The Question: I am looking for personal narrative or realistic fiction style stories to use with kindergartners. I am looking for texts that are more like the everyday lives that kindergarteners live, and that we can use as a spring board for our own story writing.
The Answers:
Kelly
Trudy
Any of the Little Critter books by Mercer Mayer are fun and realistic adventures and easy to get your hands on.
Susan
Off the top of my head, you might try Rachel Parker Kindergarten Show Off by Ann Martin, and The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill. We use both stories at the beginning of the year in our lessons on friendship and how to treat others.
Amanda
Kristine
Cynthia Rylant’s books are good. Bookstore Dog, the Henry and Mudge books, and others…
Natasha
Peter’s Chair, Knufflebunny, The Snowy Day, Kevin Henkes’ Little Box of Treats (5 small books)
Amy
The Relatives Came by C. Rylant, Kevin Henkes books.
Amy
When I Was Five, and When I was Little, A Four-Year-old’s Memoir of Her Youth, by Jamie Lee Curtis
Ann
Jennifer
Max and Ruby books, especially the short board books, Kevin Henkes books. (Kids don’t care if they are animals or kids as characters)
Amy
Chrysanthemum is s good one.
Melissa
My Great Aunt Arizona and The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston are wonderful personal narratives. My students enjoy both of them.
Jamie
We just used The Hello Goodbye Window. It worked great because most kids could relate to visiting at a grandparent’s house.
Edie
Mo Willems books are great — Knuffle Bunny! Also, any Kevin Henkes’ books – Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, Owen, Julius Baby of the World, Chrysanthemum…
Anemarie
Doreen
I love this question! I struggle with this too. I like No David, Little Critter’s Me Too and Jamica’s Find,to name a few.
Jodi
The Jamie Lee Curtis is what came to my mind.
Jen
Mercer Mayer’s Little Critter books are great to help with ideas. My kids loved writing their “I was so Mad!”, “Just Grandma and Me”, etc. Stories!
Alicia
I launch my writers workshop narrative unit with Shortcut by Donald Crews.
Shelly
Robert Munsch books are great! I agree with Mercer Mayer suggestions, too!
Cheryl
All great suggestions. Some of the Berenstein Bears books have great topics kids can relate to.
Marcy
Kevin Henkes’ Box of Treats, is a collection of short, realistic fiction. Perfect! Also, Nancy Carlson’s Harriet books are ideal for realistic fiction. My class’s favorites: Harriet and the Garden, Harriet and the Rollercoaster, Harriet’s Halloween Candy and Harriet’s Recital.
Alison
Not great literature by any means, but I use Junie B. Jones books to have the kids imagine her actually “telling” the story – great example of “voice”
Susan
Any of the Ramona books. They are about the neighborhood where I grew up, so I show my youngsters pictures of me in several of the places in the books!
Wendy
Diary of a Worm, and Diary of a Spider, are great books for personal narrative stories.
Megan
Kellyn
Ezra Jack Keats, Niki Daly, and Henkes are all great authors to look to. And Mercer Mayer does do a great job with simple and relatable.
Miss Bindergarten's Classroom 