Great Kids' Books for Read Across America Day

 Read Across America Day, an annual program of the National Education Association (NEA), is Friday, March 2. Read Across America is a celebration of reading and a celebration of the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, more commonly known as Dr. Seuss.

At SchoolFamily.com, we're all about encouraging reading! Parents reading aloud to their children and kids reading by themselves are both proven ways to help them do better in school—and develop a lifelong love of reading. Reading should be celebrated and applauded—even for so-called "average" readers. 

Do you have a reluctant reader? Some kids will also be motivated by tracking their progress using our printable Reading Incentive Chart. For other tips on encouraging reading, check out our Building Reading Skills section.

The NEA  lists recommended books under “Teachers’ Top 100 Books for Children.” And in honor of Read Across America, Voices From the Field—the official blog site of Save the Children—has posted a list of top books for children, by age, on their site in a series of posts called Love to Read. The books were chosen by Save the Children’s Early Childhood and Raising a Reader program leaders and specialists.

SchoolFamily.com is pleased to share this list with our readers. Note: The links below for each book are from online retailers. The books may also be found, however, at your local library. Not sure where the nearest library is? Do a library search through PublicLibraries.com, which lists all public libraries by state.

BOOKS FOR TODDLERS

Mine! A Backpack Baby Story by Miriam Cohen

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback

I Went Walking by Sue Williams

Flower Garden by Eve Bunting

Sail Away by Donald Crews

Nuts to You! By Lois Ehlert

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

All Fall Down by Helen Oxenbury

Pots and Pans by Anne Rockwell

Jungle Walk by Nancy Tafuri

BOOKS FOR PRESCHOOLERS

Best Friends by Charlotte Labaronne

Mine! Mine! Mine! By Shelly Becker

Sharing How Kindness Grows by Fran Shaw

Sunshine & Storm by Elisabeth Jones

I Accept You as You Are! by David Parker

The Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

I’m in Charge of Me! by David Parker

I Love it When You Smile by Sam McBratney

I Love You All Day Long by Francesca Rusackas

BOOKS FOR GRADE-SCHOOL/ELEMENTARY-AGE CHILDREN

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner

The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare