Top 10: Best Children’s Books Featuring Life-Changing Teachers (ages 4-12)
As we ease into the summer and reflect on the our children’s past school year, it is the teacher who makes the difference between a great year and a mediocre or worse year. I am sure that I am not alone in sending up prayers to get particular teachers for my kids next year. This list is a homage to the exceptional teachers everywhere who dedicate their lives to making a difference. And they absolutely do! One day, one of their students may even write about their exception teacher as in the case for a few of the books selected below.
To purchase any of these books, please click on the image of the book
or buy at the Pragmatic Mom store on the right hand column. Thank You!
ps Special thanks to the exceptional teachers I and my children have had. You know who you are!
Honorable Mention
Dotty by Erica S. Perl
Ms. Raymond, Ida’s teacher, understands about imaginary pets because she has one herself! Ida is very shy and her imaginary pet, Dotty, is a great source of comfort and companionship at school. When her classmates outgrow their imaginary friends, Ida continues to bring Dotty to school every day. When Ida gets teased about Dotty, Ms. Raymond knows just what to do. Ida has a kindred spirit in Ms. Raymond that validates the importance of imagination!
![](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/081098962X?ie=UTF8&tag=pragmom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=081098962X"><img border="0" src="51uCV60RGrL._SL160_.jpg "51uCV60RGrL._SL160_")
10. The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill
Based on the true story of Agnes Sutterfield who came to the a remote village in Alaska in 1948 to teach in a one-room school house. Her students could survive in the wilderness but most didn’t know how to read or write. Her ability to connect with her students and create curriculum that they could relate to makes her a life-changing teacher! In real life, one of her students becomes the firs Alaskan native to be accepted to Medical School in England. [chapter book, ages 8-12]
9. My Face to the Wind: The Diary of Sarah Jane Price, A Prairie Teacher by Jim Murphy [chapter book, ages 8-12]
This novel is set in the 1800′s in Broken Bow, Nebraska which is part of the wild, wild west. Fourteen-year-old Sarah Jean Price must take over the one-room school house where her father was hired to teach but dies unexpectedly. Written in a diary format, we read about Sarah’s challenges and her ultimate success as she develops into an exceptional teacher. [chapter book, ages 8-12]
8. Yoko by Rosemary Wells
Mrs. Jenkins, Yoko’s teacher, is featured in many of the books in the Yoko and Friends series. She is a wonderful teacher as shown in this book, where she must figure out a way to keep Yoko’s classmates from teasing her about her Japanese lunch. Mrs. Jenkins is up to the task though it keeps her up late at night fretting until she thinks of a solution. [picture book, ages 4-8]
7. The Secret School by Avi
14-year-old Ida fills in secretly when the teacher in their one-room school house suddenly leaves and threatens closure of the school. Ida has always wanted to be a teacher and she’s completely up to the arduous task. This is one of my fourth grader’s favorite books of all time! [chapter book, ages 8-12]
6. Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard
When Miss Nelson is missing and the class is way behind in their work, a scary substitute teacher turns up to whip things into shape. Children will love the surprise ending. [picture book, ages 4-8]
5. Don’t Say Ain’t by Irene Smalls
New York public schools were first integrated in 1957 and this picture book portrays the difficulty for exceptionally talented African American children to bridge the two worlds of their advanced, integrated school with their colloquial inner city home. Dana, the little girl in the story, is assisted in learning this precarious balancing act from her teacher. [picture book, ages 6-10]
4. Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
Mr. Slinger is such a wonderful teacher that everyone in his class wants to be a teacher when he or she grows up. Especially Lily. But when Lily brings in her new purple plastic purse and can’t follow the rules, she gets in trouble and is furious with Mr. Slinger. The way Mr. Slinger handles this makes every parent want a “Mr. Slinger” to be our child’s teacher! [picture book, ages 4-8]
3. A Nickel, A Trolley, A Treasure House by Sharon Reiss Baker
This is a true story about a young boy who is shown a world of possibilities by his kind teacher. And to think opening up a world of possibilities takes only a nickel, a trolley and a treasure house. And an exception teacher! Don’t forget that part! [picture book, ages 6-10]
2. Ida B. … And Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster and Possibly Save the World by Katherine Hannigan
Sometimes teachers can change lives in quiet ways such as by being exceptional listeners to their students as is the case with Ida B. who is reeling from her mother’s cancer, the abrupt change from being homeschooled to being back at public school, and the loss of some beloved trees. [chapter book, ages 8-10]
1. Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
This book is a homage to Polacco’s teacher who discovered her dyslexia and helped her to overcome it. And this book would be the perfect gift to any amazing, life-changing teacher that we are fortunate to have in our lives. [picture book, ages 6-12]
Kids actually want to read them!
series. But those same parents are often unfamiliar with Mo’s hilarious beginning reader Elephant and Piggie series. Mo also has a new series about Cat the Cat. Don’t be fooled by the traditional picture book look of these books, they’re intended for beginning readers as well.
These books are so sweet and uplifting, and the little anecdotes about the eccentric people Anne meets are always charming. Revisiting these books just makes me happy, and I know I can always turn to them for a nostalgic, comforting read.
