Jory John books are great for any time of the year. This post shares Jory John 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 Jory John Books!
6 Jory John Books
Below is a list of some of our favorite Jory John Books to share with elementary students. They are part of our Jory John Book Companion Bundle. Check them out!
1. The Bad Seed by Jory John
In the book, The Bad Seed by Jory John, the main character is a sunflower seed who considers himself to be bad. He does not use his manners and he describes all the ways that he is bad. The people in his community call him the Bad Seed and do not want to be around him.
The Bad Seed was not always a bad seed. One day he was picked to be a sunflower seed snack, was almost eaten by a giant, and then was spit out and stuck to a wad of gum. This caused him to be bad. At the end of the story, the Bad Seed decides he doesn’t want to be bad anymore and is ready to be good. He changes his mindset and self-talk and becomes a good seed. He works really hard on using his manners. He admits that it is hard but continues to try his best.
Check out these The Bad Seed teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
2. The Cool Bean by Jory John
Jory John’s book, The Cool Bean, tells the story of a group of beans. The main character is a clumsy bean that is picked last for everything. He admires a group of cool beans, these beans walk with swagger and dress with style. The main character used to be friends with the cool beans last year, but they have grown apart. He misses hanging out with his friends and thinks that their coolness has gotten in the way. This bean thinks he can never be cool.
One day, he drops his tray in the lunchroom. Without saying anything, one of the cool beans comes over and helps him clean it up. Later, when he fell on the playground, one of the cool beans cleans up his cut. These small gestures of kindness boost the beans confidence and he starts hanging out with the cool beans again.
He learns that the beans’ acts of kindness are what make them cool, rather than how they look. Check out these The Cool Bean teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
3. The Good Egg by Jory John
In the book, The Good Egg by Jory John, the main character is kind and helpful and always makes positive choices. Unfortunately, the other eleven eggs he shares a carton with are always misbehaving.
The Good Egg works hard to keep the peace, take charge and tries to fix their bad behavior. It exhausts him, makes his head feel scrambled and ultimately causes his shell to crack from all the pressure. When he finally has had enough he leaves the group and takes the time necessary to focus on himself.
This is a wonderful book that reminds us all how important it is to take care of ourselves and our own needs in order to find happiness. Check out these The Good Egg teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
4. The Couch Potato by Jory John
The Couch Potato is happy with his life. He spends all day on the couch, and doesn’t have to get up for anything. He loves his comfortable couch and is happy that he never has to leave. He has gadgets and devices that can do everything for him and he doesn’t have to meet up with friends in person! He can see them through the screens. The Couch Potato thought that this was the perfect life.
One day, a new device was delivered to The Couch Potato. When he went to plug it in, the power went out! For the first time, he had nothing to do! The Couch Potato decided to take his dog outside for a walk. That’s when he noticed how bright it was and took in all the colors. His walk continued and he heard the birds chirping and noticed the stillness of nature. The Couch Potato enjoyed his time outside and relaxed in the park next a big tree. He took in his surroundings: the clouds, view and sunset.
When he finally returned home, he realized how much of his life he was spending on the couch. In that moment, The Couch Potato decided to spend more time outside. He played outside with his friends more often and took a break from all the technology. The Couch Potato realized he was so much more: entertaining, kind, and smart. But at the end of a long day one thing stayed the same, he still enjoys relaxing on the couch.
Check out these The Couch Potato teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
5. The Sour Grape by Jory John
The Sour Grape wasn’t always sour. In fact, he grew up in a close family where everyone was sweet to one another. On the weekends, he would spend time with his grandparents who taught him to be grateful, kind, forgiving and considerate. The Sour Grape always tried his best to be sweet, until everything changed.
The Sour Grape had planned himself a spectacular birthday party with a Ferris wheel, magician and plenty of snacks. He waited a long time for his guests to arrive, however, by the time the sun was setting no one had arrived. From that day forward, the Sour Grape held a grudge against everyone! He was always scowling and always grumpy.
One day, the Sour Grape had plans to meet his friend Lenny in the park. A series of events happened to make him very late to the park. When he arrived, Lenny was very frustrated with him. The Sour Grape realized Lenny was starting to hold a grudge against him, just like he did to everyone else! While giving Lenny some space, the Sour Grape spent time in the park. He realized how peaceful it was and was feeling very grateful. From that day forward, the Sour Grape changed. He no longer held onto grudges and realized just how sweet life could be.
Check out these The Sour Grape teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
6. The Smart Cookie by Jory John
Cookie now flourishes in a beautiful bakery down by the river. However, she shares that this was not always the case. Cookie struggled to succeed in school. She was shy, not confident, and worrisome. That is- until she found her own talents! This creative, engaging story can connect with many students who are still trying to find their own talents.
Check out these The Smart Cookie teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
Grab the Free Reading Resources!
In closing, we hope you found this list of Jory John Books 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!
