As we inch closer to back-to-school season, you know what's coming—those first-week jitters, the worried faces in your morning lineup, and yes, that familiar flutter in your own stomach too. What if I told you that ten carefully chosen picture books could transform those anxious moments into powerful teaching opportunities that help your students understand and manage their big feelings?
In this bonus episode, I'm sharing my top 10 picture books that help students process worry and anxiety in the most beautiful, relatable way possible. From Ruby's growing yellow worry scribble to Jabari's diving board fears, these stories give our students permission to feel worried while providing concrete strategies they can actually use. You'll discover discussion prompts, follow-up activities, and practical classroom implementation tips that work even with your packed schedule. Plus, I'm sharing why these books are absolute must-haves for those crucial first weeks of school when everyone—students, teachers, and parents—could use a little extra support navigating those big feelings.
📚 Join the FREE Workshop: Organize Your Read Alouds for the Whole Year
🌟 50 Picture Books Every Classroom Needs
Click here to join the FREE workshop!
The 'Organize Your Read Alouds' workshop is a free 5-day training that helps elementary teachers create a complete system for fitting meaningful read-alouds into any schedule, selecting the perfect books for each comprehension strategy, and asking questions that truly develop students' thinking skills.
Join the Colorful Apple Book Club!
Check out the TpT Store.
Join our FREE Facebook Group all about read alouds.
Keep your teaching colorful,
Sara :)
The Colorful Apple
Full disclosure: Amazon links in my descriptions are usually affiliate links which means if you purchase through that link, I receive a very small percentage of the sale.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.