Hi! I'm an afterschool lead teacher and at the end of our day we have "DEAR" which stands for Drop Everything And Read. It's around 30-40 min long and allows the kids to read independently or listen to a teacher read-aloud. The read-aloud portion usually goes for 20 minutes, so I'm looking for books roughly that length.
I'm looking to broaden my library of books to read to the kids. The best books for us have been stand-alone picture books or short stories. We unfortunately can't do a chapter book because it would take multiple days and we have different kids each day. I try to aim my books at around a second grade audience as the older kids tend to choose independent reading.
Some recent favorites have been:
- Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series by Josh Funk. This is definitely aimed at a younger audience but is funny and compelling enough to draw a few more older kids.
- Moving the Millers' Minnie Moore Mine Mansion by Dave Eggers. This was a surprising crowd pleaser! I had every single student engaged and asking so many questions during this one.
- The Big Book of Tashi by Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg. This was the rare "chapter book" that worked for us because each story can stand alone, but also be appreciated in the context of the whole.
TIA for any recs!
by ratprince003