Books to Build Classroom Culture

To begin the year in my classroom, I read a series of books to build classroom culture; they encourage empathy and kindness.  Each day I read at least one book and we have a discussion about the message. I also use these books to introduce strategies for my cafe menu.  For instance, I have used Each Kindness to introduce the strategy I ask and answer questions, and Be Kind to introduce the strategy I make connections between the book and myself.  I also refer back to these books as we continue on in the year to address issues that might arise in the classroom or to look at them in new ways.  One example is that we revisit these books to look at and compare and contrast themes.