April is a great time to discuss and explore Amy Krause Rosenthal books because that’s when her birthday is, but you can do this any time of the year. This post shares Amy Krause Rosenthal 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 Amy Krause Rosenthal Books!
4 Amy Krause Rosenthal Books
Below is a list of some of our favorite Amy Krause Rosenthal books to share with elementary students. Check them out!
1. Spoon by Amy Krause Rosenthal
One day, Spoon was feeling sad and not like himself. His mother asked what was wrong and he explained he felt like his friends were all better off than he was. Each of his friends, Fork, Knife and Chopsticks, could do something that he could not. For example, Knife can spread things, Fork can go anywhere and Chopsticks are exotic. Little did Spoon know, his friends were jealous of him. They admired his ability to be silly and easygoing.
At bedtime, Spoon’s mother reminded him how lucky he is. She told him about all the things he gets to do that his friends cannot. Spoon gets to dive headfirst into ice cream and relax in tea. After speaking with his mother, Spoon feels better and starts feeling really good about himself.
Check out these Spoon teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
2. Chopsticks by Amy Krause Rosenthal
Chopsticks have always been best friends and they do everything together. That’s how it has always been. In fact, their friends can’t even think of a time they weren’t together. When they were practicing new culinary tricks, there was an accident and Chopstick snapped. The doctor told him he would need to stay off his leg for a while. At first, the two remained side by side as always. After some time though, he told his friend to venture off on his own and tell him all about the experience. At first, Chopstick was apprehensive. He had no idea what he could do on his own, however, with encouragement from his friend, Chopstick went out into the world. He learned that there were many things he could do alone, and tried out lots of new activities.
When Chopstick was healed, the two reunited and were stronger than ever. They learned many new things they enjoyed doing together, like painting, playing music, and drawing.
Check out these Chopsticks teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
3. Straw by Amy Krause Rosenthal
Straw had a thirst for being first. He wanted to be the first to do everything, and whenever he was drinking something, he needed to be the first to finish. One day, Straw runs into a big problem with doing this quickly. He gets a big brain freeze when trying to drink a frozen drink too quickly.
One of Straw’s glassmates teaches him the importance of slowing down and smelling the milkshake. Straw learns how to be mindful and and pay attention to all the great things happening around him. He learns that being first is not what is the most important.
Check out these Straw teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
4. Spork by Amy Krause Rosenthal
Spork was different from all of the other cutlery in his kitchen. He was part fork and park spoon. It was very unusual for cutlery to be mixed like Spork was, and people did not seem to understand what he was. Spork felt lonely and was never placed at the table like spoons and forks were. He felt like if you could just pick one thing to be, things would be easier. He decided to wear a round hat but the forks thought he was too round. Next, Spork tried a crown but the spoons thought he was too pointy.
One day, the “messy eater” arrived and made a mess of the kitchen despite the spoons and forks efforts. Spork realized the messy easter needed something that could scoop and poke, something flexible and easy to hold. When Spork presented himself to the baby, he realized he had finally found his place at the table.
Check out these Spork teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
Or Get All of the Activity Packets for 600+ Picture Books!
Starts with a Story is a collection of hundreds of book companions based on high quality children’s literature that support you in delivering highly-engaging interactive read alouds with follow up activities. Each book companion includes:
- reading comprehension questions with sample student responses
- 30 writing prompts targeting 10 different types of writing
- SEL lesson ideas based on character and events from each story
- printable student activities
- editable teaching slides with book-based clipart
- and more.
Learn how to get unlimited access to all 600+ book companion packets below!
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
- printable reading logs to track students’ reading
- monthly reading challenges to motivate students to read more
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 Amy Krause Rosenthal books and activities helpful! If you are a member of Starts With a Story, you have access to all of these book companion activities. Do you want more book recommendations? Check out this massive list of mentor texts for elementary teachers!
