Summer Recommended Reading
List 2005
Ajmera, Maya. Be My Neighbor. Charlesbridge, 2004. Simple text and colorful photographs from many countries introduce the characteristics of a neighborhood and the concept of community.
Alborough, Jez. Some Dogs Do. Candlewick, 2003. When Sid tries to convince his doggy classmates that he flew to school, they do not believe him.
Allen, Judy. Are You a Snail? Kingfisher, 2000. The life cycle of a snail is introduced, showing how it changes from an egg to an adult snail.
Arnold, Tedd. Catalina Magdalena Hoopensteiner Wallendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name. Scholastic, 2004. The words—and varying forms of the name—of a classic camp song that dates from at least the 1940s are presented.
Aylesworth, Jim. Naughty Little Monkeys. Dutton, 2003. Mom thinks all twenty-six of her monkeys are angelic, but from Andy’s wayward airplane to Zelda’s trip to the zoo, these little ones find a way to get into mischief for each letter of the alphabet.
Bajaj, Varsha. How Many Kisses Do You Want Tonight? Little, Brown, 2004. When animal and human parents lovingly ask their offspring how many kisses each wants at bedtime, the answers start at the number one and end at a million.
Berger, Melvin. Spinning Spiders. HarperCollins, 2003. The characteristics of spiders and the methods they use to trap their prey in webs are described.
Birdseye, Tom. Oh Yeah! Holiday House, 2003. Two boys camp out in the backyard and compete to show their courage in the face of imagined nighttime dangers.
Brown, Margaret Wise. The Runaway Bunny. First published 1972. A little rabbit who wants to run away tells his mother how he will escape, but she is always right behind him.
Bunting, Eve. Little Bear’s Little Boat. Clarion, 2003. When Little Bear can no longer fit into his boat he finds someone else who can use it.
Carle, Eric. Mr. Seahorse. Philomel, 2004. After Mrs. Seahorse lays her eggs on Mr. Seahorse’s belly, he drifts through the water greeting other fish fathers who are taking care of their eggs.
Catalanotto, Peter. Daisy 1, 2, 3. Atheneum, 2003. Mrs. Tuttle teaches a dog obedience class to twenty Dalmatians who are all named Daisy, but each one has some feature that makes her easily identifiable.
Cave, Kathryn. That’s What Friends Do. Hyperion, 2004. Two friends celebrate their friendship by recounting the ways in which they help each other.
Chichester Clark, Emma. Where Are You, Blue Kangaroo? Dell Dragonfly, 2001. After being left behind at the park, on the bus, and at the zoo, Blue Kangaroo worries that Lily will soon lose him for good.
Child, Lauren. I Am Too Absolutely Small for School. Candlewick, 2004. When Lola is worried about starting school, her older brother Charlie reassures her.
Christelow, Eileen. Five Little Monkeys Play Hide-and-Seek. Clarion, 2004. The five little monkeys try to avoid going to bed by playing hide-and-seek with their babysitter.
Cobb, Vicki. I Get Wet. HarperCollins, 2002. The properties of water are appealingly explained in a simple, straightforward manner that encourages experimentation.
Crews, Donald. Freight Train. First published 1978. Brief text and illustrations trace the journey of a colorful train as it goes through tunnels, by cities, and over trestles.
Crews, Nina. The Neighborhood Mother Goose. Greenwillow, 2004. This collection of nursery rhymes, both familiar and lesser known, is strikingly illustrated with photographs in a city setting.
Crummel, Susan Stevens. Plaidypus Lost. Holiday House, 2004. When a young child takes her favorite toy along to the park, the market, the lake, and for a car ride, she mistakenly leaves him behind.
Dunbar, Joyce. A Chick Called Saturday. Eerdmans, 2003. A curious chick is disappointed at all the things his mother says he cannot do, such as swim like a duck, until he discovers one wonderful thing he can do very well.
Dunrea, Olivier. Peedie. Houghton Mifflin, 2004. A little goose named Peedie tends to forget everything except where to find his lucky baseball cap.
Edwards, Pamela Duncan. Miss Polly Has a Dolly. Putnam, 2003. A sick dolly is treated by her doctor and Miss Polly, and is offered a treat when she becomes well.
Edwards, Wallace. Alphabeasts. Kids Can Press, 2002. Brief verses introduce the letters of the alphabet and the animals who inhabit a remarkable old house.
Ehlert, Lois. Pie in the Sky. Harcourt, 2004. A father and child watch the cherry tree in their backyard, waiting until there are enough ripe cherries to bake in a pie. A recipe for cherry pie is included.
Emmett, Jonathan. Ruby in Her Own Time. Scholastic, 2004. Ruby, the last of Mother Duck’s and Father Duck’s eggs to hatch, is slower to develop than her four siblings, until the day that she flies further and higher than any of them.
