Did you know that a frog blinks both eyeballs down toward its mouth where they help push food down its throat? Did you know the skin of a glass frog is transparent? You can actually see its heart pumping blood! These are just a few of the fascinating facts students learn when you read aloud Nic Bishop’s Frogs. This book is an easy read aloud and a great way to start the year and get your students excited about reading nonfiction on their own.

I will be blogging for the next few weeks on tips for choosing and reading aloud nonfiction, but for now, I’ve included some beginning of school recommendations below. Remember you do not have to read a whole nonfiction book in one sitting – that’s the beauty of nonfiction – particularly non-narrative nonfiction. You can pick and choose your favorite parts to read. Maybe just five pages! Maybe just the first couple of sentences on each page! If students like it, they will beg you to read more the next day.

I’d love to hear about your children’s responses when you read aloud nonfiction to them!

Sunday

Primary Grades (prek-3)

What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by Kevin Jenkins

Grandma Elephant’s in Charge by Martin Jenkins

How Many Baby Pandas? By Sandra Markle

Intermediate Grades (3-5) (Depending on your students, these can be read in the primary grades, too.)

Books by Nic Bishop – Frogs, Spiders,  Lizards  

Books by Steve Jenkins – Sisters & Brothers, Biggest-Strongest-Fastest, Hottest-Highest-Coldest-Deepest