Picture Books to Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week
Throughout all the challenges teachers face, they always put their students and the needs of their community first. This Teacher Appreciation Week, let's celebrate them by highlighting picture books—some silly, some thought-provoking—that celebrate all that educators do for their students.
Creature vs Teacher
by Nat T. Fuller; illustrated by Alex Eben Meyer
Creature wants to play. Teacher works all day. Can they find some time to boogie?
Mid/max grade level: Pre-K–K
Teachers Rock!
By Todd Parr
A celebration of the ways in which teachers change the world, from encouraging creativity, to making students laugh, to helping them form friendships, always wanting everyone to succeed and making the classroom a great place to be.
Mid/max grade level: Pre-K–1
How Rocket Learned to Read
by Tad Hills
When a dedicated yellow bird sets up a classroom in Rocket, the puppy's favorite napping spot and begins to read aloud, the young canine is drawn in by the story and eventually learns to spell and read.
Mid/max grade level: Pre-K–1
Miss Bindergarten Has a Wild Day in Kindergarten
by Joseph Slate; illustrated by Ashley Wollf
From Adam throwing his hat too high to Zach setting the butterflies free, the students in Miss Bindergarten's class contribute to one wild day in kindergarten.
Mid/max grade level: K–1
Here Comes Teacher Cat
by Deborah Underwood; illustrated by Claudia Rueda
Cat is not so keen on stepping in as substitute teacher at Kitty School, but he's surprised by how much he's able to teach the kittens--and how much he learns from them.
Mid/max grade level: K–1
Dotty
by Erica S. Perl; illustrated by Julia Denos
Ida's imaginary friend, Dotty, is tied to her with a blue string and when Ida's classmates tease her about Dotty, Ida is surprised to discover that her teacher carries a red string with her wherever she goes.
Mid/max grade level K–2
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse
by Kevin Henkes
Lilly loves everything about school, especially her teacher, but when he asks her to wait a while before showing her new purse, she does something for which she is very sorry later.
Mid/max grade level: 1–3
Lion Lessons
by Jon Agee
Learning to be a lion takes some serious lessons, but luckily, this cub has a teacher who is a real expert.
Mid/max grade level K–2
My Teacher is a Monster! (No, I am Not!)
by Peter Brown
Bobby thinks his teacher, Ms. Kirby, is horrible, but when he sees her outside of school and they spend a day in the park together, he discovers she might not be so bad after all.
Mid/max grade level: 2–3
Miss Nelson is Missing!
by Harry Allard; illustrated by James Marshall
The kids in Room 207 take advantage of their teacher's good nature until she disappears and they are faced with a vile substitute.
Mid/max grade level: 2–3
The Teacher From the Black Lagoon
by Mike Thaler; illustrated by Jared Lee
On the first day of school, a young boy expects only the worst when he discovers that his new teacher is the "monstrous" Mrs. Green.
Mid/max grade level: 2–3
The Art of Miss Chew
by Patricia Polacco
Describes how a teacher named Miss Chew encouraged individuality, and accepted learning differences, and helped a young student with academic difficulties get extra time to take tests and permission to be in advanced art classes.
Mid/max grade level: 2–4
The Dot
by Peter Reynolds
Vashti believes that she cannot draw, but her art teacher's encouragement leads her to change her mind.
Mid/max grade level: 1–4
Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.