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Great Read Aloud Books for Family and Friends

Reading aloud builds many important foundational skills, introduces vocabulary, provides a model of fluent, expressive reading, and helps children recognize what reading for pleasure is all about. -Reading Rockets

Cover of My Dad Is a Tree
Jon
Agee
2023

A little girl convinces her dad to be a tree all day long, no matter what, even in the rain, in this imaginative picture book that encourages playing pretend and pays tribute to parents.

Cover of I Am a Tornado
Drew
Beckmeyer
2023

An angry, destructive tornado picks up an empathetic cow, and when Cow politely asks to be put down, the two enter a conversation that has some unforeseen results.

Cover of Something, Someday
Amanda
Gorman
Christian Robinson
2023

This book reveals how even the smallest gesture can have a lasting impact on the world's biggest problems.

Cover of Remember
Joy
Harjo
Michaela Goade
2023

A beautifully illustrated adaptation of Joy Harjo’s poem.  Readers are invited to look back on their ancestors and the stories that have been passed from generation to generation.  A celebration of the past and inspiration for the future.

Cover of Big
Vashti
Harrison
2023

The 2024 Caldecott Medal Award Winner. Praised for acting like a big girl when she is small, as a young girl grows, "big" becomes a word of criticism, until the girl realizes that she is fine just the way she is.

Cover of What’s Inside a Caterpil
Rachel
Ignotofsky
2023

Butterflies soar in the sunlight. While moths flutter under the moon and stars. Find out more about these mysterious and majestic insects similarities and differences, and their awestrucking metamorphosis!

Cover of Jumper: A Day in the Life
Jessica
Lanan
2023

Open this nonfiction book to discover the vibrant, hidden life of a backyard jumping spider that has been meticulously researched and is utterly charming.

Cover of 100 Mighty Dragons All Nam
David
LaRochelle
Lian Cho
2023

Young readers will delight in following each and every dragon as they leave their home for marvelous adventures, until there is but one dragon remaining. That's when this final dragon named Broccoli retreats to a cave for the winter and reappears in the spring with a surprise that will thrill and delight. Prepare to read again!

Cover of Every Body: A First Conver
Megan Madison &
Jessica Ralli
Tequitia Andrews
2023

Developed by experts in the fields of early childhood and activism against injustice, this topic-driven picture book offers clear, concrete language and imagery to introduce the concept of body positivity. This book serves to celebrate the uniqueness of your body and all bodies, and address the unfair rules and ideas that currently exist about bodies. It ends with motivational action points for making the world more fair for all!

Cover of Mister Kitty Is Lost!
Greg
Pizzoli
2023

A child and dog search for a lost pet, Mister Kitty, as the child describes what Mister Kitty looks like to the reader.

Cover of Papá’s Magical Water-Ju
Jesús
Trejo
Eliza Kinkz
2023

Today, little Jesús has a big job to do. He's helping Papá at work, and he's in charge of the water jug -- which is also a magical clock! When it's empty, Papá explains, the workday is done. But what about all these thirsty animals? Soon, the water is gone, but the day is not over yet. Will Jesús be fired?! Or is the jug not really magical after all?

Cover of I Want to Be Spaghetti!
Kiera
Wright-Ruiz
Claudia Lam
2023

Even from Ramen's small shelf in the supermarket, they see spaghetti propaganda everywhere. They want to be celebrated, too. Maybe, Ramen misguidedly thinks, I have to change to be loved like that. "I want to be spaghetti!" they proclaim to the dismay of the rest of the instant noodle section.