Teacher Tools

From the Series Bumba Books® — Community Helpers Tools of the Trade

• Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 1    
• Reading Level: Kindergarten

Vibrant photos, carefully leveled text, and critical-thinking questions engage young readers in learning about the tools teachers use to serve their communities. A photo glossary help build nonfiction learning skills.

Hooray for Teachers!

From the Series Bumba Books® — Hooray for Community Helpers!

• Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 1    
• Reading Level: Kindergarten

Ever wonder what a day in the life of a teacher is like? From helping students to giving tests, teachers are responsible for helping their community to learn new things! Now in Spanish, the carefully leveled text and colorful photos engage young readers in learning about the role of teachers in their community. Age-appropriate critical thinking questions and a photo glossary help build nonfiction learning skills.

School Buses on the Go

From the Series Bumba Books® — Machines That Go

• Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 1  
• Reading Level: Kindergarten

Carefully leveled text and fresh, vibrant photos engage young readers in learning about how school buses work. Age-appropriate critical thinking questions and a photo glossary help build nonfiction learning skills.

Schools Past and Present

From the Series Bumba Books® — Past and Present

• Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 1  
• Reading Level: Kindergarten

This carefully leveled text compares and contrasts what schools were like in the past to schools of the present! Age-appropriate critical thinking questions and a photo glossary help build nonfiction-learning skills and vocabulary, and vibrant visuals keep young readers engaged.

¡Que vivan los maestros! (Hooray for Teachers!)

From the Series Bumba Books® en español — ¡Que vivan los ayudantes comunitarios! (Hooray for Community Helpers!)

• Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 1    
• Reading Level: Kindergarten

¿Alguna vez te has preguntado cómo es un día en la vida de un maestro? ¡De ayudar a los estudiantes a dar pruebas, los maestros son responsables de ayudar a su comunidad a aprender cosas nuevas! Las fotos coloridas atraen a los lectores jóvenes a aprender sobre el papel de los maestros en su comunidad. Las preguntas de pensamiento crítico y un glosario de fotos ayudan a desarrollar habilidades de aprendizaje de no ficción.

Ever wonder what a day in the life of a teacher is like? From helping students to giving tests, teachers are responsible for helping their community to learn new things! Now in Spanish, the carefully leveled text and colorful photos engage young readers in learning about the role of teachers in their community. Age-appropriate critical thinking questions and a photo glossary help build nonfiction learning skills.

Back-to-School Rules

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3
• Reading Level: Grade 2

School’s in session! When it comes to surviving school, Percy’s at the head of the class. If you can follow his ten simple rules, making the grade will be a piece of cake (and school will be a lot of fun). But there’s more to school than showing up on time and staying awake in class. If you have any doubts, Percy also shows exactly what not to do.

• No spitballs!
• No running in the halls!
• No bouncing off the ceiling!
• No crazy scheming!

See what other trouble—and tips—Percy has in mind!

My Busy Day

From the Series First Words and Pictures

• Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 2  
• Reading Level: Grade 1

Specially created to support early years teaching, this beautiful new words and pictures book is perfect for children learning to read. As young readers turn the pages, they will have lots of opportunities to: tell and understand time; explore the importance of physical exercise, healthy eating, basic hygiene, and keeping healthy and safe; understand behavior and consequences; find out about technology in homes and schools; and look at the similarities and differences between everyday places and objects all over the world.

School Days

• Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 2  
• Reading Level: Grade 1

Get ready for the first day of school—and beyond—in this reassuring photo book.

From bus rides to reading and math to recess and field trips, simple text and bright photos offer young readers a look at what happens throughout the school year. See a diverse range of kids taking part in morning meeting, visiting the library, going to lunch, playing on the playground, and much more. Perfect for preschoolers preparing to start school as well as early elementary students getting ready to begin a new year!

Lola Goes to School

From the Series Lola

• Interest Level: Preschool – Kindergarten  
• Reading Level: Grade 2

The lovable therapy dog from Lola Goes to Work has her first day at Doggy Daycare. Like anyone new to preschool or kindergarten, she’s a little bit nervous, a little bit scared, and very excited. Perfect read-aloud for back-to-school, at home, library, or classroom.

Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Silly School Mystery

From the Series Monkey with a Tool Belt

• Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 2  
• Reading Level: Grade 2

Inspiration for the Netflix series Chico Bon Bon!

Chico Bon Bon and his friend Clark are having the most unusual day at school. Half the library books are missing, the taco shells for Taco Day are nowhere to be found, and someone (or something!) has chewed up the classroom map. It’s up to Chico Bon Bon to crack the case—with his trusty tool belt, of course!

