These children’s books about the library are great for elementary teachers and librarians to read aloud to students at the beginning of the school year, National Library Day, or really any time of the school year. Some teachers use these books about the library as National Library Week books for April or spring read alouds, but none of them were strictly created for that purpose. Each of these picture books about the library feature library settings but do not mention National Library Day or Week. Be sure to check out the list below for quality children’s books about the library!
This post highlights the following books:
- Madeline Finn and the Library Dog
- Library Lion
- Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré
- Bats at the Library
- The Story of Fish and Snail
5 Children’s Books about the Library
Below are 5 quality books about the library. Your students are going to love these read alouds!
1. Madeline Finn and the Library Dog by Lisa Papp
In Madeline Finn and the Library Dog, Madeline Finn does not like reading of any kind. She has a hard time figuring out the words and makes mistakes. When she reads out loud in class, students giggle. Madeline’s teacher gives out stars to students that are good readers and she never gets one. Instead, Madeline gets a heart that says keep trying.
One day at the library, Madeline is introduced to a dog named Bonnie. The librarian suggests Madeline pick out a book read to Bonnie. When she is reading with Bonnie, Madeline is not nervous. Bonnie is patient and lets Madeline figure out the words. Every Saturday, Madeline visits the library and reads to Bonnie. When it is time to read out loud in class again, Madeline is nervous. She thinks of Bonnie as she is reading and reads all the way to the bottom of the page! Madeline finally earns a star for her reading and can’t wait to show it to Bonnie who has a surprise, too: puppies!
Check out these Madeline Finn and The Library Dog activities!
2. Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen
One day, a lion made his way into a library in the book Library Lion. Mr. McBee, who worked in the library, raced to tell the librarian Miss Merriweather. She explained since he was not breaking any rules, the lion could stay. He made himself comfortable and enjoyed the story hour with the children. As the days went by, people grew used to seeing the lion in the library and he was very helpful. He licked envelopes for Miss Merriweather, dusted, and helped children reach books on tall shelves.
When Miss Merriweather was reaching for a book on a high shelf, she fell to the ground. The lion ran to get help from Mr. McBee and had to roar as loud as he could to get his attention. When Mr. McBee heard the roar, he raced to tell Miss Merriweather. The lion knew he had broken the rules and left the library. Everyone missed the lion and Mr. McBee set out to find him. He explained to the lion that sometimes rules can be broken, like when you are trying to help a friend that is hurt.
Check out these Library Lion activities!
3. Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré by Anika Aldamuy Denise
Check out these Planting Stories activities!
4. Bats at the Library by Brian Lies
One night, the bats are bored in the book Bats at the Library. When word spreads that a window had been left open at the library, they decide to have a little fun inside. Some bats look at the books on the shelves, while others hang out by lamps, and some play games. Many of the bats even enjoy a storytime, which sucks them right into the story. Finally, the bats must leave, but they are already looking forward to their next trip to the library!
Check out these Bats at the Library activities!
5. The Story of Fish and Snail by Deborah Freedman
Fish and Snail live amongst the pages of a book in the deep blue ocean. Each day, Snail waits for Fish to come home with a new story.
One day, Fish wants to show Snail a new story, with pirates and special treasure. Snail wants to stay in his current story, where he can play kittens and be safe.
When Fish swims away to the next book, Snail quickly misses him. He falls to the next book, bravely looking for his friend. When Fish sees him, he learns to compromise and join his friend in a pirate boat as kittens.
Check out these The Story of Fish and Snail activities!
Get All of the Library Book Activities!
Scoop up all of the activity packets based on the picture books featured in this post!
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!
Teachers Love these Other National Library Week Activities for Kids
We have lots of National Library Week activities you can use in your classroom. Check out the blog post National Library Week Activities for Kids to get more ideas and teaching resources!
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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
- 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 children’s books about the library helpful! If you are a member of Starts With a Story, you have access to all of these book companion activities. Lastly, you may also be interested in these spring books for kids if you love read alouds like us!