Ernst, Lisa Campbell. The Turn-Around, Upside-Down Alphabet Book. Simon & Schuster, 2004. Each letter in this alphabet book becomes three different objects as the book is turned in different directions, as when A becomes a bird’s beak, a drippy ice cream cone, and the point of a star.
Farish, Terry. The Cat Who Liked Potato Soup. Candlewick, 2003. The friendship between an old man and his cat, both of whom like potato soup, is strained after he goes fishing without her.
Fearnley, Jan. Watch Out! Candlewick, 2004. Wilf, a very energetic mouse who gets in a bit of trouble when he does not listen to his mother, makes her a special surprise.
Fleming, Candace. This Is the Baby. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2004. This cumulative rhyme enumerates all the items of clothing that go on the baby who hates to be dressed, from the often messy diaper to the woolen and plaid jacket.
Floca, Brian. The Racecar Alphabet. Atheneum, 2003. An exciting day at the races highlights the letters of the alphabet as a variety of automobiles.
Fox, Mem. Where Is the Green Sheep? Harcourt, 2004. Many different sheep are featured in this story, plus one that seems to be missing.
Freeman, Mylo. Potty! Tricycle Press, 2002. In the jungle sits a potty with the words, “Only the best bottom will fit on this potty,” this prompts different animals to give it a try until a stranger shows them who fits it best.
Fridell, Ron. Life Cycle of a Turtle. Heinemann, 2001. The life cycle of a turtle starting with the egg, hatching, hibernating, and growing to an adult is examined. Information about turtle endangerment is given.
Gág, Wanda. Millions of Cats. Penguin Putnam, 1996. An old man and his lonely wife try to select the most beautiful cat from a choice of millions.
Geras, Adèle. Time for Ballet. Dial, 2004. Tilly, who loves ballet, plays the part of a cat in her class’s dance recital.
Gibbons, Gail. Giant Pandas. Holiday House, 2002. The physical characteristics, behavior, life cycle, and habitat of these endangered animals are introduced.
Graham, Bob. “Let’s Get a Pup!” Said Kate. Candlewick, 2001. When Kate and her parents visit the animal shelter, an adorable puppy charms them, but it is very hard to leave an older dog behind.
Gray, Kes. Cluck O’Clock. Holiday House, 2004. A group of chickens has a full day on the farm, from eating breakfast early in the morning to avoiding a fox late at night.
Gregory, Nan. Amber Waiting. Red Deer Press, 2003. Amber must wait to be picked up from kindergarten by her father, but she uses the time to imagine how it would be if her father had to wait for her.
Harris, Robie H. I Am Not Going to School Today! McElderry, 2003. A little boy decides to skip his very first day of school because on the first day he wouldn’t know anything, but on the second day, he would knows everything.
Heide, Florence Parry. That’s What Friends Are For. Candlewick, 2003. All the elephant’s friends give him advice, but none can solve his problem until the opossum announces that friends are to help, not just to give advice.
Henkes, Kevin. Kitten’s First Full Moon. Greenwillow, 2004. When Kitten mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk, she ends up tired, wet, and hungry trying to reach it. Caldecott Medal
Hest, Amy. Mr. George Baker. Candlewick, 2004. Harry sits on the porch with Mr. George Baker, an African American who is one hundred years old but can still dance and play the drums, waiting for the school bus that will take them both to the class where they are learning to read.
Hoberman, Mary Ann. Mary Had a Little Lamb. Little, Brown, 2003. This expanded version of the traditional rhyme shows what happens after the lamb gets to school.
Hudson, Cheryl Willis. Hands Can. Candlewick, 2003. Photographs and simple, rhyming text present different things that hands can do, such as hold things, mix things, and wave goodbye.
Jenkins, Steve. Actual Size. Houghton Mifflin, 2004. The size and weight of various animals and parts of animals are discussed, and memorable artwork depicts their actual size.
Johnston, Tony. Cat, What Is That? HarperCollins, 2001. Rhyming text presents the many facets of the behavior and characteristics of cats.
Joosse, Barbara M. Hot City. Philomel, 2004. Mimi and her little brother Joe escape from home and the city’s summer heat to read and dream about princesses and dinosaurs in the cool, quiet library.
Kasza, Keiko. My Lucky Day. Putnam, 2003. When a young pig knocks on a fox’s door, the fox thinks dinner has arrived, but the pig has other plans.
Keller, Holly. What a Hat! Greenwillow, 2003. Henry makes fun of his cousin Newton for always wearing his hat, but the hat comes in handy for Henry’s sister Wizzie.
Krosoczka, Jarrett. Max for President. Knopf, 2004. Max and Kelly both want to win the election for class president, but when one of them loses, the winner finds a way to make the loser feel better.
Lakin, Patricia. Beach Day! Dial, 2004. Four crocodile friends have many adventures on the way to the beach.
