Lesson 1: Miracle Mud by Lena Blackburne 

Lena Blackburne loved baseball. He watched it, he played it, and he coached it. But he didn't love the ways players broke in new baseballs. Tired of soggy, blackened, stinky baseballs, he found a better way to break in baseballs. Thanks to a well-timed fishing trip and a top-secret mud recipe, Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud was born.

For seventy five years, baseball teams have used Lena's magic mud to prepare baseballs before every game. Read the story of how Lena's mud went from a riverbank to the major leagues and all the way to the Hall of Fame.

Lesson 2: Emmanuel's Dream- The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson and Sean Qualls 

Born in Ghana, West Africa, with one deformed leg, Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah was dismissed by most people—but not by his mother, who taught him to reach for his dreams. As a boy, Emmanuel hopped to school more than two miles each way, learned to play soccer, left home at age thirteen to provide for his family, and, eventually, became a cyclist.

He rode an astonishing four hundred miles across Ghana in 2001, spreading his powerful message: disability is not inability.

Today, Emmanuel continues to work on behalf of the disabled.

Lesson 3: Meteor! by Patricia Polacco 

The meteor that crash lands in the middle of Grandma and Grandpa Gaw's yard sets off a chain of events that brings magic to the residents of Mudsock Meadow.

A remarkable true-life event comes alive in this reissue of Patricia Polacco's very first picture book. Based on a true event, this enchanting book overwhelmingly expresses the magic that suddenly pervades a small town, from the funny, folksy way the story is told to the imaginative, full-color illustrations.

Lesson 4: The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco 

This is the beautiful story of a special quilt that was created with fabrics from members of author Patricia Polacco's extended family. The family quilt has been passed down from generation to generation (including to Polacco's own daughter) and is used at family events, such as weddings, reunions, and birthday celebrations. The quilt is a symbol of family love and togetherness.

Download a printable community quilt activity that goes along with this book.

Lesson 5: Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts 

Jeremy desperately wants the shoes all of his friends are wearing at school, but his family can't afford them. When his shoes fall apart, he gets a pair of "those shoes" from a thrift store that are too small for his feet. In this heartwarming story, Jeremy learns an important lesson about what we want versus what we need.

This is a story that every child can relate to. I suggest teachers use the Critical Thinking Interactive Read Aloud with Those Shoes to kick off the school year or throughout the holiday seasons!

Lesson 6: The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson 

There is a fence that separates the white side of town from the black side of town. Clover has always wondered why it was there. One day, Annie climbs over the fence and introduces herself to Clover. An unlikely friendship develops...

This picture book is  a beautiful story about the confusion children experience when they witness racism or racial tensions.

Lesson 7: The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi 

Unhei has just moved to America from Korea. She is embarrassed to tell her new classmates her name, so she tells them she will pick a name by the end of the week. The kids in her class try to help her out by filling a glass jar with names. On the day she is about to reveal her name, the jar disappears, and encouraged by her new friends, Unhei decides to keep her Korean name.

The themes in this book make it a great read aloud for any elementary grade level. Its the perfect activity to segue into lessons and discussions that celebrate our differences!

Lesson 8: Memory String by Eve Bunting 

Every button on Laura’s memory string represents a part of her family’s history. The buttons most important to Laura are the ones that belonged to her mother: a button from her mother’s prom dress, a white button from her mother’s wedding dress, and a single small button from the nightgown her mom was wearing on the day she died.

When the string breaks, Laura’s stepmother, Jane, tries to comfort Laura and helps her search for a missing button. Laura realizes that a memory string is not just for remembering the past, but it’s also for adding new memories.

Lesson 9: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman by Katheleen Krull  

What an amazing story about one of our greatest Olympic athletes! This is the story of Wilma Rudolph. Before she was even five years old, polio paralyzes her left leg. Rudolph never gives up and not only regains the use of her leg, but becomes a basketball and track star. At age twenty, Rudolph is the first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympics.

Lesson 10: Sweet Tooth by Margie Palatini and Jack E. Davis 

Many kids have a sweet tooth. But not like Stewart’s. Stewart has a very loud and demanding sweet tooth. Stewart soon realizes his aggressive sweet tooth isn’t so sweet! Determined to stand up to his sweet tooth, Stewart decides to attack the problem with the best weapon he can think of – a raw carrot.

This is a great book to read during a health unit or around the holidays when kids are eating lots of sweets.

Lesson 11: Stellaluna by Janell Cannon 

This is the heartwarming story of a fruit bat that makes a home with a family of birds after she is separated from her mother. Kids will learn about the different characteristics of birds and bats as they enjoy this story about friendship, compromise, and acceptance.

Plus, this book provides factual information about fruit bats at the end of the book in the author's notes to increase the readers' understanding of the text.

Lesson 12: Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson  

Chloe and her friends won't play with the new girl Maya. Eventually, Maya stops coming to school. Chloe's teacher then shows the class how even a small act of kindness can make a big difference and even change the world! Chloe regrets her actions and reflects on how much better it could have been if she had only shown a little kindness toward Maya.

