Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday of September, and it’s the perfect time to learn about the holiday and its origins through picture books! Below are some recommended Labor Day picture books that are a must-read for every primary classroom!
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1. WHO STARTED THE LABOR DAY CELEBRATION? -Holiday Book for Kids Children’s Holiday Books – Start by learning all the facts about Labor Day and how it started. This book is informative and provides photographs to help readers dig deeper and understand the origins of the holiday and its importance. With easy-to-read text and real-life photographs, this book is a great starting point to learn all about Labor Day!
2. CLICK, CLACK, MOO COWS THAT TYPE by Doreen Cronin & illustrated by Betsy Lewin– Farmer Brown’s cows are not like any regular cows, they can type and are not shy about using the typewriter to leave him notes to make special requests. Sure they are animals, but they too have a special job on the farm and to do their job effectively, their needs also need to be met. This fun and whimsical story explores workers’ rights and is easily relatable to children.
3. BRAVE GIRL: CLARA LEMLICH AND THE SHIRTWAIST MAKERS by Michelle Markel & illustrated by Melissa Sweet– Based on a true story, Clara Lemlich was a Ukrainian immigrant, who sought for a new life in America as a worker in shirtwaist factory to support herself and family. While learning enough money to go to school, she realized how mistreated workers were. She then protested and rallied other workers to join her, which led to our country’s largest strike of women workers. This story highlights the tough working environment and experiences of those in the early1900s and how Clara and a group of women stood up for workers’ rights and helped change the law.
4. A PICTURE BOOK OF CESAR CHAVEZ by David A. Adler & Michael S. Adler and Marie Olofsdotter- Introduce the amazing life of Cesar Chavez, the famous Mexican American labor leader with this easy-to-read biography. Growing up in the Great Depression, Cesar and his family endured the hardships of picking produce for low wages and homelessness. Because he believed that more could be done for farmworkers, began advocating for more worker rights and helped form the National Farm Workers Association.
5. LABOR DAY by Robin Nelson- This nonfiction text is an easy reader and provides simple facts on the holiday. It is concise and provides real-life photographs to help reinforce the informative text.
6. A DAY’S WORK by Eve Bunting- This tender story follows Francisco, a little Mexican American boy who helps translate for his grandfather to find work. But when Francisco lied and said his grandfather could work as a gardener, things quickly unraveled after they weeded out the wrong plants. Embarrassed and shocked by the lie, Francisco’s grandfather agrees to be paid only after they come back the following day to correct their mistakes. This story highlights the struggles of laborers finding work, especially those who do not speak English in America, and the pride that they have in the backbreaking work that they do.
7. THEY’RE HEROES TOO: A CELEBRATION OF COMMUNITY by Pat Harisson & Illustrated by Anait Semirdzhan- Not all heroes wear capes just like adults and children in this book who all hold special jobs. This book is a celebration of all the jobs in the community and how we all do our part to help make our nation great.
8. THE PAPER KINGDOM by Helena Ku Rhee & illustrated Pascal Campion- Daniel’s parents are nighttime office cleaners and he usually stays home with the babysitter. But one night, the babysitter can’t come and Daniel has to wake up and follow his parents to the office. With their brooms and mops, Daniel’s parents turn the office into a place of wonder and magic filled with fantasy, dragons, and paper for Daniel as he envisions himself as the king of the Paper Kingdom.
9. EVERYONE LOVES CAREER DAY BUT ZIA by Jenny Liao & illustrated by Dream Chen- It’s Career Day and Zia wants everyone to know about her mom’s amazing work as a seamstress, yet there is a slight problem. Zia’s mom can’t take the day off and doesn’t speak English as well as the other parents in Zia’s classroom. Using technology and translation, Zia finds a way to show off her mom’s magical skills to the class and help everyone understand her mom’s special talent!
If you need additional resources for Labor Day, check out the Labor Day Packet below.
Includes:
-16 Kid-friendly Informational Posters
-A 4-page Labor Day Reader
-3 Writing & Reflection Activities
-Job Matching Activity
-Jobs and Titles Picture Cards for Matching Game
Activities are easy to differentiate as they include Kindergarten, first, and second, and third grade activities.
Using this unit is EASY!
✅Differentiated
✅Print and Teach
✅Fun and Informative
