BLOGS  >  JUNE 3, 2023

#ClassroomBookADay Resources


#ClassroomBookADay Themes

Started by Jillian Heise during the 2014-15 school year, #ClassroomBookADay was inspired by Donalyn Miller's (@donalynbooks) #bookaday challenge. With a goal to read aloud a picture book every day of the school year with her seventh and eighth grade students, 180 complete texts were shared that helped grow classroom community and reading engagement. After sharing it at #nErDcampMI that summer, other teachers wanted to try it. It was coined #ClassroomBookADay so there would be a hashtag specifically about these daily picture book read-alouds. Five years later, thousands of educators across the country are using #ClassroomBookADay to positively affect student learning in schools, classrooms, and libraries. Join in by learning more from Jillian Heise and commit to taking the challenge this school year!

Jillian helps you with your #ClassroomBookADay commitment by sharing picture book recommendations and a reflection below.

  1. Kindness
  2. Read with Pride
  3. Oceans/Seas
  4. Black Joy & Excellence
  5. Celebrating the Arts: Music & Dance 
  6. Making Everyone Feel Welcome Part 2 - Refugee Stories
  7. Making Everyone Feel Welcome Part 1 - Immigrant Stories
  8. Tales with a Twist
  9. Picture Books About Names 
  10. Celebrations Around the World
  11. Nature and the Environment: Earth Day Read-Alouds
  12. Food: Make Your Read-Alouds a Feast for the Senses
  13. Reading Aloud With Wordless Picture Books
  14. Books About Families: Rethinking How We Define Family
  15. Shocking Reveals and Unexpected Plot Twists: Read-Alouds With Surprise Endings
  16. Voting and Elections: Election Year Read-Alouds
  17. Grief, Loss and Remembrance: Turning to Books in Times of Grief
  18. Building Community: Relationship Building at the Start of the School Year
  19. You Do You: What Message Will You Leave Your Students With This Year?
  20. Social and Emotional Support: Support Social and Emotional Learning with #ClassroomBookADay
  21. Global Perspectives: #ClassroomBookADay for a New Perspective
  22. People Who Made a Difference: Dive Deeper with Picture Book Biographies
  23. Perseverance
  24. Spotlight on Nonfiction
  25. Native Nations: Honoring Voices of Native Nations
  26. Friendship: Can't We All Be Friends? #ClassroomBookADay
  27. Building Community: #ClassroomBookADay
  28. Getting Ready to Read: Picture Books to Get You Started with #ClassroomBookADay

 

#ClassroomBookADay Book Lists

Add Jillian Heise's recommended #ClassroomBookADay books to your classroom library by visiting Titlewave #ClassroomBookADay Lists.

 


About Jillian Heise

 

Jillian Heise, NBCT and MLIS, is currently an elementary Library Media Specialist in southeastern Wisconsin. She previously taught Grades 7 and 8 ELA in the Milwaukee area for 11 years. Jillian is the founder of #ClassroomBookADay and dedicated to supporting all student identities and lived experiences through access to inclusive literature. She brings her literacy expertise and knowledge of kidlit to her role as Chair of the USRA Children's Literature Committee. You can find Jillian online at Heise Reads & Recommends and @heisereads.

Recent Blog Entries

Powering Summer Reading Through Partnership and Purpose

July 9, 2026

That’s the impact of this year’s Book Up Summer program, an annual literacy initiative led by Washington-based nonprofit Page Ahead that helps low-income students choose and take home books for summer reading.For the fifth consecutive year, Follett Content supported the...
Read more

New from Follett Content: tonies + Book Bundles Built for Library Circulation

June 23, 2026

New tonies® + Book Bundles from Follett Content are a playful addition to your Library of Things, turning storytime love into everyday reading – all without screens. The unique pairing of audio figurines and print books creates a novel new way...
Read more

An Author Interview with Pedro MartÍn

June 5, 2026

Pedro Martín is the Newbery Honor Award, Pura Belpre Author and Illustrator Award-winning creator of the graphic memoir MEXIKID, based off his online comic series of the same name. In this extraordinary graphic memoir companion, MEXIKID DREAMS, hilarious family hijinks, immigration...
Read more

We're Book People: The Summer Reads That Made Us Readers

June 5, 2026

Maybe it was a rainy afternoon, a long road trip in the back of the minivan, or a reason to convince mom for a trip out of the house to the library. For most of us who found our way...
Read more

An Author Interview with Kim Michele Richardson

June 2, 2026

My Kentucky Moonlight School is a delightful picture book based on the early 20th century’s real-life Moonlight Schools. Pairing engaging, authentic text with vibrant, energetic artwork, best-selling Kentucky author Kim Michele Richardson crafts a heartfelt and timely reminder of the power of...
Read more

An Author Interview with Adam Rex

June 1, 2026

Award-winning author and illustrator Adam Rex is back with the fourth installment of the highly acclaimed early reader chapter book series, The Story of Gumluck and the Portrait Thief. The queen’s portrait has been stolen, but luckily, Gumluck’s crew is...
Read more

More Blog Entries