The Living Library

Our Best Library Where Every Book’s A Curriculum. Best Read Alouds, Teacher Guides, & Activities.

A curated archive of picture books, graphic novels, easy readers, middle grade, and real stories — each with a ready-to-use teacher's guide, discussion questions, and classroom activities. The library where every book's a curriculum.

Explore the Books Pace-Write-Read

KidLit Librarian mascot alligator among library bookshelves

K–12

Grade Range

Learning Units

511+

Curated Books

511

Teacher Guides

511

Lessons

1431

Activities

The Stacks

The Library where Every Book's a Curriculum. Browse the shelves by call number, by category, by author. Enjoy!

K-2

Teacher's Guide

Books connect us to ideas, adventures, and one another. Finding a book that fits our interests—and helping someone else find theirs—makes reading a shared joy.

P ALL THE BOOKS

Picture Book·K-2·Imagination & Creativity

All the Books

Hayley Rocco

K-2

Teacher's Guide

Finding a book that connects with our interests can help us discover the joy of reading. Readers have different tastes, and listening to one another helps us recommend stories that feel just right.

P ALL THE BOOKS

Picture Book·K-2·Imagination & Creativity

A Book for Everyone

Hayley Rocco

PreK-2

Teacher's Guide

Our classroom is a shared space where we follow kind rules to ensure everyone learns and grows safely.

P ALL WELCOME

Picture Book·PreK-2·Acceptance & Belonging

Welcome to Our Classroom!

Alexandra Penfold

PreK-2

Teacher's Guide

Every child brings unique gifts to the classroom, and our diversity makes our school community stronger.

P ALL WELCOME

Picture Book·PreK-2·Acceptance & Belonging

All Are Welcome

Alexandra Penfold

PreK-2

Teacher's Guide

All feelings are okay, and we can use healthy strategies to navigate them when they feel too big.

P ALL WELCOME

Picture Book·PreK-2·Acceptance & Belonging

Big Feelings

Alexandra Penfold

PreK-2

Teacher's Guide

We build strong communities by helping our neighbors and taking care of the places we share.

P ALL WELCOME

Picture Book·PreK-2·Acceptance & Belonging

All Are Neighbors

Alexandra Penfold

Cover of Pencil and Eraser : Lost and Frown!

K-5

Teacher's Guide

Characters can experience the same problem differently, and those differences can shape both humor and problem-solving. Writers control how readers experience a story through words, illustrations, pauses, and page turns.

P ALVARADO

Picture Book·K-5

Pencil and Eraser : Lost and Frown!

Jenny Alvarado

PreK-2

Teacher's Guide

Dogs give us loyalty, comfort, and joy — and the everyday heroes in our lives deserve to be celebrated.

P ASHMAN

Picture Book·PreK-2·Friendship & Kindness

Wonder Dogs!

Linda Ashman

From the Librarian's Desk

A few favorites, each with a downloadable teacher's guide.

K-3

Teacher's Guide

Nature can be family — trees, like people, hold memories, provide shelter, and connect us to the past and the future.

Picture Book·K-3·Nature & Family

The Mother Tree

Sybil Rosen & Nancy Carpenter

K-3

Teacher's Guide

Kindness is more powerful than being scary or mean.

Picture Book·K-3·Kindness & Friendship

The Monsters' Monster

Patrick McDonnell

Cover of The Misfits: A Sea Monster Conundrum

3-7

Teacher's Guide

True heroism lies in embracing one's unique quirks and working collaboratively to solve mysteries, proving that being a 'misfit' is a strength rather than a weakness.

Middle Grade·3-7·Curiosity & Courage

The Misfits: A Sea Monster Conundrum

Lisa Yee, art by Dan Santat

3-7

Teacher's Guide

True belonging is found when individuals embrace their unique quirks, proving that what makes us different is exactly what makes us capable of achieving extraordinary things together.

Middle Grade·3-7·Friendship & Belonging

The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum

Lisa Yee, art by Dan Santat

Cover of The Misfits: A Copycat Conundrum

3-7

Teacher's Guide

True belonging stems from embracing our unique quirks, and even the most unlikely group of friends can solve complex mysteries by leveraging their individual strengths.

Middle Grade·3-7·Truth & Deception

The Misfits: A Copycat Conundrum

Lisa Yee, art by Dan Santat

K-2

Teacher's Guide

There's a time and place for everything — even being loud — and learning to match your volume to the setting is a life skill.

Picture Book·K-2·Self-Acceptance

The Loud Librarian

Jenna Beatrice, illustrated by Erika Lynne Jones

Cover of The Little Butterfly That Could

K-2

Teacher's Guide

Even when you're scared, you can do hard things — one flap at a time.

Picture Book·K-2·Courage & Perseverance

The Little Butterfly That Could

Ross Burach

Cover of The Last Kids on Earth and the Zombie Parade

3-7

Teacher's Guide

Adaptability and critical thinking are essential when facing changing problems that require new solutions.

Chapter Book·3-7·Friendship & Survival

The Last Kids on Earth and the Zombie Parade

Max Brallier, Illustrated by Douglas Holgate

View the Complete Catalog

Curated by Theme

Featured Collections

Thematic book stacks to help you find the right read-aloud fast — each hand-picked for classroom impact.

Bravery & Courage

Stories of bold hearts, big leaps, and everyday acts of courage.

The Trouble with Heroes

Jabari Jumps

Browse all Bravery & Courage

Graphic Novel Favorites

Visual storytelling that hooks reluctant readers and rewards voracious ones.

Creaky Acres

Squirrel Lock Holmes: The Pet Rock Mystery

Dog Man Lord of the Fleas

No Sam! and the City of Scoundrels

Chicken Pox

Browse all Graphic Novel Favorites

Friendship & Kindness

Big-hearted tales about empathy, belonging, and the friends who shape us.

The Quiet Forest

Don't Leave!

Be Kind

Wonder Dogs!

Sidekicks: Thick as Thieves

Browse all Friendship & Kindness

A fountain pen resting on a handwritten manuscript page

The Mastery Manual

Pace-Write-Read

The Trifecta of Pacing

A writer's handbook of 38 craft tools covering plot, pacing, and prosody — every technique you need to pace your story with power and purpose. Read the first 6 tools free.

Open the Manual