Choosing Children’s Literature

• Jessica Palmer
• Posted 6/22/22
• 0 comments

Using picture books and children’s literature is a fantastic way to engage students, work on literacy skills, and encourage imagination. But how to choose the right book? Can any old book on the shelf be used in the music room? Perhaps! Here are a few book categories that work well in the music classroom to look out for.

Biographical & Musical Stories

Stories about musicians, dancers, and performers are an easy way to add books to a unit. These stories offer a great opportunity to work with other classroom teachers to make some cross-curricular connections: 

• Explore the similarities between sound and color with The Noisy Paintbox.  
• Introduce Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer during civil rights movement unit 
• Wild Symphony is a fantastic companion to any poetry unit 

Consider working with other classroom teachers to find out what their units of study are and what connections can be made.  

Sound Exploration & Patterns

Sound stories add musical instruments to a book to create a musical experience.  Add sand blocks for the swishing grass, a woodblock for steps towards the cave, and a thunder tube for a lion’s roar! Here are a few of my favorites: 

• Fortunately 
• We’re Going on a Lion Hunt 
• The Squiggle 

Not sure where to begin? Start by reading the book and looking for repetitive words, movement, or animals. Then, take a look at what instruments you have and see what might fit the story. If you need some inspiration, check out Illustrate with Sound Effects for some ideas.

Illustrated Songs

Illustrated songs are likely one of the most obvious choices for books in the music room. Students will love singing along, from the classic The More We Get Together to the Beatles’ All You Need Is Love.  

One year, I decided to have my Kindergarteners perform Sing by Joe Raposo for a concert. After listening and beginning to learn the song, we read the beautifully illustrated Sing. We were able to make some deeper connections with the lyrics using the book. Their excitement when they recognized the lyrics in the book was a bonus! 

Socialization, Inclusion, and Diversity

Music has been intertwined with social change and justice for centuries. There is an urgent need for diverse books in the classroom so children can see themselves, their friends, and children from around the world in shared stories. If you aren’t sure where to start, check out Adding Diverse Children’s Literature to Your Classroom and this Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children’s Books for guidelines and ideas.

Need some recommendations? Check out Your Name is a Song, a story that celebrates the musicality of names from around the world.  Tackle social emotional learning and big feelings with The ABCs of My Feelings and Music. Practice some affirmation of self-identity and self-love with Rock What Ya Got. 

If you have a children’s book in your music room, chances are there is an educational way to incorporate it into your curriculum. You just might need to get a little creative!

What children’s books do you love? How do you use them in your room? Tell us below in the comments!

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