Their Favorite Picture Book Read Alouds of 2025
We have ended each day this school year with a picture book. Here’s the list of the 160+ picture books that we’ve read this school year. The list should be closer to 180, but I haven’t always remembered to add each title to the list.
Last week, I shared the list with my fifth graders. It was so much fun to hear the chatter surrounding the books they loved and cherished. The room was buzzing!
After they had some time to look over the list, I had them nominate their five favorite picture book read alouds. More than 50 books were nominated at least one time. Ten books were clearly set apart from the rest. I made a ballot with those ten books listed, and each kid got to vote for their favorite five. We had a three way tie for first place, and two additional books comfortably in fourth and fifth. They each got to vote for one of the top three books to break the tie.
Their five favorite picture book read alouds.
Sam & Dave Dig A Hole by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
The Wolf, The Duck, & The Mouse by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
Three Billy Goats Gruff by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
The Rough Patch by by Brian Lies
The Spider in the Well by Jess Hannigan
How wild is it that they selected three books by Mac and Jon? On Monday of our last week, we read The Spider in The Well. We continued to make our way through the list, one book a day, until Friday where we read Sam & Dave Dig A Hole. They all signed the endpapers of Sam & Dave Dig A Hole.
I always promise to read aloud a class’s favorite book of the year as one of my first ten read alouds the next school year. This school year we read Big by Vashti Harrison because it was last year’s class’s favorite read aloud. I explained to the class at that time, that they would be selecting their favorite read aloud of the year in about 170 school days. This little nugget led to kids talking, debating, and discussing their favorites throughout the year. It is amazing what can happen when you plant a ‘reading seed’.
Thank you for celebrating amazing books with the readers you serve. Helping them fall in love with books is one of the most important thing we do.
In the video below I talk about the five books mentioned above, and the other books we read during the last week of the school year.
The Rough Patch is SUCH A LOVELY BOOK!
I'm going to start doing this with my 5th grade classes every year. So many of my fifth grade students lose their zest for reading of any kind, and picture books are such a great way to keep it alive. Thanks for the great idea!