggle’s parents announce their stopping by for a visit, and he has to deal with months of messiness in his pigstie. Laundry mountains, mysterious creatures living in appliances, the works.
Every child who’s ever been told to clean their room will definitely relate to poor Piggle’s struggle. This would also be fun to read before spring cleaning your classroom.
Then we have Skunk Skedaddle, by Dudolf. By Peter Bentley, which tackles those tough feelings of exclusion. Nobody wants to be friends with Sally the skunk because, well, she’s a skunk. But Sally is desperate to show everyone that she would never use her stink around friends. When the town robber shows up, she finally gets to show everyone how useful her unique ability can be.
This is such a wonderful book for talking about not judging others by their differences and finding the value in everyone’s unique qualities.
Twigs and Stones by Joy Cowley is A clever story about friendship. Snake and Lizard are good friends who live together. But when they decide to display their names above their burrow entrance, that’s when trouble starts. They can’t decide whose name should be first. And when Lizard makes a spelling mistake that Snake doesn’t find funny at all, things get complicated.
It’s one of those stories that perfectly captures how even small misunderstandings can affect friendships. I love how it reflects human flaws while reminding us that words and names must be used with care.
And for those of you looking to integrate more poetry into your classroom, especially during the month of April, which is Poetry Month, a universe of rainbows, multicolored poems for a multicolored world, which is compiled by Matt Forrest Essenwein, is stunning. It features poems from Nikki Grimes, Joyce Sidman, Janet Wong, and so many other amazing poets, all exploring rainbows across nature.
Not just in the sky. Each poem captures a different rainbow, from crystals, to marble caves, to constellations. And the illustrations by Jamie Christoph are breathtaking. And there are fascinating science sidebars, too,
So it’s perfect for cross curricular connections between science, art, and language arts.
Next, from the creators of Stick and Stone, you know how much I love that book, comes The Peddler of Puddles by Beth Ferry. This heartwarming story is about an invention. He’s an inventor who travels around making perfect puddles for his forest friends. He creates puddles for ducks to splash in, frogs to leap into, and hummingbirds to drink from.
But, even though he’s helping everyone else, he’s lonely from constantly traveling until his friends step in to help him find a place to call home. This book would pair beautifully with discussions about friendship, community, and finding where you belong.
Yes, We’ll Do It by Daphna Strum is such a fun story about community. When a musician goes missing from the marching band, there’s this wonderful chain reaction of community help. The baker helps the barber, the doctor helps the baker, and things get hilariously out of hand when a clown joins in. This book is based on ancient Jewish teachings about community responsibility, so it’s a wonderful way to introduce that concept to children.
Plus, it’s just a fun read aloud. And finally, we have A Cup Grimes, who always writes with such beautiful language. This one’s about a grandmother who gets thirsty for a cup of quiet, away from all the noise of daily life. Her granddaughter is confused how can quiet fit in a cup Together they go into the garden and collect the calming sounds of nature.
This book is almost like a meditation for children, teaching them the value of slowing down and appreciating life’s gentler moments. So I’m thinking this would be perfect for those after lunch transitions when you need to bring the energy level down a bit. I almost forgot, there’s also Otter, an Otter Story by Katherine Applegate.
If that name sounds familiar, it’s because this is adapted from her best selling middle grade novel. It’s about Otter, this playful otter whose life changes dramatically when she’s rescued by humans. As she recovers among other rescued otters, she discovers her talent for teaching younger pups how to otter.
It’s inspired by a real life program that pairs orphan otter pups and this makes it perfect for those science connections too. Okay, phew, what an amazing month for new picture books, right? I hope you found at least a few that you’re excited to share with your students. Remember that picture books are powerful teaching tools across all elementary grades, so don’t hesitate to use these stories with your students no matter their age.
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And next week we’re going to be diving into strategies for setting the expectations for using read alouds in your classroom. You definitely won’t want to miss it.
So until then, happy reading, and I can’t wait to see you next week inside the Read Aloud Classroom.
