Teaching Idioms
with children's books

Teaching idioms is a lot of fun. Kids get a kick out of learning the backstory of how they came about and the ways different cultures and time periods describe events and people in their environment. The cute and clever children's books in the list below generally fall into two categories:

• funny literal interpretations of common idioms, ie: the idiom "ants in my pants" is depicted with a kid with ants in his pants. These books are more SILLY than educational
• books that focus more on teaching the actual meanings of idioms, especially the origins of the phrase (more educational).
  

Both are great for teaching idioms in the classroom (since even the silly books do devote a portion to explaining the meaning of the idioms.)

There's a Frog
in My Throat
(440 idioms about
animals, each illustrated
and paired with a short
explanation of what
it means)
2nd grade - 6th grade

The World Is
Your Oyster
(commonly used
inspirational idioms
and CUTE illustrations)
by Tamara Hames
1st grade & Up

Why the
Banana Split
(MANY idioms for exit
use to describe a frantic
exodus when a giant
dinosaur appears)  
1st grade - 4th grade

In a Pickle and
Other Funny Idioms
(classic for teaching idioms!)
by Marvin Terban
1st grade - 5th grade

Butterflies in
My Stomach
(shows a nervous boy's
first day of school via a
series of related idioms)
by Serge Bloch
1st grade - 4th grade

Reach for the Stars
and Other Advice for Life's
Journeys (32 motivational
idioms about facing
challenges and believing
in yourself)
by Serge Bloch
1st grade - 4th grade

You Are What
You Eat
and Other Mealtime
Hazards (fun idioms about
food, ie: using your noodle)
by Serge Bloch
1st grade - 4th grade

More Parts
(presents a young boy
who takes idioms about
human body literally)
by Ted Arnold
1st grade - 4th grade

Even More Parts
(more funny mis-
understandings about
human body idioms)
by Ted Arnold
1st grade - 4th grade

Monkey Business
(elaborate illustrations depict
commonly used idioms)
by Wallace Edwards
3rd grade - 7th grade

My Teacher
Likes to Say
(idioms used by teachers
ie: ants in your pants)
by Denise Nelson
1st grade - 4th grade

My Momma
Likes to Say
(idioms often used by moms
ie: hold your horses)
by Denise Nelson
1st grade - 4th grade

My Daddy
Likes to Say
(idioms often used by dads
ie: the buck stops here)
by Denise Nelson
1st grade - 4th grade

My Grandma
Likes to Say
(idioms grandmas
say, ie: horse of a
different color)
by Denise Nelson
1st grade - 4th grade

I'm Not Hanging
Noodles on Your Ears
& Other Intriguing Idioms
from Around the World
by Jag Bhalla
6th grade & Up

The Cat's Pajamas
(more elaborate illustrations
that depict commonly
used idioms)
by Wallace Edwards
3rd grade - 7th grade

Super Silly Sayings That Are Over
Your Head
A Children's Illustrated
Book of Idioms
by Catherine Snodgrass
1st grade - 4th grade

Mad as a Wet Hen
and Other Funny Idioms 
(classic for teaching idioms!)
by Marvin Terban
3rd grade - 5th grade

Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms
Phrases, Sayings, & Expressions
(a good resource, but to be clear, it's a dictionary not a picture book)
4th grade & Up

Enjoy the books!

Betsy, Cindy, and Virginia (the teachers/sisters behind this website)

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