SUMMER READING LIST
Why read over the summer?
Studies show that children and teens who read during the summer are better prepared for school in the fall. Also, reading for fun results in significant gains in vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Plus, summer activities and trips always call for good books!
How can I motivate my child to read?
Joining the Summer Reading Program at your local library is a great first step. Encourage young people to explore all sections of the library to discover new topics or books of interest. They may prefer to read nonfiction, graphic novels or to listen to audio books. It's important to respect their tastes. Adults mix challenging books with light reading, and children and teens should also be allowed to choose some light, fun books, especially when they have a break from school. Most importantly, children and teens who see adults around them reading are more likely to read themselves. So you can foster a love of reading by including the whole family in trips to the library!
Make a Splash Suggested Summer Reading List
Suggested Books for Pre-K
- Building a House by Byron Barton
- Snip Snap! What's That? by Mara Bergman
- The Mitten by Jan Brett
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
- Llama, Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
- Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
- Time to Sleep by Denise Fleming
- Possum Magic by Mem Fox
- The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone
- Chester's Way by Kevin Henkes
- Lilly's Big Day by Kevin Henkes
- Be Boy Buzz by Bell Hooks
- Don't Forget the Bacon by Pat Hutchins
- The Fisherman and His Wife by Rachel Isadora
- Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats
- Jack and the Beanstalk by Steven Kellogg
- The Wheels on the Bus by Maryann Kovalski
- Queen of the Scene by Queen Latifah
- Wave by Suzy Lee
- Machines Go to Work by William Low
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin
- Is This a House for Hermit Crab? by Megan McDonald
- I'm Bad! by Kate and Jim McMullan
- Bread, Bread, Bread by Ann Morris
- If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
- Joshua James Likes Trucks by Catherine Petrie
- The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
- These Hands by Hope Lynne Price
- We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
- Black? White! Day? Night!: A Book of Opposites by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
- Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak
- Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
- Truck Song by Diane Siebert
- Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
- A Tree Is Nice by Janice May Udry
- Paperwhite by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
- Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
- What a Wonderful World by George David Weiss and Bob Thiele
- Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells
- Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
- King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood
Suggested Books for Kindergarten
- I Love Saturdays y Domingos by Alma Flor Ada
- Moongame by Frank Asch
- What Did One Elephant Say to the Other? by Becky Baines
- Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
- Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
- A New Home by Tim Bowers
- Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
- Biscuit's Day at the Farm by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
- Get Up and Go by Nancy Carlson
- Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
- Bigmama's by Donald Crews
- For You Are a Kenyan Child by Kelly Cunnane
- Jamela's Dress by Niki Daly
- Firefighters A to Z by Chris L. Demarest
- Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
- Say Hola to Spanish by Susan Middleton Elya
- Olivia Forms a Band by Ian Falconer
- How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham
- Honey, I Love by Eloise Greenfield
- Benny and Penny in Just Pretend by Geoffrey Hayes
- 26 Letters and 99 Cents by Tana Hoban
- Wind Flyers by Angela Johnson
- How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan
- The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster
- Wolf's Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza
- Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock by Eric A. Kimmel
- Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen
- We All Went on Safari by Laurie Krebs
- Boy, Were We Wrong about Dinosaurs! by Kathleen V. Kudlinski
- A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni
- Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
- Superhero ABC by Bob McLeod
- Different Just Like Me by Lori Mitchell
- Hewitt Anderson's Great Big Life by Jerdine Nolen
- Bee-Bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park
- Max Found Two Sticks by Brian Pinkney
- Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco
- Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport
- Yo! Yes? by Christopher Raschka
- Little Panda by Joanne Ryder
- Mama, I'll Give You the World by Roni Schotter
- Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
- About Reptiles by Cathryn P. Sill
- Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells
- The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams
- Apple Pie 4th of July by Janet S. Wong
- Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young
Suggested Books for First Grade
- Who's in Rabbit's House? by Verna Aardema
- Miss Nelson Is Missing! by Harry Allard
- Hi, Fly Guy! by Tedd Arnold
- Li'l Dan the Drummer Boy by Romare Bearden
- Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne
- Pop! A Book about Bubbles by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- Dinosaurs in Your Backyard by Hugh Brewster
- Sid and Sam by Nola Buck
- Otto's Orange Day by Frank Cammuso and Jay Lynch
