Picture Book Brain Trust

Picture book library lesson plans membership, games and activities & book lists

Library lesson plans and read aloud lesson plans membership $1 trial offer
Free library lesson plans, sequencing games, typing games, videos and more
Free library lesson plans

Ready-to-Use library lesson plans that are standards-aligned for classic and recently-published books

Join to get instant access to hundreds of elementary library lesson plans for kindergarten through 6th grade

Get instant access to ALL of our hundreds of elementary library lesson plans for Kindergarten - 6th grade

Themed book lists with lists of books based on holidays and other themes

Discover lists of books for national months, holidays, by grade level, and more!

Welcome

I'm a teacher turned school librarian who became obsessed with teaching with picture books and other children’s books. Here at Picture Book Brain, we help teachers and school librarians teach every standard in the most fun and efficient way possible. We do this by providing library lesson plans, themed book lists, library games and resources, and book reviews, so that you can have a better work-life balance.

Library Lesson Plans

Over the years, I’ve compiled YEARS of lessons and activities for HUNDREDS of picture books for every grade level an elementary teacher or elementary school librarian might teach.  Even if you change grade levels or teach all grade levels K-6, I’ve got years of lesson plans for you!  As new amazing books come out, I keep adding more lessons, so you’ll always have new, engaging books to teach with and the read aloud lessons and writing lessons to teach with them!  I even have Spanish read aloud lesson plans too!  Making lessons can take so much time and research.  You lose so much time with your family.  My lesson plans can help you create more work-life balance to have more time for yourself.

Themed Book Lists

It can be hard to find the right book especially when you’re a first year librarian or a first year teacher.  You don’t know all of the books available.  I’ve made hundreds of lists for almost any holiday and subject including perseverance picture books, historical fiction picture books, Kindergarten read aloud books, and MANY MORE.  The lists were made with input from other certified school librarians, educators and book lovers, and I’m constantly updating the lists as I find new books to add.

Library Games and Resources

Librarians are often the one-stop shop when it comes to teaching resources.  We’ve got the tools to help everyone, but where can you find those resources yourself when you aren’t sure where to look?  I’ve got some of my interactive library games on my website and pages and pages of resources for my favorite library resources like sequencing games, typing games, read aloud video sites, and more!

Book Reviews

Amazon reviews are written by parents.  Professional reviews are written by book reviewers.  I think people should only teach with the best picture books, so I give you reviews of the best ones to teach with.

Welcome to Picture Book Brain!  I think you’re going to like it here :)

LATEST FROM THE BLOG

Paradise Sands by Levi Pinfold

Description A guided reading or interactive read aloud lesson plan for the mystery/horror/fantasy mentor text book Paradise Sands: a Story of Enchantment by Levi Pinfold. Great for mystery, cautionary tales, and for inferring! Google Slides presentation and student activities on Google Docs. Lessons and activities focus on: The lesson plans include: DOWNLOAD THE LESSON PLAN AND ACTIVITIES

The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker

A guided reading or interactive read aloud lesson plan for the wordless mentor text book The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker. A great story about nature, the human impact or for Earth Day. Activities include a dictation / mentor sentence. Google Slides presentation and student activities on Google Docs. Lessons and activities focus on: The lesson plans include:… Read More

Gibberish by Young Vo

A guided reading or interactive read aloud lesson plan for the fiction mentor text picture book Gibberish by Young. Reading response and analysis prompts including a dictation / mentor sentence.  Great for problem-solving, growth mindset, multicultural studies and language learning, and friendship! Google Slides presentation and student activities on Google Docs. Lessons and activities focus on: The lesson plans include:… Read More

Choosing Brave by Angela Joy

A guided reading or interactive read aloud lesson plan for the narrative nonfiction mentor text book Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement by Angela Joy. This is a striking book for teaching about Black History Month, civil rights, social justice, discrimination, or prejudice! Google Slides presentation and student activities on Google Docs. Lessons… Read More

Paradise Sands by Levi Pinfold

Paradise Sands by Levi Pinfold

Description A guided reading or interactive read aloud lesson plan for the mystery/horror/fantasy mentor text book Paradise Sands: a Story of Enchantment by Levi Pinfold. Great for mystery, cautionary tales, and for inferring! Google Slides presentation and student activities on Google Docs. Lessons and activities focus on: The lesson plans include: DOWNLOAD THE LESSON PLAN AND ACTIVITIES

The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker

The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker

A guided reading or interactive read aloud lesson plan for the wordless mentor text book The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker. A great story about nature, the human impact or for Earth Day. Activities include a dictation / mentor sentence. Google Slides presentation and student activities on Google Docs. Lessons and activities focus on: The lesson plans include:… Read More

Gibberish by Young Vo

Gibberish by Young Vo

A guided reading or interactive read aloud lesson plan for the fiction mentor text picture book Gibberish by Young. Reading response and analysis prompts including a dictation / mentor sentence.  Great for problem-solving, growth mindset, multicultural studies and language learning, and friendship! Google Slides presentation and student activities on Google Docs. Lessons and activities focus on: The lesson plans include:… Read More

Choosing Brave by Angela Joy

Choosing Brave by Angela Joy

A guided reading or interactive read aloud lesson plan for the narrative nonfiction mentor text book Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement by Angela Joy. This is a striking book for teaching about Black History Month, civil rights, social justice, discrimination, or prejudice! Google Slides presentation and student activities on Google Docs. Lessons… Read More

Aaron Slater Illustrator by Andrea Beaty

Aaron Slater Illustrator by Andrea Beaty

A guided reading or interactive read aloud lesson plan for the fiction mentor text picture book Aaron Slater, Illustrator by Andrea Beaty from the Questioneers series.  Great for problem-solving, growth mindset, introducing poetry, reading struggles and character education! Google Slides presentation and student activities on Google Docs. Lessons and activities focus on: The lesson plans include: DOWNLOAD THE LESSON PLAN… Read More

Creepy Crayon by Aaron Reynolds

Creepy Crayon by Aaron Reynolds

A guided reading or interactive read aloud lesson plan for the fiction mentor text picture book Creepy Crayon by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown.  Great for Halloween or an Aaron Reynolds author study! Google Slides presentation and student activities on Google Docs. Lessons and activities focus on: The lesson plans include: DOWNLOAD THE LESSON PLAN AND ACTIVITIES