Best Picture Book Read Alouds for 2nd Grade

If you're a 2nd-grade teacher, librarian, or parent, this list of read aloud books will give you instructor and kid recommended titles plus a printable listing. (For non-U.Southward. readers, second graders are 7-year-olds here.)

As you consider which books to read, you also must consider the instructional purpose and potential curriculum tie-in. That's why I'thou including themes, topics, and skills for each volume. You tin model and practice reading strategies, expect at specific text features, apply the writing as a mentor text model, or other instructional purposes.

Remember that nigh read alouds should be AT or ABOVE your students independent reading levels. However, sometimes it's helpful to introduce a series that kids might desire to read independently. These are a great option for First Chapter Fridays. This is where you just read 1 chapter to spark interest. (I've done this many times with my own kids, non simply in the classroom.) It works, too.

More Read Aloud Book Lists:

Read Alouds for Families with Kids of Different Ages
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fourth Grade
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Read Aloud Books for 2nd Grade

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
THEMES/TOPICS: poverty, friendship, kindness, bullying
SKILLS: character traits, make predictions, connect to background knowledge, draw conclusions, cause and event, sequence
SYNOPSIS: Classmates including Maddie tease a daughter in their class, Wanda, who says she has 100 dresses at dwelling house. When Maddie visits Wanda's firm, she discovers the bittersweet truth — she might not have existent dresses only she has drawings of 100 dresses. This book teaches kindness and empathy.

Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo
THEMES/TOPICS: loneliness, hope, dearest, superheroes, poetry, relationships
SKILLS: vocabulary, character growth/comparison, poesy, prediction, conflict, setting, fact and opinion, persuasion
SYNOPSIS:Quirky and delightful, this is the tale of a girl named Flora who rescues a squirrel and keeps it as a friend. Together they experience the world in a unique, funny, and wonderful way, and straighten information technology out, likewise.

Word Travelers and the Taj Mahal Mystery by Raj Haldar, illustrated by Nehra Rawat
THEMES/TOPICS: mystery, problem-solving, words, travel
SKILLS: vocabulary, graphic symbol growth/comparison, prediction, conflict
SYNOPSIS: Fast-paced and fun, this wordy adventure will immerse readers in both a puzzling mystery and the origin of English language words that come from India. All-time friends Eddie and MJ are having a sleepover. When Eddie wonders where the give-and-take pajama came from, his mom tells him to find his great-grandfather's large book of words and their history (etymology). When the two friends open up the volume, they're magically transported to Republic of india. There, they help a boy solve the clues to find his family's missing fortune before a bad guy gets it. Equally they solve the mystery, they too larn the origins of new and familiar words.

Fortunately, the Milk past Neil Gaiman
THEMES/TOPICS: storytelling, hero, dads, perseverance, imagination
SKILLS: figurative language (hyperbole, onomatopoeia,) ask questions, inference, make mental images, sequence, prediction, setting, activeness, plot, irony, voice, imagery, description, dialogue, characterization, retelling vs. summary, vocabulary
SYNOPSIS: If you like quirky humor, then this is your perfect book. Because you lot volition never believe, except yous totally volition, what happens when the kids' father goes out to get more milk. He doesn't fifty-fifty get the milk but he does see pirates, aliens, and all sorts of incredible things! Totally hilarious and quite short–which is appealing to many readers.

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
THEMES/TOPICS: loss, identity, belonging, friendship, acceptance, rescue animals, pets
SKILLS: grapheme, setting, plot, connect to groundwork knowledge, inference, prediction
SYNOPSIS: Opal's preacher male parent is always as well decorated and her mother has been gone since Opal was three, something Opal has always wondered about. But Opal finds someone to care, a stray domestic dog that she names Winn-Dixie, and that dog brings hope and meaning into ten-year onetime Opal's life. A brilliant and thoughtful read aloud choice for second class.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
THEMES/TOPICS: modify, migrant work, immigration, child labor, farming, facing challenges, hope, family
SKILLS: graphic symbol, proverbs, point-of-view, plot, connections, questions, inference, visualizing, make up one's mind importance
SYNOPSIS: Forced to flee a dangerous situation in Mexico, Esperanza and her female parent arrive in California and commencement working every bit migrant subcontract workers. The back-breaking piece of work is merely part of their new, challenging life. In this beautifully written, soulful novel, Esperanza learns to thrive no affair what her circumstances.

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
THEMES/TOPICS: bullying, kindness, friendship, immigration, religion, making a departure, science
SKILLS: character, compare and dissimilarity, setting, inquire questions, inference, perspective, making mental images
SYNOPSIS: From the author of The I and Only Ivan, comes a warm-hearted story of kindness and connectedness to others. A wise quondam oak tree named Red narrates this beautiful story. He, after all these years, decides to intervene to assist a lonely girl named Samar who is new to the neighborhood and whose family unit was the intended recipient of the word, "LEAVE" on Red's trunk. Traditionally, Cerise is used as a Wishtree for the neighbour's wishes which they hang on his branches. At present, earlier he is cut down (executed), he helps Samar detect a friend.

Sideways Stories from Wayside Schoolhouse by Louis Sachar
THEMES/TOPICS: school, humor, community
SKILLS: vocabulary, groundwork knowledge, determine importance, ask questions, inference, brand mental images, synthesis, irony, perspective
SYNOPSIS: Old schoolhouse humour at its best! These books describe a wacky schoolhouse with crazy teachers and even crazier students and events. Perfect for a second grader'south sense of humour!