Lester, Helen. Hurty Feelings. Houghton Mifflin, 2004. It looks like trouble when Fragility, a hippopotamus whose feelings are easily hurt, meets Rudy, a rude elephant, on the soccer field.
Lewis, Kim. Good Night, Harry. Candlewick, 2004. When Harry, a toy elephant, has trouble sleeping, his friends decide to help him.
Lionni, Leo. Little Blue and Little Yellow: A Story for Pippo and Ann and Other Children. HarperCollins, 1994. A little blue spot and a little yellow spot are best friends, and when they hug each other they become green.
Llewellyn, Claire. Earthworms. Watts, 2002. Colorful, labeled illustrations and photographs explain the life cycle, body parts, movement, food, and enemies of the earthworm.
Loomis, Christine. Cowboy Bunnies. Putnam, 1997. Little bunnies spend their day pretending to be cowboys: riding their ponies, mending fences, counting cows, eating chow, and singing cowboy songs until it is time for bed.
Magloff, Lisa. Duckling. Dorling Kindersley, 2003. Vibrant close-up photographs show the life cycle of a duck as it grows from an egg to a bird in flight.
Martin, Bill. Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3. Simon & Schuster, 2004. Numbers from one to one hundred climb to the top of an apple tree in this rhyming chant.
Mayer, Mercer. There’s a Nightmare in My Closet. First published 1976. At bedtime a boy confronts the nightmare in his closet and finds him not so terrifying after all.
Mayo, Margaret. Dig Dig Digging. Holt, 2002. Simple rhymes introduce various large vehicles, such as dump trucks, fire engines, and tractors, and describe the work that they do.
McCloskey, Robert. Make Way for Ducklings. First published 1969. With the help of a friendly policeman, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard proudly return to their home in the Boston Public Garden with their eight offspring. Caldecott Medal
Melling, David. The Kiss That Missed. Barron’s, 2002. When the king hurriedly blows a goodnight kiss to his son and it gets lost, a not-so-brave knight must venture into the forest to retrieve it.
Morgan, Michaela. Brave, Brave Mouse. Albert Whitman, 2004. After showing courage by attempting many new things, Little Mouse becomes Brave Mouse when he realizes that it is sometimes good to say no to things he is not ready to try.
Munsch, Robert N. Love You Forever. Firefly, 1986. A mother watches as her little boy goes from childhood to manhood, has a child of his own, and returns the loving care she has given to him through the years.
Murphy, Stuart J. 100 Days of Cool. HarperCollins, 2004. Four students arrive on the first day of school looking cool and their teacher challenges them to keep it up as they count down one hundred days to a cool celebration.
Nelson, Robin. We Use Water. Lerner, 2003. Simple text and photographs of everyday activities explain some of the properties of water and the ways in which we use it.
Newman, Leslea. The Best Cat in the World. Eerdmans, 2004. A young boy deals with the loss of his beloved cat Charlie, eventually accepting the arrival of another very different cat.
Noble, Trinka Hakes. The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash. First published 1984. Jimmy’s boa constrictor wreaks havoc on the class trip to a farm.
Numeroff, Laura Joffe. Beatrice Doesn’t Want To. Candlewick, 2004. On the third afternoon of going to the library with her brother Henry, Beatrice finally finds something she enjoys doing.
Olson, K. C. Construction Countdown. Holt, 2004. Numbers and subtraction are introduced as the reader counts construction equipment from ten to one.
Parr, Todd. Otto Goes to Bed. Little, Brown, 2003. Otto the dog doesn’t want to go to bed until he discovers how nice it is to dream.
Paye, Won-Ldy. Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile. Holt, 2003. When a crocodile captures Mrs. Chicken and takes her to an island to fatten her up, she cleverly claims that she can prove that they are sisters and that the crocodile shouldn’t eat her.
Payne, Tony. The Hippo-NOT-amus. Orchard, 2004. A young hippopotamus who is bored with his life sets out to discover “just the right kind of animal to be.”
Piper, Watty. The Little Engine That Could. First published 1976. When the other engines refuse to help, the Little Blue Engine tries to pull a stranded train full of dolls, toys, and good food over the mountain to waiting children.
Rathmann, Peggy. The Day the Babies Crawled Away. Putnam, 2003. A boy follows five babies who crawl away from a picnic and saves the day by bringing them back.
Rockwell, Anne F. Becoming Butterflies. Walker, 2004. A class observes the various stages caterpillars go through to become monarch butterflies and then corresponds with students in Mexico where most of these butterflies migrate.
Rostoker-Gruber, Karen. Rooster Can’t Cock-a-Doodle-Doo. Dial, 2004. When Rooster’s throat is too sore for him to crow, the other farm animals help both him and Farmer Ted.