At School

School

From the Series Step Up — Life

• Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 2  
• Reading Level: Grade 2

This cute picture book shows the day of a child at school. Let’s see what she wants to do at school.

Cloverleaf Books™ — Off to School

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 2  
• Reading Level: Grade 1

Engaging stories with straightforward plots follow characters as they experience the firsts of going to school. From riding the bus and navigating the lunch line to celebrating the 100th day, each book uses a friendly voice to tell the stories of relatable, diverse characters. Perfect for readers going to school for the first time or returning to school after summer break.

How I Pack My Lunch

From the Series First Step Nonfiction — Responsibility in Action

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 2    
• Reading Level: Grade 1

What routine do you follow to pack a healthy lunch? See how this responsible student plans a meal.

Teachers in My Community

From the Series Meet a Community Helper (Early Bird Stories™)

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 2
• Reading Level: Grade 1

With captivating text and illustrations, readers can follow along as a class meets another teacher in its school and learns new information about what teachers do. Comprehension questions, fun facts, and critical thinking questions keep readers engaged and introduce them to thinking about what they’re reading.

All Kinds of Friends

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 2  
• Reading Level: Grade 2

Friends can come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes. Through bright photographs and simple text, young readers will discover the many ways to be a friend and how to celebrate all the different kinds of friendships they have.

It’s Back to School We Go!

First Day Stories From Around the World

• Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3    
• Reading Level: Grade 2

The first day of school is an event that brings mixed emotions to children everywhere. There is excitement in seeing old friends and it’s nice to begin a new year with a new teacher and good intentions. But first day feelings are mixed. Will last year’s friends still be friends? What if the new teacher doesn’t like me? Or what if the work is too hard? Ellen Jackson and Jan Davey Ellis portray children from eleven different countries experiencing their first day back at school. Each child’s first-person acount is enhanced by a fact box that tells us something about the culture from which the child speaks, so that the reader is able to compare and contrast the experiences of children from different parts of the world. In words and pictures the author and artist have captured the diversity of children’s school experiences, while at the same time capturing how much the world’s children have in common.

How Can I Deal with Bullying?

A Book about Respect

From the Series Show Your Character

• Interest Level: Grade 1 – Grade 3  
• Reading Level: Grade 2

What should you do if you see someone bullying another person at school? Is it better to just stay out of it? Or what should you do when your best friend says she won’t play with you if you talk to someone she doesn’t like?

It’s really tricky to handle situations like these. But if you show respect for others, it gets easier. This book offers examples of several tough problems and shows what you might do in each situation. See how a little respect can go a long way!

Crunch and Crack, Oink and Whack!

An Onomatopoeia Story

• Interest Level: Grade 2 – Grade 5  
• Reading Level: Grade 3

Rhyming verse from Brian P. Cleary presents the fictional Clip-Clop Elementary School’s celebration of “Onomatopoeia Day.” Enthusiastic young students make their way from band room (Rattle! Boom! Twang!) to the gym (Whiff! Whack! Swish!) to the science lab (Hiss! Spurt! Ding!) and beyond. Brief back matter offers additional examples of onomatopoeias—words that imitate sounds.

My Digital Rights and Rules

From the Series Digital Citizens

• Interest Level: Grade 2 – Grade 5  
• Reading Level: Grade 3

What are your rights as a digital citizen? What rules must you follow to be a good one? Learn all about your digital rights and rules and explore different digital scenarios through fun, video game-style illustrations.

My School in 2055

From the Series My Life in 2055

• Interest Level: Grade 2 – Grade 5  
• Reading Level: Grade 3

Technology could enable students to set their own pace and make learning personalized. Learn how we might use tech such as interactive screens, holo projectors, and virtual reality in the schools of the future.

Can I Touch Your Hair?

Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship

• Interest Level: Grade 3 – Grade 6  
• Reading Level: Grade 4

Two poets, one white and one black, explore race and childhood in this must-have collection tailored to provoke thought and conversation.

How can Irene and Charles work together on their fifth grade poetry project? They don’t know each other . . . and they’re not sure they want to.

Irene Latham, who is white, and Charles Waters, who is black, use this fictional setup to delve into different experiences of race in a relatable way, exploring such topics as hair, hobbies, and family dinners. Accompanied by artwork from acclaimed illustrators Sean Qualls and Selina Alko (of The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage), this remarkable collaboration invites readers of all ages to join the dialogue by putting their own words to their experiences.

Dead Max Comix

• Interest Level: Grade 4 – Grade 8  
• Reading Level: Grade 4

Middle school can be a survival of “fitting-in,” at best. In Dead Max Comix, Derrick discovers that his secrets aren’t really unusual. This series offers a light-hearted touch at accepting yourself and finding your own “pack.”

