Each year, National Read Across America Day is celebrated on March 2nd, Dr. Seuss’ birthday. I’ve got mixed feelings about the whole thing, particularly the celebration of a racist author that gave me all the whitewashed childhood memories. I’m not alone in my thoughts, either.
The National Education Association rebranded Read Across America back in 2017, creating distance between themselves and all the Seuss-themed activities schools looooove to do. Instead, it embraced a new theme of “celebrating a nation of diverse readers.”
Matching the NEA’s energy, I stopped serving green-dyed eggs and ham while wearing a red and white striped hat a few years back. When you know better, you do better. Today, I want to encourage you with a list of books that highlight the beautiful diversity that is America.
NOTE: While many of these books can be found digitally online for FREE classroom use on Epic!, I have also used affiliate links should you wish to purchase physical copies. You can read my full disclosure and list of partnerships here.
Travel the Americas
- W is for Welcome: A Celebration of America’s Diversity by Brad Herzog and illustrated by Doug Bowles, Maureen K. Brookfield, Pam Carroll – An alphabetical celebration of the American experience, this beautifully illustrated and rhythmically written text includes how our country has been built and defined by our immigrant heritage.
- Blue Sky White Stars by Sarvinder Naberhaus and illustrated by Kadir Nelson – This stunning book will make your heart swell with pride as you explore America’s people, history, and landscape. Gorgeous illustrations take center stage as text is scarce but strong. This book is truly a celebration of our incredible country. And did I mention the beautiful artwork?! LOVE.
- P is for Passport: A World Alphabet by Devin Scillian and illustrated by Melanie Rose – If you’re looking to travel beyond the United States, P is for Passport takes you on a whirlwind tour of global delights. From “A” for the variety of animals that populate the planet to “Z” for the time zones that mark the days around the world, this alphabetical story is a must read!
Discover the United States of America
I recently stumbled across this Discover America State by State alphabet series and found a majority of them, for FREE, on Epic! A mix of rhyming verse and informational paragraphs, these books are appropriate for all levels of learners. Learn the state bird, main dishes, major cities, and more! The series lends itself nicely for a social studies cross-curricular project.
With the alphabet as a guide, discover the good ol’ US of A, state by state, and see what makes it such a unique place. Each student in your class could research a different state and report back to the group. I started a collection on Epic for this very purpose; you are more than welcome to share it with your students, too!
Not into alphabet books? I get it. Check out The Book Wrangler’s curated list of picture books for Read Across America. He’s got one for every state and an interactive map to track them all!
ACTIONABLE STEPS: Start mapping out (see what I did there?) your first week in March! Download this Reading Passport for students to complete as you travel the world together through picture books. Have a favorite book or activity for Read Across America Day? Let us know in the comments below!
