25+ Great How-To Books for First-Grade Students

Here you will find a quality collection of how-to books for first-grade students.

These how-to books for first graders fit well in your reader’s workshop instruction as students learn how to draft how-to stories and analyze how-to books.

Also, use this list of first grade how-to books when learning procedural and how-to writing.

How-To Books for First Grade

Here you will find the best how-to children’s books for first-grade kids.

  • All You Need For a Snowman (Alice Schertle) – This children’s book takes you through the steps of building a snowman.
  • Building a House (Byron Barton) – Step-by-step, this book describes the steps for building a house.
  • Caring for Your Lion (Tammi Sauer) – Use this mentor text to guide first graders as they create their own procedural writing pieces.
  • The Easter Bunny’s Assistant (Jan Thomas) – This text humorously shows how to decorate the Easter Bunny’s eggs.
  • Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle (Chris Raschka) – This simple text takes readers on a journey of learning how to ride a bicycle.
  • Growing Vegetable Soup (Lois Ehlert) – In this picture book, readers learn the steps for making vegetable soup … all the way from planting seeds to putting the ingredients into the pot.
  • How to Babysit a Grandma (Jean Reagan) – Use this lovely book to teach first graders how to be kind and loving towards their grandmas.
  • How to Babysit a Grandpa (Jean Reagan) – Part of a how-to series, this procedural picture book teaches kids how to lovingly babysit their grandpa.
  • How to Bake a Cake (Anastasia Suen) – This step-by-step book is great for showing students an example of procedural writing.
  • How to Be a Cat (Nikki McClure) – This book teaches first graders how to be a cat by demonstrating how to feast, clean, pounce, and stretch. The overall theme is about mastering life skills with the help of a grown-up.
  • How to Build an Insect (Roberta Gibson) – This fun how-to book teaches kids how to build their very own insect!
  • How to Clean Your Room in 10 Easy Steps (Jennifer Larue Huget, Edward Koren) – This children’s book humorously details the steps for how to clean your room.
  • How to Find a Fox (Nilah Magruder) – This fictional text tells a story about how to never give up.
  • How to Give Your Cat a Bath in Five Easy Steps (Nicola Winstanley) – An instruction manual-type plus humorous read that tells how to bathe a non-cooperative cat.
  • How To Make Friends With a Ghost (Rebecca Green) – An amusing story about ghosts, this picture book offers simple steps for how to make friends with a kind ghost. 
  • How To Make a Pancake (Dave Max) – This simply-written mentor text details the steps for making pancakes.
  • How to Make Slime (Lori Shores) – Part of a hands-on science series, this fun project prompts first graders to follow directions in order to complete the task at hand.
  • How to Read a Story (Kate Messner) – This clever book is yet another how-to writing example to show students as they create their own procedural writing pieces.
  • How to Survive as a Shark (Kristen Foote) – Bursting with fun facts, this non-fiction book about sharks entertains readers throughout as it illustrates to first graders how to think and swim like a shark.
  • How to Teach a Slug to Read (Susan Pearson) – Written in a unique comic-like fashion, this nicely-illustrated book takes the reader along the journey as a mother slug teaches her little one to read.
  • How to Wash a Wooly Mammoth (Michelle Robinson) – Engaging and humorous, this tale follows the story of a young girl as she attempts to wash a wooly mammoth. This book serves well as a procedural writing mentor text.
  • If Your Monster Won’t Go To Bed (Denise Vega) – If your first graders are dealing with a monster in their room that won’t go to bed, this instructional guide will provide them with the specific steps they need in order to finally get the monster to sleep.
  • Pizza At Sally’s (Monica Wellington) – In this text, students follow along with the steps for how to make a pizza.
  • Ten Steps to Flying Like a Superhero (Deb Pilluti) – This entertaining fiction text demonstrates a lesson on how to fly like a superhero.
  • The How to Draw Book for Kids: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide to Drawing Cute and Silly Things (Jacy Corral) – This cute book centered around fun themes teaches kids step-by-step how to draw silly things.
  • When Your Llama Needs a Haircut (Susanna Leonard Hill) – Teach how-to writing to first graders in a humorous way using this read-aloud book about giving a llama a haircut.

Final Thoughts: How-To Books for First Graders

Now you have a treasure-trove of how-to books for first-grade students.

These first grade how-to books keep students engaged while learning about important procedures.

If you enjoyed these how-to books for first grade, you may also likehow-to writing ideas for students.