Name Tags and Other Sixth-Grade Disasters

• Interest Level: Grade 4 – Grade 7    
• Reading Level: Grade 5

Twelve-year-old Lizbeth always has a plan, and those plans have usually worked—until now. No matter what she tries, she can’t get rid of her dad’s new girlfriend, Claire. And when she and her mom move, Lizbeth has to join a sixth-grade class already in progress, where her teacher makes her wear a name tag and she’s seated with three notorious “weirdos.”

When faced with mandatory participation in a school talent show, Lizbeth and the Weirdos decide to create self portraits. Reluctantly, Lizbeth finds herself becoming friends with people she thought she had nothing in common with—and coming to terms with the things she can’t control.

Social Distancing

From the Series COVID-19

• Interest Level: Grade 5 – Grade 8  
• Reading Level: Grade 3

Are you ready to live in a world without handshakes or hugs from anyone outside your home? What about “going to school” via your laptop in your living room? Are you taking your dance class on an iPad? These are just some of the adjustments people have had to make in trying to stop the spread of COVID-19. But what are the best ways to enjoy our lives and interact with friends without socializing in person? Readers will explore how our social lives have changed since COVID-19 began, and how some of these changes may be around for a while.

Where’s My Stuff? 2nd Edition

The Ultimate Teen Organizing Guide

• Interest Level: Grade 6 – Grade 12  
• Reading Level: Grade 8

A comprehensive guide for young adults on how to organize schoolwork, lockers, bedrooms, and even schedules. Take a quiz to identify your organizing style and get great advice about making decisions, purging closets, and creating the perfect space to relax, work, and store belongings. With fun and useful illustrations, easy-to-follow charts, and ample doses of humor, Where’s My Stuff? is an incredible asset for anyone who wants to get it together and keep it together, for good. Newly updated for readers living in a digital world, this 2nd edition includes tips on managing online files and backups, digital planners, and more. Written in collaboration with professional teen organizer Lesley Martin.

How to Do It Now Because It’s Not Going Away

An Expert Guide to Getting Stuff Done

• Interest Level: Grade 8 – Grade 12  
• Reading Level: Grade 7

With distance learning, teens are having to manage their time and attention now more than ever.

Procrastination is especially tough for young adults. Getting started is overwhelming, it’s hard to get motivated, not knowing how long things take messes up planning, and distractions are everywhere. We are all wired to put things off, but we can learn tools and techniques to kick this habit. This book is a user-friendly guide to help teens get their tasks done. Simple, straightforward, and with a touch of humor, it’s packed with practical solutions and easily digestible tips to stay on top of homework, develop a sense of time, manage digital distractions, create easy-to-follow routines, and get unstuck. In her breezy, witty style, internationally recognized academic and parenting coach Leslie Josel opens the door to a student’s view of procrastination, dives deep into what that really looks like, and offers up her Triple Ts—tips, tools and techniques—to teach students how to get stuff done…now.

I, Claudia

• Interest Level: Grade 8 – Grade 12  
• Reading Level: Grade 6

A 2019 Michael L. Printz Honor Book

Disaffected teen historian Claudia McCarthy never expected to be in charge of Imperial Day Academy, but by accident, design, or scheme, she is pulled into the tumultuous and high-profile world of the Senate and Honor Council. Suddenly, Claudia is wielding power over her fellow students that she never expected to have and isn’t sure she wants.

Claudia vows to use her power to help the school. But there are forces aligned against her: shocking scandals, tyrants waiting in the wings, and political dilemmas with no easy answers. As Claudia struggles to be a force for good in the universe, she wrestles with the question: does power inevitably corrupt?

Undecided, 2nd Edition

Navigating Life and Learning after High School

• Interest Level: Grade 9 – Grade 12  
• Reading Level: Grade 8

Cut through the chaos and find the path that’s right for you!

Deciding what to do after high school is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make. And that’s a lot of pressure to deal with (especially when everyone else is telling you what they think you should be doing)! Undecided will help you come to grips with this often-overwhelming time of transition by putting the decision-making power back where it belongs: with you.

Undecided begins by helping students think seriously about who they are and what they want and then moves on to dissect the various options that are available after high school, such as enrolling in a training program, attending a community college, taking a gap year, enlisting in the military, pursuing a traditional four-year degree, and more. It also takes an in-depth look at how to manage student debt, what you can expect to earn, the kind of lifestyle you may lead, and the possible pitfalls of all of these scenarios. Full of checklists, anecdotes, brainstorming activities, and journal exercises, this book will help you stop procrastinating, put your stress aside, and get busy living.