Emma Conrad

I compiled this little list because every child deserves to see themselves represented in books! I have never seen my own students faces light up more than when a story has a character who looks like them - so here's a little diversity for you with some amazing characters of various ethnicities! BONUS: You can listen to all these choices in my YouTube Kids Read Aloud Channel!

Our favorite stories from our read aloud channel that talk about friendship, making friends, problem solving with friends, or friend troubles!

These 15 children's books touch on the subject and can open the door for big conversations about growth mindset, perserverance, flexible thinking, and not giving up! They can all be listened to and watched on YouTube and enjoyed with your students and your own kiddos!

Just as last year, I'm creating a list of the books that I rated 5 stars on Goodreads. This year, I read 110 books - these ones were the best! A couple things to keep in mind: I consider myself a mood reader, which means that these books were rated 5 stars because they perfectly fit the mood I was in or created and uplifted a mood for me! They span across a lot of different genres from non-fiction to fantasy to mystery/thriller. Additionally, keep in my mind that these ratings are based on OPINIONS - there may be books on this list that you didn't like yourself - keep in mind that an opinion is not right or wrong. Finally, let me know if you've read any of these and how you felt about them yourself!

Shameless self-promotion for the purpose of sharing these amazing stories with you and your kiddos. On my YouTube channel, Ms. Emma's Library, I have over 125 videos of fabulous children's picture book read alouds. Below I have listed the most popular and funniest ones!

My son is soon starting second grade but he's reading at about a 4th-5th grade level and he LOVES graphic novels. He likes the classics like Dog-Man and Diary of a Wimpy Kid but here's a list of some of the others he's been flying through this summer! Many of these are less than $10 but friendly reminder to also support your public libraries! (I bet they have them all, physical OR electronic that they could read on their iPads, like my son likes to).

These books are important for two reasons: I want all of my neurodivergent students to FEEL SEEN, feel understood, and feel REPRESENTED when they read and listen to stories & I want my other students to understand how their peers can be feelings and try to understand and empathize with them!

Some of my favorite picture books to read with my students about showing kindness and practicing empathy - something we all need reminders and help with sometimes!

My own son, in first grade this year, was diagnosed with ADHD when he was in preschool. He is wickedly smart but he is a literal energizer bunny with a devastating lack of impulse control. We have struggled with many symptoms and behaviors over the last few years but I have found some resources that have truly helped me be a better mom and have made a pretty substantial difference in deterring some unexpected and less than ideal behaviors.

I personally love reading about the real lives of other people. These are my favorite from the past few years!

If you're a big fan of Freida and her suspense, psychological thriller vibes - check out these similar stories and authors!

In 2024, I read 100 books! Now, before you judge quantity over quality, let me explain - I have ADHD which means my brain moves a thousand miles an hour and I listen to audiobooks at 1.5x speed on my lengthy commute to/from work & I read a lot while I work out to distract from the fact that…I hate working out. Here's a list of the books that I (personal opinion, obviously) rated 5-stars from that list of 100.Keep in mind, I consider myself quite a “mood reader” so these recs span many genres and were exactly what I needed for that season of my life - you may not agree, but they're worth considering! Don't forget, if you don't want to commit to purchasing, support your local libraries to check these out!