Grades
PreK - 7
The Best Book Characters for Your Classroom Library (for All Ages)
Introduce students to new literary friends with these beloved characters from popular book series.
Book characters are like the secret ingredient in a favorite dish — they bring a whole new level of excitement to every story! When kids discover a character they connect with, they experience the joy of making a new friend to share adventures with and learn from.
Plus, when students get invested in a character, they’re more likely to pick up the next book in a series. The excitement of a literary friend makes reading fun, all while boosting reading skills and fluency along the way!
Whether it's the courage of a young adventurer, the resilience of an underdog, or the wisdom of a timeless mentor, these characters become companions, role models, and windows into diverse worlds. Welcome these cherished characters to your classroom and nurture a lifelong love for reading among students of all ages.
Here are 10+ book series featuring popular characters to add to your classroom library.
Introduce students to Clifford, the iconic Big Red Dog! Clifford models excellent behavior for young readers and will teach students that even small, simple actions can make the world a better place.
Clifford knows that it takes more than size to Be Big! Be Big is a national campaign to show how small, simple actions can make the world a better place. Remember, it only takes a little to Be Big!
Clifford wants to play baseball with the kids, so he tries to find a bat his size: a tree, a utility pole, a pipe...nothing works. In the end, the kids find a way to include Clifford in their fun.
Emily Elizabeth is nervous about making new friends and missing home. But with Clifford by her side in class to sing songs and play games, Emily Elizabeth learns how much fun kindergarten can be!
Upper elementary readers will delight in the antics of Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Shark, the main characters in The Bad Guys graphic novel series. These unforgettable “bad guys” are always looking for ways to do good and save the world from mischievous villains.
Mr. Wolf. Mr. Shark. Mr. Snake. Mr. Piranha. They're bad guys, everybody knows that. They're scary and dangerous and...well, just bad. But these guys want to be heroes. And they're going to prove it by doing good deeds, like rescuing those dogs from the city pound. Will the Bad Guys become the Good Guys when the dust settles?
This epic adventure is sure to have fans laughing, snorting, and begging for more!
In this hilariously illustrated series, Big Bad Wolf has had enough. He enlists fellow bad guys Shark, Snake, and Piranha to join him in his ill-fated effort to cross over to the good side!
Students will love getting to know Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, Stacey, Dawn, and other members of The Baby-Sitters Club. Whether they’re navigating friendships or overcoming the obstacles of running a business, readers will learn valuable lessons about teamwork, entrepreneurship, and more!
This beloved series now includes graphic novels perfect for both newcomers and longtime fans!
Boxed Set
The Baby-sitters Club Graphic Novels #1-7: A Graphix Collection: Full Color Edition
A box set of the best-selling Baby-sitters Club graphic novels, adapted by Raina Telgemeier and Gale Galligan!
When Kristy Thomas has the great idea to form a baby-sitters club — a chance to earn money and spend time with her friends, all while doing something they each love to do - she has no idea how much the club will change everything.
Who would have guessed that when the BSC girls get in a huge fight, it's shy and quiet Mary Anne who manages to save their friendship?
Readers will laugh out loud as they dive into the adventures of fourth graders George and Harold and Captain Underpants — everyone’s favorite zany comic book hero. This action-packed series combines empowerment, empathy, and creativity with humor and action — all while building students’ reading skills.
Hilarious comic book illustrations complement the outrageous, funny, action-packed storylines of these easy-to-read chapter books about a most unlikely superhero. Perfect for reluctant readers!
George likes to write. Harold likes to draw. They figure all superheroes look like they're wearing underpants – and so a new comic-book superhero is born. And this one's got Wedgie Power!
Meet Dog Man: the crime-biting protagonist who’s part dog, part man, and all hero! When duty calls, Dog Man is always prepared and ready to fight for justice. As students follow in the hilarious adventures of this heroic hound, they’ll also learn about empathy, kindness, and the importance of doing good.
Dav Pilkey's wildly popular Dog Man series appeals to readers of all ages and explores universally positive themes, including love, empathy, kindness, persistence, and the importance of doing good.
Hardcover Book
Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder: A Graphic Novel (Dog Man #12): From the Creator of Captain Underpants
P.U.! Dog Man got sprayed by a skunk! After being dunked in tomato juice, the stink is gone but the scarlet red color remains. Now exiled, this spunky superhero must struggle to save the citizens who shunned him!
Hardcover Book
Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea: A Graphic Novel (Dog Man #11): From the Creator of Captain Underpants
With themes of friendship and doing good, this book is packed with action and hilarity.
Packed with humor, thrilling action, and vibrant illustrations, the Fly Guy series spotlights the playful antics of Fly Guy and his human companion, Buzz. This popular series includes exciting fiction and nonfiction titles sure to be a hit for growing readers.
A creative young boy wants a pet for The Amazing Pet Show, so he catches a fly-little knowing that Fly Guy will become a great friend!
With simple text and entertaining stories, these readers keep kids coming back for more.
Fly Guy loves the school lunchroom. He loves the dirty dishes, the smelly mop, and the garbage cans. But when the lunch ladies discover there's a fly in the cafeteria, chaos ensues! Though Fly Guy makes a mess of things, he also shows his powers as a Super Fly Guy!
The prehistoric pals in the How Do Dinosaurs series come to life in relatable and hilarious ways for young learners. From conquering first-day-of-school jitters to building friendships and fostering good manners, these lovable dinosaur companions will help students learn important lessons through simple, rhyming text and laugh-out-loud illustrations.
