March is a great time to discuss and explore Peter Reynolds books because that’s when his birthday is, but you can do this any time of the year. This post shares Peter Reynolds 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 Peter Reynolds Books!
3 Peter Reynolds Books
Below is a list of some of our favorite Peter Reynolds Books to share with elementary students. Check them out!
1. Ish by Peter Reynolds
Ramon had always loved drawing. He would draw pictures of anything, anywhere. Then one day, his brother laughed at his picture of a vase. Ramon tried and tried to fix his drawing so it would look like the vase of flowers, but he couldn’t get his drawing to look just right. He notices his sister come into the room and take one of his crumpled up drawings.
Ramon chases Marisol up to her room to find that she has hung up all of his crumpled drawings. He tells her the drawing was supposed to be a vase but he couldn’t get it to look right. Marisol tells Ramon she thinks it looks “vase-ish.” This inspires Ramon to take a second look at all of his drawings. He starts to draw again and feel free as he creates imperfect drawings. Ramon learns that things do not have to be perfect and he can still enjoy activities like writing and drawing.
Check out these Ish teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
2. The Dot by Peter Reynolds
The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds tells the story of Vashti, a young girl who thinks she cannot draw. As Vashti sits in art class, her paper is empty and she is clearly frustrated. Her teacher encourages her to make a start by making a mark and signing her name.
The following week when Vashti walks into art class she sees that her dot drawing is behind the teacher’s desk in a fancy gold frame. When she looks at her art, Vashti thinks she can make an even better dot than that. She starts making all big dots, little dots, and all different colored dots.
When it is time for the school art show, everyone is interested in Vashti’s dot drawings. A young boy admiring her pictures mentions that he wishes he could draw like that. Vashti encourages him to draw a line and sign his name.
This heartwarming story is a great way to introduce growth mindset to students!
Check out these The Dot teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
3. The Word Collector by Peter Reynolds
The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds is the story of a boy named Jerome who loves collecting words. Jerome collects all different kinds of words: big, small and words he sees or hears. He puts the words he collects into a scrapbook.
One day, Jerome decides to bring his collection of words to the top of a hill. He lets the words go and they float down to the world below. Children see the words and start picking them up. It leaves Jerome speechless to see how much joy his collection brings others.
This heartwarming book about Jerome’s collection is sure to inspire students to start collecting their own words and expanding their vocabulary.
Check out these The Word Collector 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 Peter Reynolds Books helpful! They are all 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!