- Emily's Art by Peter Catalanotto
- Minnie and Moo: Wanted Dead or Alive by Denys Cazet
- The Meanest Thing to Say by Bill Cosby
- Welcome to Zanzibar Road by Niki Daly
- Johnny Appleseed by Patricia B. Demuth
- The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein
- Traction Man Is Here by Mini Grey
- Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by Isabella Hatkoff
- Day of Ahmed's Secret by Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland
- Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
- Grandma Elephant's in Charge by Martin Jenkins
- Tsunami! by Kimiko Kajikawa
- Harriet and the Promised Land by Jacob Lawrence
- The Tooth Book by Theo. LeSieg
- John Henry by Julius Lester
- Two Feet Up, Two Feet Down by Pamela Love
- Red Riding Hood retold by James Marshall
- Messy Bessey by Patricia and Frederick McKissack
- Way Up and Over Everything by Alice McGill
- Martha Calling by Susan Meddaugh
- Moses Goes to a Concert by Isaac Millman
- A Kiss for Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik
- Planting the Trees of Kenya by Claire A. Nivola
- A Baby Panda Is Born by Kristin Ostby
- Junie B., First Grader: Boss of Lunch by Barbara Park
- Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
- The Family Book by Todd Parr
- Duke Ellington by Andrea Pinkney
- The New GirlÖand Me by Jacqui Robbins
- Peter and the Wolf retold by Chris Raschka
- Dragonfly's Tale by Kristina Rodanas
- Mice and Beans by Pam MuÒoz Ryan
- Henry and Mudge Get the Cold Shivers by Cynthia Rylant
- Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella by Robert D. San Souci
- The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci
- Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto
- I Will Surprise My Friend! by Mo Willems
- Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson
Suggested Books for Second Grade
- The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet by Tony Abbott
- A Picture Book of Helen Keller by David A. Adler
- A Bear for Miguel by Elaine Marie Alphin
- Abe Lincoln's Hat by Martha Brenner
- Little Beauty by Anthony Browne
- Just for Elephants by Carol Buckley
- Hoops by Robert Burleigh
- George Washington's Teeth by Deborah Chandra and Madeleine Comora
- Inspector Hopper by Doug Cushman
- One Potato, Two Potato by Cynthia DeFelice
- Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride by Kate DiCamillo
- In My Family/En mi Familia by Carmen Lomas Garza
- Little Dog and Duncan by Kristine O'Connell George
- Digby by Barbara Shook Hazen
- Weaving a Dream by Marilee Heyer
- Houndsley and Catina by James Howe
- Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs
- How Many Ways Can You Catch a Fly? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
- Lucy Rose: Here's the Thing about Me by Katy Kelly
- My Senator and Me: A Dog's Eye View of Washington, D.C. by Edward Kennedy
- The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins by Barbara Kerley
- Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull
- Captain and Matey Set Sail by Daniel Laurence
- Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
- Black and White by David Macaulay
- Knots on a Counting Rope by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
- Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully
- Tom·s Rivera by Jane Medina
- Capital! Washington, DC from A to Z by Laura Krauss Melmed
- Magic Pickle and the Planet of the Grapes by Scott Morse
- Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
- Sitti's Secrets by Naomi Shihab Nye
- A Is for Africa by Ifeoma Onyefulu
- Koko's Kitten by Francine Patterson
- Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco
- Ruby the Copycat by Peggy Rathmann
- Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
- Buttons for General Washington by Peter and Connie Roop
- When Marian Sang by Pam MuÒoz Ryan
- Henry and Mudge in the Green Time by Cynthia Rylant
- Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman by Alan Schroeder
- Brave Irene by William Steig
- Amazing Snakes by Sarah L. Thomson
- The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg
- Amanda Pig and the Really Hot Day by Jean Van Leeuwen
- Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford
- The Warrior and the Wise Man by David Wisniewski
- Basketball Legends by Mark Woods
- Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky
Suggested Books for Third Grade
- Lou Gehrig by David A. Adler
- Young Cam Jansen and the Baseball Mystery by David A. Adler
- Teammates by Tiki and Ronde Barber
- Nic Bishop Frogs by Nic Bishop
- Ashley Bryan's ABC of African American Poetry by Ashley Bryan
- The Stories Julian Tells by Ann Cameron
- The Dog That Stole Football Plays by Matt Christopher
- Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary
- When John and Caroline Lived in the White House by Laurie Coulter
- Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
- The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh
- Rafi and Rosi: Carnival! by Lulu Delacre
- Donavan's Word Jar by Monalisa DeGross
- The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
- My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
- Rosa by Nikki Giovanni
- A Young Dancer by Valerie Gladstone
- The Village That Vanished by Ann Grifalconi
- Meet Danitra Brown by Nikki Grimes
- The Emperor Lays an Egg by Brenda Z. Guiberson
- Babymouse by Jennifer Holm
- From Slave to Soldier by Deborah Hopkinson
- The Top of the World: Climbing Mount Everest by Steve Jenkins
- A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson
- Goha the Wise Fool by Denys Johnson-Davies
- Accidents May Happen: Fifty Inventions Discovered by Mistake by Charlotte Jones
- Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream by Roslyn Jordan
- George Did It by Suzanne Tripp Jurmain
- What Bluebirds Do by Pamela F. Kirby