This book is a great read aloud for the start of the school year. Foster a positive classroom community and encourage students to do small acts of kindness for their classmates. It is also a great story to read when discussing the importance of inclusion, acceptance, and other challenging topics. 

Lesson 13: Harvesting Hope by Kathleen Krull 

Cesar Chavez is known as one of America's most inspiring civil rights leaders. He improved the lives of thousands of migrant farm workers, when he led a 340-mile peaceful protest march through California. Cesar wasn't always a leader though. As a child, he was shy and often teased at school. His family worked in the fields for barely enough money to survive. Cesar wanted things to change. So he took charge. Cesar spoke up, and through his words and actions made a difference.

Lesson 14: Faithful Elephants by Yukio Tsuchiya 

This book is a powerful and tragic story of three elephants’ struggle to survive after they were sentenced to death during WWII. A zookeeper at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo tells the story of John, Tonky, and Wanly three elephants killed (along with all the other animals in the zoo) by command of the Japanese army.

Yukio Tsuchiya wrote Faithful Elephants, “to let children know about the grief, fear, and sadness war produces. And that war affects not only human beings, but also innocent and lovely animals that don’t know, understand, or even care about war.”

Lesson 15: Brothers at Bat by Audrey Vernick 

The Acerra team is the longest-playing all-brother baseball team in history. The Acerra family had sixteen children and twelve of them were boys. Each one of the boys played baseball on the family team. This story is about more than baseball...It is a story about compassion, love and caring for others.

Share this story in during the World Series or in the spring with the start of the Major League Baseball season. This read aloud is a great way to engage reluctant boy readers too!

Lesson 16: Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russel-Brown 

Melba Doretta Liston loved the sounds of music from as far back as she could remember. By the time she was a teenager, Melba’s extraordinary gift for music led her to the world of jazz. She joined a band led by trumpet player Gerald Wilson and toured the country. Overcoming obstacles of race and gender, Melba went on to become a famed trombone player and arranger, spinning rhythms, harmonies, and melodies into gorgeous songs for all the jazz greats of the twentieth century.

Lesson 17: Separate Is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh 

Almost 10 years before Brown vs. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez and her parents helped end school segregation in California. An American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage who spoke and wrote perfect English, Mendez was denied enrollment to a “Whites only” school. Her parents took action by organizing the Hispanic community and filing a lawsuit in federal district court. Their success eventually brought an end to the era of segregated education in California.

Lesson 18: Beatrice's Goat by Page McBrier 

Beatrice’s Goat is the true story of a nine-year-old Ugandan girl. Through Heifer Project International, Beatrice’s family received the gift of a goat. The goat provided Beatrice’s family with milk to drink, and allowed them to make money by selling the extra milk the goat supplied. The money Beatrice made from selling the goat’s milk allowed her to attend school for the very first time. The goat’s offspring was given to another family, so they could then reap the benefits of having a goat of their own.

Lesson 19: Growing Up Pedro by Matt Tavares 

Before Pedro Martinez pitched the Red Sox to a World Series championship, before he was named to the All-Star team eight times, before he won the Cy Young three times, he was a kid from a place called Manoguayabo in the Dominican Republic. Pedro loved baseball more than anything, and his older brother Ramon was the best pitcher he’d ever seen. He’d dream of the day he and his brother could play together in the major leagues. The love between brothers is key to Matt Tavares’s tale of Dominican pitcher Pedro Martinez, from his days of throwing rocks at mangoes to his years as a major-league star.

Lesson 20: The Quiltmakers Gift by Jeff Brumbeau and Gail de Marcken 

The Quiltmaker’s Gift tells the story of a generous woman who makes quilts to give to the poor. The king decides he wants one of her quilts, but the quiltmaker refuses to give him one until he gives away all of his possessions. The king then travels the world giving away his treasures. When he comes back to the village, the quiltmaker gives him one of her beautiful quilts. In short, a quilt maker helps a very selfish king learn that the key to happiness is generosity.

Lesson 21: White Socks Only by Evelyn Coleman

In segregated Mississippi, a young girl thinks she can drink from a fountain marked “Whites Only” because she is wearing white socks. What happens then changes a town . . .

This book deals with the issue of racism in a way that young children can understand because it makes the idea of judging people by the color of their skin almost as foolish as judging people by the color of their socks.

Lesson 22: Freedom On The Menu, The Greensboro Sit-Ins by Carole Boston Weatherford 

There were signs all throughout town telling eight-year-old Connie where she could and could not go. But when Connie sees four young men take a stand for equal rights at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, she realizes that things may soon change. This event sparks a movement throughout her town and region. And while Connie is too young to march or give a speech, she helps her brother and sister make signs for the cause.

Lesson 23: Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann 

This Caldecott Medal winner is the hilarious story of Officer Buckle and his police dog, Gloria. Officer Buckle's safety presentation at Napville Elementary School is falling flat until Gloria decides to get involved.

This is a book with a meaningful message and beautiful illustrations. I like to use this read aloud prior to going over safety tips in the classroom or when students need to be reminded of the importance of teamwork.