20 MUST HAVE Read Alouds For Your Primary Classroom

In the world of all things “school”, few things hold the enchanting power that read alouds do. These times of the day can transport young learners’ minds to faraway places while also laying important foundations for a lifelong love of reading and learning! Check out these 20 MUST HAVE read alouds for your primary classroom that are sure to get great reviews from your students. 

This list includes books that are plain laugh-out-loud funny while others are deeply thought-provoking, but all will end in students begging you to read them again!

Sprinkle these classroom favorites throughout the school year when one or all of your little ones’ souls can use a little soothing. 

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20 MUST HAVE Read Alouds for Your Primary Classroom

1.We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

Penelope Rex cannot wait to meet her classmates on the first day of school, but she soon finds out the importance of treating others the way you want to be treated. You see, Penelope’s classmates are humans…and they sure are delicious! However, eating your classmates certainly doesn’t make you the most popular kid in the class. Penelope learns how to curb her appetite when she gets a taste of her own medicine!

2.The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill Mean

Jean is the Recess Queen and nobody will DARE tell her she isn’t. Until a new girl moves in and teaches everyone a lesson or two. My students and I especially love the rhyming text of this one, and the fact that the teeny, tiny new girl becomes the hero in the end!

3. Ralph Tells A Story by Abby Hanlon

Ralph finds writing time one of the most difficult times of the day. He can NEVER think of something to write about, because NOTHING ever happens to him! (Sound familiar??!!) His classmates soon help him understand that stories can be about anything, and he really does have LOTS of stories to tell! Young students can really relate to this book! I use this one over and over again during writing conferences!

4. Finklehopper Frog by Irene Livingston

This is another rhyming book that my students fall in love with EVERY YEAR! Finklehopper Frog wants to try jogging, but when he does, all the other animals tease him and make fun of him. He meets a rabbit who teaches him that the perfect thing to do is to be himself and to do what he loves! It is a great reminder about individuality, and we revisit this one often throughout the school year. 

5. Night of the Veggie Monster by George McClements

Talk about a dislike for vegetables!!!??? One touch of a pea to his lips, and this guy turns into a VEGGIE MONSTER!!!! He puts on a dramatic show at the dinner table for his parents EVERY SINGLE NIGHT!!! Prepare yourself for the most entertaining, best vegetable hating, food-boycotting stories from your students after reading this one!!!! (Seems lots of kids can relate! Teachers too, honestly…peas???? GROSS!!!!) This is another of my favorites to use during writing conferences to remind students that everyone has something to write about!

6. Officer Buckle & Gloria by Peggy Rathmann

I feel like I have been reading this one since the beginning of time, but it never gets old! It is a story about a police officer who comes to Napville School to give safety tips. The problem is, his presentations are a snoozefest, and no one can stay awake long enough to listen. That all changes when he brings his police dog Gloria along with him! There is so much going on in the story as well as the pictures, my students always beg to hear this one again and again! (It is perfect to add some comedy relief when you are going over the rules for the 100th time!!! zzzZZZ)

7. The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak

Ok,this book is just a whole bunch of silliness and that is what makes it GREAT! The premise of the book is that the reader must read ALL the words on the page…ALL of them. Even if they are silly, nonsense words. Don’t expect a quiet, polite audience for this one..because it just isn’t going to happen!  

8. Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini

This is another one that I have been reading aloud to my students for forever and a day, and the results are always the same…belly laughs all around!!! Gritch the Witch is hungry for piggie pie, so she goes looking for the main ingredient…pigs. When she gets to the local farm though, she soon learns that the pigs there are pretty smart cookies! They lead her on a very frustrating adventure, but all hope is not lost, when she meets a surprising character at the end of the story! 

9. After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again) by Dan Santat

So this story is just plain GENIUS! It is the story of what happens to Humpty Dumpty after he falls from the wall. I am not going to give away the ending to this amazing story, but I can tell you that lots of rich conversation is going to come from reading this book. My favorite comment ever was when we finished the book and one little guy said, “I can’t wait to get home and tell my mom what happens to him, because I know she doesn’t even know!”

10. Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev

This book teaches a great lesson about inclusion, friendship, and helping others. In the story, a little boy and his elephant are banned from a local pet club because elephants aren’t allowed. They soon befriend other children with unusual pets facing the same problem, and join together to start a club of their own…one that welcomes ALL KINDS of children and pets. The natural discussions that come from reading this are so heartwarming and genuine that it makes the teacher beg to read it again!

11. Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts

This is another book that leads into such ENRICHING classroom conversation! (Basically, a teacher’s dream come true!) Jeremy wants nothing more than to have the new shoes that EVERYONE is getting. (Sound familiar?) But his grandma says they can’t afford to get them. Jeremy struggles with this hardship, but eventually realizes what is really important in his life.

12. Swim! Swim! by Lerch

I can’t even with this one! It is a story about a lonely fish who is looking for friendship and eventually finds true love (with the help of a not so well-meaning cat)!!! ABSOLUTE GIGGLE-FEST!!!!!

13. Those Darn Squirrels by Adam Rubin

This is another example where so much is happening in the pictures while the story is going on, you can’t help but want to read it again and again! 

It’s a hilarious book about a grouchy old man who hates everything except the birds in his yard, and he especially hates THOSE DARN SQUIRRELS! He does everything he can think of to rid his yard of squirrels, but they continue to outsmart him and in the end, a beautiful friendship is forged!

14. Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt

Scaredy Squirrel is a germaphobic, fraidy-cat who never leaves his tree. He is well prepared though for things like Martian attacks, lurking sharks, or killer bees. One day, the inevitable happens, and he finds himself out of his tree and forced to brave the unknown! (What could be funnier than a squirrel with a fully stocked emergency kit??!!)

15. I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

Bear’s hat is gone and he wants it back. He asks each animal politely if they have seen it, but seems to be having no luck…until he comes upon rabbit….. DELIGHTFUL giggles and RICH conversation with this one..every single time!

16. This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

This one is the kind of book where the author never tells you EXACTLY what happens in the end, so you and your students are left discussing all the possibilities for days on end! This little fish steals a hat and is hoping to get away with it. All the while, the owner of the hat is hot on his trail. So much suspense, so many giggles, and SO MANY rereadings of this one!!!

17. We Found A Hat by Jon Klassen

In this gem, two turtles find a hat and they both like it very much. The problem is that there are two of them and only one hat. They agree to leave the hat and go on their way. But it soon becomes clear, one of the turtles may be having second thoughts.  

18. An Extraordinary Egg by Leo Lionni

Another forever favorite of mine! These frogs live on Pebble Island and one of them discovers an egg that they are sure is a chicken egg. When a baby alligator hatches from the egg, they continue to play with their new friend the “chicken”. The kids love that the frogs keep calling the alligator a chicken even all the way up until the end of the book! Another laugh out loud funny one for sure!

19. The Bad Seed by Jory John

This Bad Seed has a reputation that precedes him, and the kids love hearing ALL about it! (He is surrounded by flies because he never washes his hands and feet…talk about bad seed, right??!!!) He eventually changes his ways and there is lots of classroom discussion to be had about decision making, consequences and life experiences.

20. Philomena’s New Glasses by Brenna Maloney

This is an adorable story about Philomena and her sisters! Every time one of them gets something, the competition among them begins…and they ALL feel that they need to one-up each other! The kids can SO relate to the competition part of the story, as well as the fact that Philomena needs glasses and her sisters want glasses! Great discussions and lightbulb- moments come out of reading this one!

Read alouds are so much more than just enjoyable storytimes. With these 20 MUST HAVE read alouds for your primary classroom, you’ll have the power to boost imagination, foster language development, and improve listening skills in your favorite little learners. Let the magic of read alouds fill and change your classroom this year!

Let me know if you have any questions about anything you see here. Don’t forget to pin this post to refer to it later!

Other posts you may enjoy:

10 Powerful Books on Kindness for Elementary Students

Top 7 Ways to Make Students and Families Feel Welcome This School Year

Diane Romo

Thank you for being here! I love sharing ideas with other teachers! If you are looking to enhance your teaching and build a positive classroom community, you have come to the right place!

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