- The Librarian Who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky
- Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid by Megan McDonald
- The Doll People by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin
- The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin
- Soccer Sam by Jean Marzollo
- Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
- Clementine by Sara Pennybacker
- Dear Benjamin Banneker by Andrea Davis Pinkney
- The Outside Dog by Charlotte Pomerantz
- And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson
- Lebron James: I Love Challenges! by Michael Sandler
- Fa Mulan: The Story of a Woman Warrior by Robert San Souci
- The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Sieszka
- John, Paul, George and Ben by Lane Smith
- The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto by Natalie Standiford
- The Patchwork Path by Bettye Stroud
- Lincoln and His Boys by Rosemary Wells
- The Three Pigs by David Wiesner
- You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! by Jonah Winter
Suggested Books for Fourth Grade
- The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
- Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa by Veronica Chambers
- Frindle by Andrew Clements
- Sahara Special by Esme Raji Codell
- Sadako by Eleanor Coerr
- James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
- Space Station Rat by Michael J. Daley
- Amber Brown Goes Fourth by Paula Danizger
- Helen's Eyes by Marfe Ferguson Delano
- Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
- The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
- The Story of the Washington Wizards by Aaron Frisch
- The Chimpanzees I Love by Jane Goodall
- Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grimes
- Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
- Paddle-to-the-Sea by Holling Clancy Holling
- Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah Howe
- Birthday Surprises: Ten Great Stories to Unwrap edited by Johanna Hurwitz
- I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Jr.
- Pigs Might Fly by Dick King-Smith
- Ben and Me by Robert Lawson
- Grant Wood: The Artist in the Hayloft by Deborah J. Leach
- The Tales of Uncle Remus by Julius Lester
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- Arithme-tickle by J. Patrick Lewis
- The Bill Martin Jr. Book of Poetry edited by Bill Martin
- Away West by Patricia C. McKissack
- A Crazy Mixed-up Spanglish Day by Marisa Montes
- Starting with Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
- Joe and the Skyscraper by Dietrich Neumann
- The Borrowers by Mary Norton
- Nim's Island by Wendy Orr
- Sideway Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
- Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say
- How We Crossed the West by Rosalyn Schanzer
- Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka
- Summer Reading Is Killing Me! by Jon Scieszka
- Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger
- Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei by Peter Sis
- So You Want to Be President? by Judith St. George
- Swish: The Quest for Basketball's Perfect Shot by Mark Stewart
- Go Fish by Mary Stolz
- Adventures in Cartooning by James Sturm
- Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-ins by Carole Boston Weatherford
- Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
- Scooter by Vera B. Williams
- The Tale of Pale Male by Jeanette Winter
Suggested Books for Fifth Grade
- Gilda Joyce: Psychic Investigator by Jennifer Allison
- How Tia Lola Came to Stay by Julia Alvarez
- Whittington by Alan Armstrong
- Something Upstairs by Avi
- Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
- The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
- The Crow-girl: The Children of Crow Cove by Bodil Bredsdorff
- Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
- A Week in the Woods by Andrew Clements
- Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
- Sees Behind Trees by Michael Dorris
- Story Painter by John Duggleby
- The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
- Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
- Coraline by Neil Gaiman
- A Strong Right Arm by Michelle Y. Green
- Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale
- M. C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton
- Bird Lake Moon by Kevin Henkes
- Flush by Carl Hiaasen
- Into the Wild by Erin Hunter
- Zany Miscellany by Tom Jackson
- A Foot in the Mouth: Poems to Speak, Sing and Shout selected by Paul B. Janeczko
- The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
- Lost Star: The Story of Amelia Earhart by Patricia G. Lauber
- Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters and Other Wily Characters by Patricia McKissack
- Junebug by Alice Mead
- Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
- We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
- Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
- 101 Ways You Can Help Save the Planet Before You're 12! by Joanne O'Sullivan
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
- Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco
- Read a Rhyme, Write a Rhyme edited by Jack Prelutsky
- Frankenstein Takes the Cake by Adam Rex
- Safe at Home by Sharon Robinson
- Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam MuÒoz Ryan
- Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
- Math Curse by Jon Scieszka
- George vs. George by Rosalyn Schanzer
- The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
- Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
- Safari Journal by Hudson Talbott
- Song of the Trees by Mildred D. Taylor
- Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
- The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop
- Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee
