Stories by Storie

Everyone has a story to tell. What is yours?

  • Stories by Storie
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
    • Book Activities
    • Book Lists
    • Classroom Management
    • Freebies
    • Math
    • Reading Tips
    • Writing
  • Free
  • Shop
    • Teachers Pay Teachers
    • Amazon
    • Bookshop
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

Read Aloud Books for Guest Readers

November 23, 2022

Many primary classrooms invite family and community members to visit the classroom as a guest reader during the school year. However, not all of these visitors know exactly what book they should share. Instead of scrambling to find a book at the last minute, you can put together a special collection of read aloud books for guest readers. Here are some book suggestions that are sure to be a hit with the class.

Many primary classrooms invite family and community members to visit the classroom as a guest reader during the school year. However, not all of these visitors know exactly what book they should share. Instead of scrambling to find a book at the last minute, you can put together a special collection of read aloud books for guest readers. Here are some book suggestions that are sure to be a hit with the class.

You can click on any of the covers below to learn more about each story or find all of these books on my Amazon page.

we are a participant in the amazon services llc associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Read Aloud Books for Guest Readers

The Circus Ship

When a circus ship runs aground off the coast of Maine, the poor animals are left on their own to swim the chilly waters. Staggering onto a nearby island, they soon win over the wary townspeople with their kind, courageous ways. So well do the critters blend in that when the greedy circus owner returns to claim them, villagers of all species conspire to outsmart the bloated blowhard.

How to Feed Your Parents

Matilda Macaroni loves to try new foods, whether it’s her grandma’s jambalaya or sushi at a sleepover. But, in this fun, twisted picture book, it’s finicky mom and dad—not the child—who eat only pizza with pepperoni (delivered), burgers from a bag, or noodles from a box. Eager to experience new flavors, Matilda secretly sets out to learn how to cook, satisfy her hunger for something more . . . and expand her parents’ palates, too.

The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors

Long ago, in an ancient and distant realm called the Kingdom of Backyard, there lived a warrior named ROCK. Meanwhile in the Empire of Mom’s Home Office, a second great warrior sought the glory of battle. And his name was PAPER. At the same time, in the Kitchen Realm, in the tiny village of Junk Drawer, lived a third warrior. They called her SCISSORS.

These three were the strongest, smartest, and fastest in all the land. Time and again they beat the most fearsome opponents they could find: an apricot, a computer printer—even frozen, breaded, dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets! But when the warriors finally meet each other, the most epic round of battles begins . . . and never ends. That is why, to this day, children around the world honor these worthy adversaries by playing ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!

Grab a free set of activities to pair with this book here.

Take Your Pet to School Day

When pets show up with their kids at Maple View Elementary, it’s total chaos! These animals have no respect for school rules, and every class quickly gets out of hand. But why did they show up in the first place? Who said they could come? Could it have been…the pets themselves? It turns out they just wanted in on the fun! Now, if they want to stay, they’ll just have to behave….

The Book with No Pictures

You might think a book with no pictures seems boring and serious. Except, here’s how the book works. Everything written on the page has to be said by the person reading it aloud. Even if the words say…BLORK or BLUURF. Even if the words are a preposterous song about eating ants for breakfast, or just a list of astonishingly goofy sounds like BLAGGITY BLAGGITY and GLIBBITY GLOBBITY. This is a book kids will beg to hear again and again!

The Panda Problem

Every story needs a problem. But Panda doesn’t have a problem. Unless . . . Panda is the problem.

An unseen narrator begins recounting a tale about “a panda who lived in a beautiful bamboo grove.” When it comes time to introduce a problem, the laid-back panda denies this narrative claim. The disgruntled narrator lays down the rules and volleys a series of conflict-probing questions to no avail. While lounging on a hammock, the untroubled panda has a revelation and turns the storytelling tables. With the editorial reins now firmly in his paw, the bear riles up the narrator with annoying antics like playing the banjo, singing “The Bamboo Burp Song,” and sailing to Antarctica.

What Should Danny Do? School Day

In this choose-your-own-adventure-style story, the reader gets to decide how Danny’s day at school will end! Danny faces choices while getting ready for school, on the playground, in the classroom, and more. Because there are 8 different endings, this book can be read more than one time with different choices to made along the way.

If I Built a School

If Jack built a school, there would be hover desks and pop-up textbooks, skydiving wind tunnels and a trampoline basketball court in the gym, a robo-chef to serve lunch in the cafeteria, field trips to Mars, and a whole lot more. The inventive boy who described his ideal car and house in previous books is dreaming even bigger this time.

On the Account of the Gum

When a child goes to sleep with gum in their mouth, it seems inevitable that the gum will end up in their hair. The natural next step is to seek advice on how to remove the gum, from the Internet and family members, which proves to be disastrous. As objects accumulate in the child’s hair, they become more and more frustrated. To make matters worse, it is not only the child’s birthday but also school picture day! 

If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, DON’T!

Note to self: If your teacher tells you to bring something from nature for show-and-tell, she does not want you to bring an alligator! But nothing will stop Magnolia, who’s determined to have the best show-and-tell of all–until her reptilian rapscallion starts getting her into some major trouble. Now it’s up to Magnolia to find a way to send this troublemaker home–but what could possibly scare an alligator away?

Giraffe Problems

Edward the giraffe can’t understand why his neck is as long and bendy and, well, ridiculous as it is. No other animal has a neck this absurd. He’s tried disguising it, dressing it up, strategically hiding it behind bushes–honestly, anything you can think of, he’s tried. Just when Edward has exhausted his neck-hiding options and is about to throw in the towel, a turtle swoops in (well, ambles in, very slowly) and helps him understand that his neck has a purpose, and looks excellent in a bow tie.

Interrupting Chicken

It’s time for the little red chicken’s bedtime story — and a reminder from Papa to try not to interrupt. But the chicken can’t help herself! Whether the tale is Hansel and Gretel or Little Red Riding Hood or even Chicken Little, she jumps into the story to save its hapless characters. Now it’s the little red chicken’s turn to tell a story, but will her yawning papa make it to the end without his own kind of interrupting? 

Parfait, Not Parfait!

This must-read book is an innovative and deceptively simple journey of words that rhyme (or don’t) with “parfait.” Each page turn brings on the laughs as the clever story bounces from an uneaten parfait to seemingly random characters, including a duck, a toupée-wearing Shar-pei, horses playing “Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Donkay”, and even. . . Abraham Lincoln.


Do you have a favorite read aloud that didn’t make the list? Let me know so I can check it out!

You might also like

  • Read Aloud Tips
  • How to Prepare for Your Read Aloud
  • Reasons Why You Should Read Aloud to Big Kids

Happy Reading!

Do you invite family members into your classroom to read to your students? Take the guess work out of book choices by putting together a collection of read alouds for guest readers. Check out this blog post for some of my favorite suggestions.
signature

Related posts:

Children’s Books about Bravery and Courage Do you want your kids to spend less time in front of a screen and more time getting creative? Books can help them get started. Here are some of my favorite children's books that inspire creativity.Children’s Books That Inspire Creativity Like it or not, high-stakes testing continues to happen year after year. You might not be able to keep it from happening, but you can help alleviate student fear and anxiety by sharing picture books. Here are several books to share during testing season.Books to Share During Testing Season Birthdays are a big deal! I mean, it's the one day of the year that's all about you. One way to celebrate this special occasion is with books. Check out these picture books about birthdays that capture the excitement of this memorable day that comes once a year.Picture Books about Birthdays Wordless Picture Books for Kids
«
»

Filed Under: book lists, reading Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Categories

Latest on Instagram

Groundhog Day is almost here. Will he his shadow? Groundhog Day is almost here. Will he his shadow? Only time will tell! One book I love to read this time of year is Groundhog Weather School. Not only does this book provide a bit of the history behind the holiday, but it also includes information about weather and the seasons. If you’re sharing this book, be sure to grab these free activities to help guide your students through the text. They are available in my TPT store.

Which one are you hoping for?
❄️ more winter
🌸 early spring
Do you prefer to blend in OR do you dare to stand Do you prefer to blend in OR do you dare to stand out?

At school, Monique wore a uniform every single day. But looking just like everyone else was not for her. One day, she found a huge, red hat in a trunk in the attic and decided she’d wear it to school. Everyone noticed her and had something to say, which made Monique smile…until a teacher told her she had to take off the hat. 

The next day, everyone at school was wearing a hat - everyone except Monique, who was already planning something new to wear the following day. With each new idea and accessory that makes Monique unique comes a series of kids who copy and mimic her style. Can she find a way to be different?

This book is often hard to find, but has a great message about individuality and celebrating that it’s okay to be different! Have you read this one yet?

@kanemillerbooks
The holiday books have been put away. That means o The holiday books have been put away. That means our shelf is ready for a fresh stack of books to share for bedtime stories. Here’s what came home with me on my latest trip to the local library. 

👀 See any titles that catch your eye?
I may introduce a lot of books to you here on the I may introduce a lot of books to you here on the gram, but sometimes YOU are the ones who introduce books to me. This is one of those stories.

Sarah lives alone in her little house now that her children are all grown up. Every time she looks out her window, she sees the neighborhood children waiting for the bus. One winter morning she notices a boy who doesn’t have mittens. This worries her, so she gathers some supplies and sets out to knit him a new pair. Once finished, she hangs them on the tree next to the bus stop. 

When the boy finds the mittens the next day, he quickly tries them on and beams at their perfect fit. Sarah’s heart is filled with joy and it isn’t long before she makes even more mittens to hang on the tree. The kids look forward to finding these new treasures each morning at the bus stop. Sarah is sure that no one knows it is her adding to the mitten tree until one day she returns home and finds a surprise waiting for her - a basket filled with beautiful balls of yarn.

This heartwarming story has a great message about kindness, community, and the joy that comes from helping others. It would make a great addition to your winter book collection!

Have you read The Mitten Tree?

#themittentree
I might share a lot of picture books, but I do lov I might share a lot of picture books, but I do love chapter books, too. One of my favorites for January is Mr. Popper’s Penguins. While this story has been around for decades, it still manages to entertain readers of all ages. ⁣
⁣
If you aren’t familiar, Mr. Popper is a housepainter who daydreams about polar expeditions. One day he receives a real penguin and his world turns upside down. Soon after the penguin grows lonely and the Poppers add a second penguin to their home. It isn’t long before they have 10 penguin chicks, making that 12 penguins in all! With so many mouths to feed, Mr. Popper realizes he will have to do something to bring in more money. That’s when Popper’s Performing Penguins gets started. The show goes on tour and plenty of hilarious antics begin!⁣
⁣
I used this book with some of my reading groups in both 2nd and 3rd grade with the help of a few resources to guide students through the text (comprehension questions for each chapter, vocabulary activities, graphic organizers, and more). There’s also a penguin craft, which was a big hit! This resource is available in my TPT store. Drop a 🐧 in the comments or send me a DM if you’d like the link. ⁣
⁣
When it comes to Mr. Popper’s Penguins, which do you prefer?⁣
📖  Book⁣
🎥  Movie⁣
Have you ever felt like you don’t quite fit in? Have you ever felt like you don’t quite fit in? Or maybe you’ve let the opinions of others creep into your mind  and start to doubt yourself? If so, I think you should read Lone Wolf.⁣
⁣
In this story, Maple is a member of the Parker family. She loves playing tug-of-war with Jax, reading with Avery, getting treats, and going for looooooooong walks. But wherever she goes, people comment that she looks more like a wolf than a dog. The Parkers explain the difference between a husky and a wolf, but Maple starts to have her doubts. ⁣
⁣
One day, Maple sees the fence open and takes her chance to explore the wild as a lone wolf. Will Maple love this new lifestyle, or will she realize that home with the Parkers is where she truly belongs? ⁣
⁣
This charming story explores family, self-doubt, and finding the place where you belong. It would be a great story to share in the classroom or at home.⁣
⁣
Have you read Lone Wolf yet?
Whether you’re headed back to the classroom this Whether you’re headed back to the classroom this week or next week, please don’t forget to make time to review your classroom rules and procedures. You can make this process a bit more enjoyable by sharing books. Sometimes these stories have a way of getting through when your words can’t. I put together a list of my favorites on my website. Tap the link in my bio or drop a comment below if you’d like me to send you the link. 

When do students head back to school in your area?

Copyright © 2023 · Website Design By Jumping Jax Designs