December is a great time to discuss and explore Rachel Bright books because that’s when her birthday is, but you can do this any time of the year. This post shares Rachel Bright books that you can use for this purpose. All of the picture books on this list lend themselves to this topic really well. Take a peek below to learn more about these Rachel Bright books!
The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright
The story The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright takes place in the jungle on an old flat rock. Mouse is little and meek and lives in a tiny house at the bottom of the rock. Hardly anyone notices him and he was often forgotten about. Lion lives at the top of the rock. He is very loud and makes sure everyone knows how important he is.
One day Mouse decides that he is tired of being ignored and forgotten and decides that if he had a roar people would notice him and make friends. He realizes that Lion is the only one that can teach him how to roar, and that makes him very nervous. He decides to have confidence and go talk to Lion anyways so that he can make the first steps towards changing his life.
When Mouse gets to the top of the mountain to talk to Lion, Lions shrieks and lunges away from Mouse. Lion is terrified of him! Mouse told him that they could be friends and they learned from each other that you don’t have to be loud to be noticed, you just need to find your true voice. Everyone has a little bit of lion and a little bit of mouse inside of them.
Check out these The Lion Inside teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
The Koala Who Could by Rachel Bright
High up, above the trees, lived Kevin the koala. Kevin felt safe clinging onto his branch. Down below felt too noisy and too scary with all the other animals. One day, another animal came and asked Kevin to come and play. He shared that he never leaves his tree. While hearing the friends play, he realized he was missing out. The next morning, a woodpecker began pecking the tree until the branch, which Kevin still clung too, fell to the ground. When he got to the forest floor, he realized how fun it can be! He decided that even though he likes to follow his own plan, he can learn to be flexible and escape his comfort zone.
This text is an excellent mentor text to discuss the importance of flexibility and growth mindset. Kevin demonstrates many qualities that represent a child in a fixed mindset. Explore this book filled with onomatopoeia and rhyme to learn how Kevin pushed past his fear.
Check out these The Koala Who Could teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
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- reading comprehension questions with sample student responses
- 30 writing prompts targeting 10 different types of writing
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One Last Thing Before You Go… Grab this Free Reading Resource!
If you want to get more book ideas to read aloud to your elementary students, then grab this reading freebie for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom teachers. It includes:
- seasonal read aloud books lists for teachers
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It will have you covered for the entire school year, as well as the summer months! Grab this free elementary reading packet now!
In closing, we hope you found this list of Rachel Bright books helpful! They are part of our Starts With a Story collection.
