Authors to Have in Your Classroom

Recently, I asked a group of teacher friends (okay I asked Facebook, lol) if you could have one book for your classroom, what would it be.  Of course, no one could choose just one and many simply said anything by “this author”.  So, I decided to make a list of authors that should be in EVERY classroom, and when I got to thinking of it, I remembered how powerful author studies were to my students in the past. 

To do an author study with your class, take the time to read at least 2 books aloud or in novel studies with your students.  Compare and contrast the books.  Then, look at the biography and bibliography of the author.  Finally, challenge students to read more books by this author, keeping track and continuing to compare and contrast the various books as they read.  Authors studies are great times to talk about a writer’s style and voice, as well as genre. 

Here are the authors my teacher friends thought were worth reading.  All of these authors have great books for read alouds.  Choosing one author and using their books to start out your Read Aloud Journal at the beginning of the school year is a great way to get kids focused on reading from Day 1.

1.)  Dr. Seuss (Yertle the Turtle, Oh the Places You’ll Go!, If I Ran the Zoo, And To Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street)

 

2.)  Shel Silverstein (The Giving Tree, A Light in the Attic, Runny Babbit, Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Giraffe and a Half)

 

3.)  Chris Van Alsburg  (Polar Express, The Stranger, Two Bad Ants, Jumanji, Queen of the Falls)

4.)  Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar, A House for Hermit Crab, Pancakes, Pancakes, The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse)

5.)  Mary Pope Osborne (The Magic Tree House Series, American Tall Tales, One World, Many Religions)

6.)  David Weisner (Flotsam, Tuesday, Mr. Wuffles, Free Fall)

7.)   Julia Donaldson (The Gruffalo, The Snail and the Whale, A Squash and a Squeeze, A Gold Star for Zog)

8.)   Patricia Polacco (Thank You Mr. Falker, Thunder Cake, The Keeping Quilt, Babushka’s Doll, Chicken Sunday)

9.)   Judy Blume (Freckle Juice, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Superfudge, Iggie’s House)

10.)  Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar)

What authors would you add to the list?