If you are looking for picture book read alouds for teaching letter writing, you found the right place! This post shares popular books about letter writing for kids that elementary teachers often use as read alouds. All of the children’s books on this list lend themselves to this topic really well. Take a peek below to learn more about these books about letter writing!
5 Books about Letter Writing
Below is a list of some of our favorite books for teaching letter writing at the elementary level. Check them out below!
1. Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings
Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings follows a homeless dog named Arfy who is looking for a family. Arfy writes letters to a family, a butcher, the fire department, the junkyard, and the scary last house on the road. Each time, Arfy gets a letter back saying that he can’t be their dog. Arfy feels discouraged each time, but continues to write letters.
After hearing that even the last house on the road wouldn’t take him, Arfy is devastated and goes back to the box that he lives in on the street. There he receives a letter from the mail carrier Mitzy. She wants to be his person! Arfy is overjoyed that he finally found his forever home, and goes to live with Mitzy.
Check out these Can I Be Your Dog? lessons and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging interactive read aloud lessons!
2. The Love Letter by Anika Aldamuy Denise
The Love Letter by Anika Aldamuy Denise is about how Ed was outside sweeping leaves, but there was a problem: he was in a bad mood. This was not just a regular bad mood that goes away quickly, Ed was in a really bad mood. While he was sweeping the leaves and his bad mood got bigger, Ed started taking everything with him. He swept up a cat, a dog, bicycles and even cars. Even when Ed thought about trying to stop his bad mood, it just got worse. Eventually, the whole town had been taken over by Ed’s bad mood.
Finally, a new wind came. This new wind caused Ed to look up. He was finally able to see all of the beautiful things around him. He even noticed a kite had shown up. As Ed flew the kite, he felt better and better. Now, when Ed is in a bad mood he takes a moment to stop and think. He tries not to let his bad mood take over.
Check out these The Love Letter lessons and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging interactive read aloud lessons!
3. I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff And David Catrow
I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff and David Catrow is a story rooted in persuasive writing. A young boy named Alex writes to his mother in letter form, trying to convince her why he should take his friend’s iguana. His mother writes back with counter-argents, explaining that iguanas take lots of work, patience, and money. Alex promises his mom that she will not have to clean the iguana’s cage or pay for his food.
This whimsical story is a perfect mentor text for persuasive or letter writing! Each letter between Alex and his mother includes opportunities for grammar, social/emotional, and comprehension conversations. Many students will be able to connect with this story!
Check out these I Wanna Iguana lessons and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging interactive read aloud lessons!
4. Dear Mrs. Larue: Letters From Obedience School by Mark Teague
Dear Mrs. Larue: Letters From Obedience School by Mark Teague is about Mrs. Larue’s dog, Ike, who was a very spoiled dog. He would steal food off the counter, chase neighbor’s cats, howl loudly, and he even pulled Mrs. LaRue to the ground and tore her coat. Frustrated with his behavior, she made the decision to send Ike to the Igor Brotweiler Canine Academy.
Once at school, Ike started writing letters to Mrs. LaRue expressing his dislike for the boarding school. He felt he did not fit in there and did not think his actions were bad enough to have him sent away. Ike described the school as a prison and desperately wanted to come home. He even tried pretending to be sick in hopes of being picked up. When it was clear Mrs. LaRue would not be taking him before the end of the term, Ike decided he would escape.
He spent some time traveling alone before he started to miss home, and Mrs. LaRue. One day when Mrs. LaRue was crossing the street, she forgot to look both ways! Thankfully, Ike had come home just in time to save her from getting hurt! Mrs. LaRue was so happy to have Ike home and was grateful he had saved her. She decided to throw him a party and even made his favorite meal!
Told in through Ike’s letters home to Mrs. LaRue, choose from the included collection of either printable activities or go paperless and use the digital activities to practice standards-based skills. We’ve even included editable teaching slides themed to match the book! love this hilarious story about a spoiled dogs problems at obedience school.
Check out these Dear Mrs. Larue: Letters From Obedience School lessons and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging interactive read aloud lessons!
5. I Found a Kitty by Troy Cummings
The beloved character Arfy from the popular story Can I Be Your Dog? is back and ready to help a new friend find a home in the book I Found a Kitty by Troy Cummings.
One day, Arfy goes out to play and finds a kitten all alone. Arfy and the kitten, Scampers, write letters to many different people asking if they will take Scampers in their house. They have a hard time finding the best fit for Scampers as people keep writing back that they can’t keep him.
Finally, Scampers and Arfy put their heads together and find the best home for Scampers where he is loved and gets to do all the fun things he likes at Butternut Nursing Home.
Check out these I Found a Kitty lessons and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging interactive read aloud lessons!
Grab the Free Reading Resources!
In closing, we hope you found this list of picture books about letter writing helpful! They are part of our Starts With a Story collection. If you want to get more book ideas to read aloud to your elementary students, then grab this reading freebie. It includes read aloud books lists, reading logs, and reading challenges for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom teachers. It will have you covered for the entire school year, as well as the summer months! Grab this free elementary reading packet now!
