End of the Year Read Aloud Books
Looking for an end-of-year read-aloud?
Students feel a gush of overwhelming feelings at the end of the year.
Excitement. Anxiety. Sadness.
A read-aloud is a beautiful way to help understand the feelings that we are experiencing.
I selected a few of my favorite end-of-year read-aloud books that I know both you and your students will enjoy.
Also – if you are looking for a chapter book to start the last month of school to pass some time… make sure to check out my blog post on the BEST read-aloud chapter books!
End of the Year Read Aloud Book Ideas
And Then Comes Summer by Tom Brenner
If your class is feeling bittersweet about leaving – read this book to them to get darn excited for the simple joys of summer.
The writing in this book is magnificent.
After reading, I was simply left with a feeling of “why do I not have the ability to create powerful words?”.
Yes, it’s dramatic.
But sometimes you read a book that for whatever reason takes your breath away.
Not necessarily the message, but simply the beauty of the words that the authors masterfully piece together.
That’s how I feel about this book.
For example: on the page of fireworks: “Then grab your blanket and watch the night explode in colorful sprays.”
I mean… does that not perfectly describe the feeling of watching July 4th fireworks on a hot, sticky summer night?
Your students and you will be swept away into the beautiful memories of summer.
Click HERE to check it out (Amazon Affiliate link)
Last Day Blues by Julie Danneberg
Have you read First Day Jitters? This fun book is super similar… but about the last day!
Kids think their teacher is going to be super sad that school is over… but the staff conga line tells a different story (is there anything better than that sudden wave of relief once the last bus pulls out of the school driveway?!)
This is a fun book that discusses the end of school and some different feelings that kids experience, your students will definitely enjoy it.
They’ll also enjoy the silly twist at the end π
Click HERE to check it out (Amazon Affiliate link)
Last Day, Hooray! by Nancy Poydar
This book goes over a lot of those end-of-the-year rituals… whether it’s signing yearbooks, cleaning the classroom, or taking down decorations.
Many kiddos are both excited and nervous as school ends, so this book is a nice way to relate to what they are going through and experiencing.
ALTHOUGH the sweet part where the students decorate the classroom after the teacher has cleaned the whole place up does make me feel a bit like “OMG WHY I WORKED SO HARD AND NOW IT’S MESSY AGAIN.” But maybe that’s just me π
Click HERE to check it out (Amazon Affiliate link)
Letter to My Teacher by Nancy Carpenter
Okay… the ending… gets me every time.
A quick way to break down into tears if everything makes you cry like me.
This book is about a little girl who has a tough time focusing in school, but her compassionate and patient teacher has given her the best school year of her life.
She remembers the teacher and is writing to the teacher the night before her first day of work.
As a teacher, this book reminds me of the power that a teacher has on a student’s life.
It makes me think about those words that we say to our students every single day are something that they can hang on to for life.
Teaching is truly a powerful job.
We must choose our words wisely.
It makes me think of a famous teacher quote that we were told on our first day of grad school: “As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.β
Click HERE to check it out (Amazon Affiliate link)
Mrs. Spitzer’s Garden by Edith Pattou
LOVE this book. Hello, beautiful metaphors!
A principal gives seeds to each teacher.
The teacher grows and tends to the seeds all year long.
Then in the late spring, the seeds have bloomed and will continue to grow on their own.
The next year, the teacher receives new seeds to tend to.
Of course, it may be obvious…. but the seeds are the students.
Your students will love this book, as will you.
Click HERE to check it out (Amazon Affiliate link)
Only One You by Linda Kranz
This one is an end-of-the-year favorite!
It doesn’t directly mention the end-of-the-year, but you can relate their journey in the classroom this year to the little fish.
It’s about a little fish and all the dreams that he will accomplish in his future.
Your students will love the positive message about the amazing things that lay ahead for them.
This book is perfect for nervous students who don’t quite want to leave the classroom yet.
Click HERE to check it out (Amazon Affiliate link)
Looking for an end-of-the-year resource?
You will LOVE my end of the year reading comprehension color by numbers!
Not only are they a blast, but students will be actively reviewing their reading strategies and practicing their comprehension skills.
That is a win/win in my book.
Click HERE to check them out.
Need an end-of-the-year freebie?
I have an end-of-the-year digital memory book!
This fun freebie can be used on Google Classroom or any similar educational platform.
Perfect as a student independent activity when you’re trying to get the classroom cleaned at the end of the year π
WOOHOO!
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What books do you love using during the end of the school year? Did you see any of your favorites on the list?
P.S. CONGRATS ON THE END OF THE YEAR, YOU TEACHING SUPERSTAR!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a cute (and super cheap) end of the year gift your students will love, read about it here!