Incorporating Picture Books In Your Upper Elementary Classroom

I love incorporating picture books in the upper elementary classroom as much as possible. There’s often a misconception that picture books are only for younger students, but they’re a great way to reinforce concepts for upper elementary students too. I always recommend reading each title once for enjoyment before re-reading it in order to do a deep dive into the lesson.

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Excellent Picture Books

Picture books aren’t just for younger kids! Every single one of these books has been carefully selected with upper elementary students in mind. Tuesday and Flood are both wordless books, which I HIGHLY recommend using for inference. These are the cream of the crop when it comes to stunning illustrations that truly add to the written story and each of them can be used any time of the year.

Related Picture Book Resources

Reading Skills

These books are perfect companions for teaching key reading skills.

Sequencing: Manji Moves a Mountain
Cause and Effect: Stuck
Point of View/Perspective: Voices in the Park
Inference: The Memory String
Compare/Contrast: Tea With Milk
Fact/Opinion: Saturday
Author’s Purpose: The Watcher
Theme: Blackout
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reading skills picture book recommendations

Informational Text Picture Books

Let’s talk informational texts: This was always an area where I felt like I could grow my classroom library. I had SO many bins of novels and picture books, and just one or two baskets full of informational text. My World Record books were always checked out, but other than that, students weren’t always gravitating toward the informational texts. It became really important to me to make sure I had high-interest, super engaging texts that they just couldn’t pass up. I don’t know about your students, but mine are OBSESSED with the Who Is/Who Was series and ANYTHING to do with fast and fun facts! These were a sure bet to get students reading nonfiction, so they are comprising my list of books today!

Who Is/Who Was Box Set
Interesting Stories for Curious People
50 American Heroes Every Kid Should Meet
If the World Were a Village
Bet You Didn’t Know
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informational text picture book recommendations

Related Informational Text Resources

Figurative Language Picture Books

These titles are perfect for exposing students to rich language.

Similes and Metaphors: Firebird
Personification: The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors
Hyperbole: Dona Flor
Idioms: In a Pickle
Alliteration: Animalia
Onomatopoeia: The Remarkable Farkle McBride
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figurative language picture book recommendations

Related Figurative Language Resources

Math Picture Books

These titles help reinforce math concepts and introduce your students to inspiring mathematicians. They’re a great way to combine literacy and math skills!

Math Concepts

Perimeter and Area: Spaghetti and Meatballs for All
Adding and Subtracting Decimals: Pigs Will Be Pigs
Problem Solving: The Grapes of Math
Problem Solving: Mathterpieces
Division: The Doorbell Rang
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Inspiring Mathematicians

Related Math Resources

Fluency Picture Books

These books are hand-selected to improve your students’ fluency. Fluency is such a crucial skill because the faster and more accurately students can read and decode, the more effectively they can comprehend.

No David
Good Boy, Fergus
Help! We Need a Title! (Great for punctuation!)
Rude Cakes
You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You
Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together
Very Short Tall Tales to Read Together
Very Short Fables to Read Together
Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together
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Related Fluency Resources

FREE Fluency Starter Kit (goes with 10 fluency tips here)
Fluency Task Cards SKILL Bundle
Fluency Task Cards SEASONAL Bundle

Growth Mindset Picture Books

These books will help your students develop a growth mindset, which has truly become a staple life skill in our classroom

growth mindset picture book recommendations

Related Growth Mindset Resources

Character Building Lessons

We have created the perfect set of picture book companions to help students learn critical character and personal development skills and build classroom community. These book companions include EVERYTHING you need to implement these lessons. Just grab a copy of the book (you can also find fun read-aloud versions on YouTube), and you’ll be set to go!

Each week includes multiple lessons and activities. Depending on your classroom setup and the amount of time you have to devote to each book’s lessons, you may pick and choose which ones work best for you and your students. While the weekly activities are different to accompany each book, some consistent components include Peaks and Pits Scenario Cards, Morning Meeting Greeting Suggestions, Extension Activities, and Companion Book Suggestions.