Activity Books
Educational Brain Breaks
Every student needs time away from their schoolwork. Suggest fun books to keep downtime structured and to make minds happy.
When your students need to step away from the screen, suggest they practice math in the kitchen.
Try fun puzzles, games, and magic tricks—activities straight from the tree house!
Get students inspired with creative activity books. Start a project when it’s time for a break.
Take a breath! Books with mindfulness and movement activities to reengage virtual learners.
Hooray for Helpers!
Hooray for Helpers! By Mike Austin
Celebrate first responders in this timely, action-packed picture book featuring firefighters, doctors, EMTs, and other brave helpers in action!
First responders are on the way! Every day, brave helpers are on full alert, ready to rescue people and animal friends in need. They work on land, go underground, and even parachute down from the sky. Buckle up and cheer for these heroes as they go the distance to keep everyone safe.
With bright, colorful art and labels of rescue vehicles and equipment in the style of Richard Scarry, this introduction to and celebration of first responders packs FUN and FACTS. Look inside for a Q&A with a real firefighter and an emergency supplies list!
Ready for more action? Check out Fire Engine No. 9 and Rescue Squad No. 9!
USE THIS SHEET TO BE PREPARED!
Resources for Educators, Librarians, and Parents
Explore the categories to discover activity sheets and educators’ guides that are title-specific, along with thematic brochures.
Author Created Guides and Activity Sheets
Our School & Library team is always impressed by the dedication of our authors to their readership of students, teachers, and librarians. These authors have gone above and beyond by creating supplementary resources that can be utilized by students and reading groups.
We encourage you to explore their innovative classroom and library ideas by clicking here.
Penguin Random House permissions for online storytimes, read-aloud videos, and live events are changing
As of July 1st, 2023, Penguin Random House’s Open License program has ended, but we are launching a new program to better serve educators and librarians. Click here to learn more!
The More You Know
Fact-filled books for young readers!
Bones in the White House By Candice Ransom; illustrated by Jamey Christoph
A little-known, fascinating story about Thomas Jefferson and his obsessive quest to find America's first complete mastodon skeleton.
Thomas Jefferson: Third president of the United States. Author of the Declaration of Independence. Obsessive prehistoric mammal hunter?? It's true! In this little-known slice of American history, see Thomas Jefferson as never before!
In the late 1700's, America was a new nation, with a vast west that held age-old secrets: Bones! Massive tusks and enormous animal skeletons were being discovered and Thomas Jefferson - politician AND scientist - was captivated. What were these giant beasts? Did they still roam on American soil? Jefferson needed to find out. Funding explorers, including the famed Lewis and Clark, Jefferson sought to find a complete prehistoric mastodon skeleton - one which would advance the young science of paleontology, but would also put this upstart young country on the world stage. Follow along on the incredible journey - full of triumphs and disappointments, discoveries and shipwrecks, ridicule and victory.
Author Candice Ransom researched this amazing story for years before telling this tale, closely collaborating with Jefferson scholars and natural history experts. Jamey Christoph's moody, luminous illustrations paint the scene: A young country, a president with a thirst for knowledge, and an obsessive, years-long quest to find the prehistoric bones that would prove the importance of a growing nation.
The Bug Girl By by Sophia Spencer, the Bug Girl Herself, with Margaret McNamara; illustrated by Kerascoët
Real-life 7-year-old Sophia Spencer was bullied for loving bugs until hundreds of women scientists rallied around her. Now Sophie tells her inspiring story in this picture book that celebrates women in science, bugs of all kinds, and the importance of staying true to yourself. Makes a perfect gift for nature lovers on Earth Day and every day!
Sophia Spencer has loved bugs ever since a butterfly landed on her shoulder--and wouldn't leave!--at a butterfly conservancy when she was only two-and-a-half years old. In preschool and kindergarten, Sophia was thrilled to share what she knew about grasshoppers (her very favorite insects), as well as ants and fireflies... but by first grade, not everyone shared her enthusiasm. Some students bullied her, and Sophia stopped talking about bugs altogether.
When Sophia's mother wrote to an entomological society looking for a bug scientist to be a pen pal for her daughter, she and Sophie were overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response--letters, photos, and videos came flooding in. Using the hashtag BugsR4Girls, scientists tweeted hundreds of times to tell Sophia to keep up her interest in bugs--and it worked! Sophia has since appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and NPR, and she continues to share her love of bugs with others.
Gross as a Snot Otter By Jess Keating
Animal Planet meets Captain Underpants in the ickiest, squickiest, most fart-filled World of Weird Animals book yet, from the creators of Pink Is for Blobfish.
The creators of Pink Is for Blobfish are back, and they've brought 17 of their most revolting friends: there are slippery, slimy snot otters, gulls that projectile-vomit on command, fish that communicate via flatulence, and chipmunks that cultivate healthy forests by pooping a trail of seeds wherever they go. But there's more to these skin-crawling creatures than meets the eye, and as zoologist Jess Keating explains, sometimes it's the very things that make us gag that allow these animals to survive in the wild.
The perfect combination of yuks, yucks, and eureka!'s, this latest installment in the World of Weird Animals series will inspire budding scientists and burp enthusiasts alike!
The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read By Rita Lorraine Hubbard; illustrated by Oge Mora
Imagine learning to read at the age of 116! Discover the true story of Mary Walker, the nation's oldest student who did just that, in this picture book from a Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator and a rising star author.
In 1848, Mary Walker was born into slavery. At age 15, she was freed, and by age 20, she was married and had her first child. By age 68, she had worked numerous jobs, including cooking, cleaning, babysitting, and selling sandwiches to raise money for her church. At 114, she was the last remaining member of her family. And at 116, she learned to read. From Rita Lorraine Hubbard and rising star Oge More comes the inspirational story of Mary Walker, a woman whose long life spanned from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement, and who--with perseverance and dedication--proved that you're never too old to learn.
Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist By Julie Leung; illustrated by Chris Sasaki
Winner of the American Library Association's 2021 Asian/Pacific American Award for Best Picture Book!
An inspiring picture-book biography of animator Tyrus Wong, the Chinese American immigrant responsible for bringing Disney's Bambi to life.
Before he became an artist named Tyrus Wong, he was a boy named Wong Geng Yeo. He traveled across a vast ocean from China to America with only a suitcase and a few papers. Not papers for drawing--which he loved to do--but immigration papers to start a new life. Once in America, Tyrus seized every opportunity to make art, eventually enrolling at an art institute in Los Angeles. Working as a janitor at night, his mop twirled like a paintbrush in his hands. Eventually, he was given the opportunity of a lifetime--and using sparse brushstrokes and soft watercolors, Tyrus created the iconic backgrounds of Bambi.
Julie Leung and Chris Sasaki perfectly capture the beautiful life and work of a painter who came to this country with dreams and talent--and who changed the world of animation forever.
Get Mindful This March
Make your classroom a happier one.
- Teach a lesson on emotions—talk openly about what they are and how to regulate them.
- “Build a calm corner, a positive “take a break” space. Fill it with items that encourage self-regulation, such as books, bean bags, and visual timers.
- Read books that feature friendships built on acceptance.
Dealing with Feelings
Books designed to give voice to what’s brewing inside. Children will learn how to identify and attend to their emotions as they learn to read.
For the Calm Corner
Manage body, breath, and emotions through mindfulness activities, movement, and yoga.
Teach Kindness
Address introversion with stories about patience and perseverance.
