I'm a college student and have just begun doing my classroom book shopping. I'll be certified to teach k-6 but I'm hoping to stay between k-2. Anyways, I'm just wondering what books you have in your classrooms that you can't imagine not having anymore. This will hopefully give me ideas books to buy that can be good for all elementary levels :) Thanks!

I am doing my student teaching in 4th grade this year and plan to teach 3rd/4th. I was an avid reader in school and have read a great deal of the books my daughter is into (she's going into 4th grade). Here are some of my personal favorites (can be used as read-alouds for younger ages):

The Little Prince (Antoine de St. Exupery), Magic Tree House series (Mary Pope Osborne), Magic School Bus series (there are several different series, depending on grade level...we have the science chapter books), Charlotte's Web, anything by Roald Dahl, All the Colors of the Earth (Sheila Hamanaka), anything by Mo Willems (for the younger ones, but we all love his Pigeon books), The Giving Tree, anything by Beverly Cleary, most of the Newbery/Caldecott award winners and honor books, Henry's Freedom Box, anything by Kate DiCamillo, A Quiet Night (great for counting/repetition), Chicka Chicka (ABCs and 123), Each Peach Pear Plum (a childhood favorite - perfect for K/1), The Value Tales series (these are out of print, I believe, but you can probably find them in garage sales, at library book sales, etc.), Dragon Slayers Academy series (my daughter's 1st/2nd grade teacher read these aloud and I think it helped spawn my daughter's love of dragons), Bailey School Kids series, any biographies and/or non-fiction you can get your hands on!

3rd and up (for read-alouds and independent reading):

my favorite authors listed above plus...

anything by Louis Sachar (particularly the Wayside books - favorites of mine growing up), anything by Mildred Taylor, any of the My Name is America books, anything by Rick Riordan, On My Honor (Marion Dane Bauer), Horns & Wrinkles (Joseph Helgerson), anything by Madeleine L'Engle, Lynne Reid Banks (Indian in the Cupboard books), anything by Lois Lowry, The Pippi Longstocking series. We also LOVE Harry Potter, too!

Hope that helps!