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Looking for Memorial Day read aloud books?
We honor those who died fighting for our great nation on Memorial Day (Veterans Day honors all those who served).
Why learn about Memorial Day through a read-aloud?
Authors have the unique ability to create words and imagery that provoke thoughts and feelings like no simple lesson could.
Choosing a read-aloud to express the sadness and magnitude of sacrifice helps children understand what our soldiers and their families have experienced.
I searched for books that truly pinpoint the sacrifices that our soldiers have made while remaining age-appropriate.
God bless the great men and women who have sacrificed their dreams and lives to protect everything that our nation stands for.
Have you heard about America’s white remembrance tables?
This tradition includes small dining tables that are placed out specifically for POWs and MIAs.
No one sits at this table – it is a symbol of remembrance: “We push an empty chair to the table for the missing soldiers who are not here”.
These tables are often placed out in formal military dinners.
This book explains this tradition in a fictional story about a little girl whose family sets one up when their Uncle John (a Vietnam War veteran) comes to dinner at their home on Veterans Day.
Many kids will not know about the white table tradition.
I imagine that many kids would go home and educate their parents about the white tables as well.
I highly recommend this book to explain the sacrifices made by soldiers (there’s a story about Uncle John as a POW and his friend Mike) as well as the beautiful symbolic tradition of the white table.
Click HERE to read more (Amazon Affiliate link).
This rhyming book is deeply moving, and a great addition to your Memorial Day read-aloud books.
A boy goes with his grandpa to Rolling Thunder in Washington, D.C. on Memorial Day.
He rides with his grandpa and sees the respect and connection amongst the men choosing to ride.
At the end of their ride, they arrive at the Vietnam War Memorial to pay their respects to those who are no longer with us.
This book honors both those who returned home and those who did not.
Click HERE to read more (Amazon Affiliate link).
I had no idea about the “Poppy Lady”, Moina Belle Michael, until reading this story.
I knew that poppies were symbols of Memorial Day, but I was unaware of why.
Moina Belle Michael is responsible for making the poppy the symbol of remembrance.
The story says that Moina Belle Michael worked at a college in World War I when all the men were called off to war.
She felt a calling that she needed to help the men and their families during this time, as well as after the war when she found that the returning men were not being treated well or getting their old jobs back. Through making poppies, Moina Belle Michael was able to raise money for these returning soldiers.
This book reminds us that there’s always something that we can do. Some way that we can help.
This book shows the realities of war that both men and women face (such as leaving to war, losing a loved one, support from home, and how the return is handled).
Click HERE to read more (Amazon Affiliate link).
This is truly a beautiful and powerful book.
Eve Bunting is an exceptional author, and she did a remarkable job with this story.
It is poignant and evokes a magnitude of feelings.
I have a very hard time reading the ending aloud- I cannot stop crying.
This book focuses on a young boy who visits the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. with his father. They visit the Vietnam War Memorial to find his grandpa’s name on the wall.
This book is heavy and leaves you feeling the same pain that the father and son are feeling while feeling the grandpa’s etched name on the wall.
If you pick any of these books, make it this one.
Click HERE to read more (Amazon Affiliate link).
Make sure to check out my Memorial Day reading comprehension color by numbers.
This set includes both fiction and nonfiction passages/reading comprehension questions to help students understand Memorial Day.
Click HERE to check it out.
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Have you read any of these books?
Do you have any other favorites that I am missing?
I also have a post on the best Veterans Day books – click HERE to read!
Thank you to all the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
God bless you and God bless America.
There is a cost for freedom, and we must honor and remember those who have fallen to keep our nation free.
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