A Boy Called Bat is the Global Read Aloud selection for primary students this year. Every division has a different selection.

Around the world, classrooms read the book and share in the experience with others. My students are definitely enjoying the read aloud and are exploring things such as character traits, what motivates the characters, making connections to the text, predicting, and so much more. Reading aloud to children is one of my favourite things to do!

If you’ve never heard of A Boy Called Bat, it’s written by Elana K. Arnold and tells the story of a boy whose nickname is Bat (which stands for Bixby Alexander Tam). Bat is a boy with autism whose experiences and challenges at school and at home are shared. His mom is a vet. One day, she brings home a baby skunk who she needs to take care of for a short while until she hands it over to the animal shelter. Bat falls in love with the skunk and he’s got one month to show his mom that a baby skunk might just make a pretty terrific pet.

When building my classroom library and choosing books to read aloud, it is important that I have books that show diversity and that my library reaches a wide range of students. I’m delighted to add A Boy Called Bat to our classroom library!

What is a favourite book a teacher has read out loud to you?