Samuels, Barbara. Dolores on Her Toes. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2003. When her cat disappears just before Tutu Day, Dolores, with the help of her sister, realizes that Duncan, the cat, does not want to be a ballerina.
Schlein, Miriam. Little Raccoon’s Big Question. Greenwillow, 2004. When Little Raccoon asks his mother when she loves him the most, she finally answers that she loves him the most “right now.”
Shannon, David. Alice the Fairy. Blue Sky, 2004. Alice, a very imaginative little girl, practices her trade as a Temporary Fairy, but still has trouble learning the difficult tricks, such as making her clothes put themselves away.
Shannon, George. Tippy-Toe Chick, Go! Greenwillow, 2003. When a mean dog blocks the path to the garden where a delicious breakfast awaits, Little Chick shows her family how brave and clever she is.
Sierra, Judy. Wild about Books. Knopf, 2004. A librarian named Mavis McGrew introduces the zoo animals to the joy of reading after she mistakenly drives her bookmobile into the zoo.
Sill, Cathryn P. About Reptiles: A Guide for Children. Peachtree, 1999. Physical characteristics, habitat, movement, feeding and hunting behavior, and life cycle are shown to vary in different kinds of reptiles, including the corn snake, Eastern box turtle, and American alligator.
Slaughter, Tom. 1 2 3. Tundra Books, 2003. This introduction to counting uses vibrant illustrations of colorful everyday objects.
Slobodkina, Esphyr. Circus Caps for Sale. HarperCollins, 2002. A peddler who sells caps by balancing them all on his head is invited to do an act in the circus.
Strickland, Michael R. Haircuts at Sleep Sam’s. Boyds Mills, 1998. A young boy and his brothers visit the barbershop and return home with a different look in this fun-filled story of summertime in the city.
Sweeney, Joan. Me and My Senses. Crown, 2003. The five senses are introduced using experiences from everyday life.
Verlander, Susan. Goodnight, Country. Chronicle, 2004. The sights and sounds of going to bed in the country are explored, from dinner bells ringing and screen doors swinging to mice pattering and knitting needles chattering.
Voake, Charlotte. Ginger Finds a Home. Candlewick, 2003. A little girl feeds Ginger, a thin little cat who has been living in a patch of weeds, and takes him home to live with her.
Walton, Rick. Bunnies on the Go: Getting from Place to Place. HarperCollins, 2003. When a rabbit family goes on vacation, the reader is invited to guess what means of travel they will use next.
Wellington, Monica. Firefighter Frank. Dutton, 2002. Pictures and text describe a day on the job for Firefighter Frank, with fire prevention and safety tips included.
Wheeler, Lisa. Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum. Little, Brown, 2004. After a variety of animals get stuck one by one in bubble gum melting on the road, they must survive encounters with a big blue truck and a burly black bear.
Whybrow, Ian. The Noisy Way to Bed. Arthur A. Levine, 2004. As a sleepy boy decides it is bedtime and sets out across the farm toward home, he meets several animals who, in their noisy way, express the same idea.
Wick, Walter. Can You See What I See? Seymour and the Juice Box Boat. Scholastic, 2004. The reader is asked to find various animals and objects as well as a boy named Seymour in the photographs.
Wickstrom, Sylvie. I Love You, Mister Bear. HarperCollins, 2003. Young Sosha buys a shaggy old teddy bear at a yard sale and brings him home for some special care and love.
Willems, Mo. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale. Hyperion, 2004. A trip to the laundromat leads to a momentous occasion when Trixie, too young to speak words, realizes that something important is missing and struggles to explain the problem to her father. Caldecott Honor Book
Wilson, Karma. Bear Wants More. McElderry, 2003. When spring comes, Bear wakes up very hungry and is treated to great food by his friends.
Winters, Kay. My Teacher for President. Dutton, 2004. A second-grader writes a television station with reasons why his teacher would make a good candidate for the White House, but only if she can continue teaching until the end of the school year.
Wormell, Christopher. Teeth, Tails, & Tentacles: An Animal Counting Book. Running Press, 2004. Parts of animals from one to twenty are counted, such as eight octopus tentacles and seventeen zebra stripes, with factual information at the end about each animal featured.
Yolen, Jane. Hoptoad. Silver Whistle, 2003. A toad barely escapes being squashed beneath the wheels of a car.
Zimmerman, Andrea. Dig! Silver Whistle, 2004. The reader follows Mr. Rally and his dog Lightning as they travel on a big yellow digging machine, taking care of five important jobs.
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Compiled by:
Nancy Rodenbusch, Chair, St. Mark’s
Episcopal School;
Adonica Aston-Johnston, River Oaks Baptist
School; Mary Eberle, St. Laurence Catholic School;
Leslie Hemenway, The Fay School; Layne
Mason, The Center for Hearing and Speech;
Georgene Quirke, Grace School; Susan
Schlein, Robert M. Beren Academy