Planet Omar by Zanib Mian
THEMES/TOPICS: imagination, moving, prejudice, Islam, kindness, Gilt Dominion,
SKILLS: groundwork knowledge, make mental images, perspective, question, prediction
SYNOPSIS: One of the best things most Omar is his HUGE imagination! In fact, he faces his new experiences in life with a rich, artistic mind filled with dragons, Ferraris, and zombie aliens. He uses his imagination to deal with moving AND starting a new schoolhouse. Luckily, at his new school, he makes a best friend right away. Unluckily, he also draws the attention of a hateful not bad. When he and his family experience racism from their new neighbour and from the bully, in both situations the resolution lies with the other people getting to know Omar and his family unit, leading to kindness and understanding.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: Chronicles of Narniaby C. S. Lewis
THEMES/TOPICS: good vs. evil, mythological creatures, loyalty, sacrifice, sibling rivalry
SKILLS: Inference, vocabulary, character assay, figurative language, foreshadowing, making mental images
SYNOPSIS: Four siblings enter a magical world that is under the rule of the oppressive White Witch. Can they help Aslan take Narnia back for good even with the expose of Edmund? A wonderful fantasy story of kids who brand a large departure.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
THEMES/TOPICS: kindness, loyalty, family, respect, identity, behavior
SKILLS: character traits, description, vocabulary, make mental images, inference, perspective, dialogue
SYNOPSIS: Charlie is 1 of the five winning children immune to tour Willy Wonka'southward famous chocolate factory. But it's a tour different any other. The other non-as well-prissy-kids kids strangely disappear footling by little. Funny and quirky, this book remains a classic for a practiced reason.

STAT: Standing Alpine and Talented: Home Court by Amar'eastward Stoudemir
THEMES/TOPICS: bullying, sports, basketball game, skateboarding, competition, friendship, problem-solving, assertive in yourself
SKILLS: connect to groundwork noesis, plot, make mental images, figurative linguistic communication
SYNOPSIS: Based on the real story of Amar'eastward Stoudemire of when he was 11. He's a skateboarder, basketball player, and a worker in his dad'due south mural visitor. When other kids beginning trash-talking his friends, Amar'east uses his intelligence and basketball skills to observe a solution.

The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett and Jory John
THEMES/TOPICS: pranks, friendship, new school, change, beliefs
SKILLS: vocalisation, sarcasm, vocabulary, plot, determining importance, inference, perspective
SYNOPSIS:My daughter read this first and begged me to read it immediately. It'southward SO funny! And, y'all tin can learn some valuable cow trivia. Merely, it's mostly the hilarious adventure of two pranksters. They somewhen piece of work together to pull off the biggest prank of all time — a prank that will ensure they get Apr Fool's Day off from school.

The Twits by Roald Dahl
THEMES/TOPICS: adept vs, bad, behavior, love/hate, injustice, bullying, brute rights
SKILLS: word choice, voice, character comparison, make predictions, inferences, first person, description
SYNOPSIS: In the typical dark humor of Dahl, the Twits are mean and awful. We tin't help but crack upwards at every bad thing that comes their style. If you want to go your second-grade students laughing, this book will do it.Encounter complete Roald Dahl book listing and printable booklet here.

Wedgie & Gizmo by Suzanne Selfors
THEMES/TOPICS: family unit, divorce, friendship,
SKILLS: vocabulary, predictions, mental images, sequence, inference, point of view, perspective, voice, label
SYNOPSIS: Domestic dog owners volition nod along with the ADHD stream of conscious narration of Wedgie, the barkie dog who LOVES everything. Contrast this with the diabolical plotting narration of the evil genius guinea pig Gizmo. Ii pets evidence 2 dissimilar perspectives about the new blended family situation. Selfors skillfully addresses this family in transition through the humorous viewpoint of the two pets.

Eerie Elementary: The School is Live!by Jack Chabert
Introduce a new series!
THEMES/TOPICS: good vs. evil, facing challenges, school, horror
SKILLS: predict, connect, infer, figurative language, vocabulary, graphic symbol
SYNOPSIS: Sam isn't thrilled about becoming a hall monitor. Especially when he discovers that the school is ALIVE and trying to harm the students. Sam has quite a wild adventure trying to salve the students from the schoolhouse. This series is wildly popular with 2nd-form readers.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane past Kate DiCamillo
THEME/TOPICS: dear, loss, emotions (might exist too mature for your class– preview and decide if it's right for you)
SKILLS: make mental images, inferences, grapheme traits, character growth, story sequence
SYNOPSIS: Edward is a china rabbit with a fancy wardrobe who was adored past the daughter who owned him. Until he was lost. Alarm: this story volition pause your heart then put it back together again. Edward experiences loss many times over. He tin can inappreciably stand the pain. All the same a wise doll encourages Edward to open his heart to love over again — and that's when he finds a miracle.

Strongheart: Wonder Canis familiaris of the Silver Screen past Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann
REALISTIC / HISTORICAL FICTION / BOOKS Virtually DOGS
THEME / TOPICS: love, treat animals, friendship, upstanding decisions
SKILLS: questioning, character arc, sequencing, prediction
SYNOPSIS: From his beginnings as a maltreated German police force dog to subsequent adoption and new life as a beloved picture show star, this suspenseful story is filled with both dear and hope forth with simulated accusations and jail time. Readers will nothing through this heart-warming story and dog lovers will exist extra impressed with this German language Shepard'due south incredible true story.