The award-winning team of Jane Yolen and Mark Teague is brought to the youngest readers, helping them to learn through simple, rhyming text and laugh-out-loud illustrations in this collection of Scholastic titles!
What would you do if a very large Ceratosaurus stomped into your classroom? And what if the student sitting next to you was a gigantic Silvisaurus, who decided to jump on top of the desk?
Come along and laugh in the tenth full-sized book in this highly acclaimed series, as little ones make friends and stay friends...the dinosaur way!
Join in on the hoot-worthy adventures of Eva Wingdale, a sweet and colorful owl from Treetopolis, as she documents her experiences in her very own diary. Use The Owl Diaries to introduce early readers to themes of friendship, teamwork, forgiveness, and much more.
Eva Wingdale gets in over her head when she offers to organize a spring festival at school. Even with her best friend Lucy's help, there is NO way she will get everything done in time.
Branches books help boost reading confidence and stamina with easy-to-read text, high-interest content, and illustrations on every page.
It's a special week at Treetop Elementary because it's time to choose a class president! Eva is excited because she loves to make choices and vote for things! Who will win the big vote to become president of the class?
Dog lovers will delight in Aaron Blabey's beloved Pig the Pug series, featuring Pig, an endearing yet mischievous pug. Through his antics and mayhem, Pig always discovers the importance of kindness and honesty along the way.
Rich with signature rhyming text and unforgettable illustrations, Pig, the greediest pug alive, and his friend, Trevor, will have kids rolling with laughter.
Rich with signature rhyming text and unforgettable illustrations, Pig, the greediest pug alive, and his friend, Trevor, will have kids rolling with laughter.
Introduce young scientists to bold and eccentric Ms. Frizzle and her magical bus! With The Magic School Bus series, readers embark on extraordinary field trips that offer a thrilling exploration of STEM topics — from earth science and space to the human body.
Field trips have a whole new meaning since the indomitable Ms. Frizzle entered the world! Her students get a "bird's eye" view of the inside of bodies, hurricanes, and waterworks-things and places they couldn't dream of are revealed from the inside out in these stories that are jammed full of science and fun.
Ms. Frizzle's class is growing a beautiful garden. But, Phoebe's plot is empty. Her flowers are back at her old school! So, the class climbs aboard the Magic School Bus. And, of course, the kids don't only go back to Phoebe's school, but they go inside one of Phoebe's flowers! Follow the kids' adventure and learn how living things grow.
Arnold has swallowed the Magic School Bus! Now, instead of seeing an exhibit of the human body at a museum, the class is taking a look at Arnold's stomach, his intestines, his bloodstream, and more from the inside on this heart-stopping field trip — one the reluctant Arnold would be happy to miss.
This cookie has never felt like a smart cookie no matter how hard she tries, especially in comparison to all the clever cupcakes and brilliant rolls in the bakery. Will a dash of creativity and a sprinkle of confidence be enough to help her learn that perfect scores and having all the answers aren"t the only ingredients for intelligence?
Organized into color-coded levels, these short, compelling stories will have both emergent and more advanced readers entertained and engaged as they explore new stories with their favorite characters.
When a generous boy shares a cookie with a hungry mouse, it is the beginning of a chain of events that keeps the boy busy all day long, and might keep him busy for days to come.
Make way for another laugh-out-loud adventure in the Very Impatient Caterpillar series! Perfect for fans of Mo Willems" Pigeon series.
In this laugh-out-loud companion to The Very Impatient Caterpillar, curriculum-friendly science topics are artfully woven together with social emotional themes and sidesplitting humor.
With Larry Dane Brimner's simple text and Kaylani Juanita's full-color artwork on every page, this fast-paced, action-packed book is perfect for new readers!
Miguel and Clarke help a neighbor find their lost dog, Spider. They grab their walking sticks and adventure map to search the woods. They find Spider and a spot for a perfect secret fort!
On the first day of school, a boy falls asleep and dreams that he is assigned to Mrs. Green's class. In his nightmare, Mrs. Green is a monster with a tail and smoke coming out of her nostrils. He is so happy when he awakes to see the real Mrs. Green that he gives her a hug.
Best friends Unicorn and Yeti have lots of fun in these sparkly, laugh-out-loud stories. With full-color artwork, speech bubbles, and easy-to-read text throughout, this adorable book is perfect for new readers!
Piggie has a special surprise for her friend, but Gerald is going to have to be patient and wait for it...and then wait some more!
Princess Truly is very curious! In these three rhyming stories, Princess Truly visits a museum and learns about dinosaurs and butterflies, she solves a mystery when her snack goes missing, and she takes a trip to outer space in a rocket ship with her pug, Sir Noodles.
This Branches early chapter book stars everyone's favorite pug, Bub, and his human, Bella.
Branches books help boost reading confidence and stamina with easy-to-read text, high-interest content, and illustrations on every page.
Stanley Lambchop is an ordinary boy. At least he was, until the night his bulletin board fell off the wall and flattened him. All of a sudden, Stanley can slide under doors, mail himself across the country in an envelope, and fly like a kite! But flatness has its serious side, too!
The hilarity is nonstop as the baby frogs navigate sibling relationships, follow their path, and create art — with purpose! Featured as stories-within-the-story, the mini comics showcase each baby frog's perspective and individual art style.
On their cross-country camping trip, Greg Heffley and his family find themselves stranded at an RV park that's not exactly a summertime paradise. When the skies open up and the water starts to rise, the Heffleys wonder if they can save their vacation-or if they're already in too deep.
