You can discuss and explore memoirs any time of the year with your students. This post shares Memoir Picture 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 Memoir Picture Books!
4 Memoir Picture Books
Below is a list of some of our favorite Memoir Picture Books to share with elementary students. Check them out!
1. Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian
Goldfish is very happy alone in his bowl, he has plenty of room to swim around. However, one day the bowl starts to get more crowded. First came Mr. Bubbles, a scuba diver that would not talk. Next, were plants and a snail named Mervin who liked to eat slime. Soon after came Cha-Cha the angelfish and two guppies named Rhoda and Clark. Goldfish no longer had room to swim! Frustrated that everyone was taking over his tank, Goldfish yelled at the other sea creatures.
The next day, Goldfish was taken out of the bowl and put into a smaller one alone. It didn’t take long before he started to miss and worry about his friends. Thankfully, he was soon moved out of the little bowl into a big, new tank with all of his friends who he has started to consider family. Goldfish even meets a new friend, Gracie, who looks just like him.
Check out these Memoirs of a Goldfish teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
2. Memoirs of a Hamster by Devin Scillian
Seymour the hamster is very happy with life in his cage. He has everything he needs: his wheel for exercise, a water bottle for hydration, and food. Seymour never thought of leaving his cage until Pearl the cat told him about life outside the cage. She talked about the sunroom and how the stairs were made of sunflower seeds.
Seymour was curious and came up with a plan to leave his cage. However, once he escaped he realized Pearl was lying and instead wanted to catch Seymour! He escaped under the couch and had to wait for her to fall asleep before attempting to run back to his cage. As Seymour ran, the vacuum caused a commotion and Pearl was chasing him again. Thankfully, the little girl who takes care of Seymour came to his rescue. Seymour never wants to leave his cage again.
Check out these Memoirs of a Hamster teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
3. Memoirs of a Parrot by Devin Scillian
Brock is a parrot living in Wilbur’s Pet Shop. He can’t stand when customers come in and stare at him, asking if he wants a cracker. Brock can’t seem to understand why they think his name is Polly. One day, a man named Todd comes into the store and buys Brock. Right away, Brock doesn’t like Todd. His house is right near the freeway and he is not good at playing the ukulele. Todd keeps trying to get Brock to talk, and Brock doesn’t know why Todd can’t understand him. Eventually, Brock realizes Todd wants him to speak his language.
Brock enjoys dropping his crackers in the toaster to warm them up. One night, he drops a cracker in but it doesn’t pop back up. The house starts to fill with smoke and he calls to Todd for help. When Todd saves him from the smoke, Brock says thank you in Todd’s language. The is the start of their friendship and Brock is finally happy in his new home with his friend.
Check out these Memoirs of a Parrot teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
4. Memoirs of a Tortoise by Devin Scillian
This heartwarming story is told from the perspective of a tortoise. Every day, he sees his pet human, Ike. Ike plays fetch, gives him food, and pets his smooth shell. This story takes us through each month and season, until Ike no longer comes out to play. The tortoise walks to see his mother, where he learns that pets do not live as long as they do. They must be grateful for the time they share together.
With that, we infer that Ike has passed away. The tortoise goes home, but he is not sure if it will feel the same. That is, until Ted comes to play. Ted lives in the same house as Ike did. He is Ike’s son!
This beautiful story teaches students about honoring the life of pets and looking forward to new adventures.
Check out these Memoirs of a Tortoise 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 Memoir Picture 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!
