Summer Reading 2022-2023

Rising 1st Graders: Picture Books

Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang
Amy is determined to make a perfect dumpling like her parents and grandmother do, but hers are always too empty, too full, or not pinched together properly. Then she has an idea that may give her a second chance! Will Amy ever make the perfect bao?

Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela one day, Julian notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julian gets home, daydreaming of the magic he's seen, all he can think about is dressing up in his own fabulous mermaid costume. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes--and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julian sees himself?

Boxitects by Kim Smith Meg goes to Maker School to hone her talent for building with boxes, but when Simone, another boxitect, arrives they become so competitive they nearly fail in the annual Maker Match.

Bright Star by Yuyi Morales A nurturing voice reassures the lonely and afraid, who are represented by animals, in difficult times.

Summertime Sleepers by Melissa Stewart
Everyone knows about animals that hibernate in the winter. But it's time to discover animals that sleep all summer long! All science classrooms discuss animals that hibernate during winter months, but few know about animals that estivate--a prolonged sleep during hot or dry periods.

Everybody in the Red Brick Building by Anne Wynter In the middle of the night, a chain reaction of noises wakes the residents of an urban apartment building, and then lulls them back to sleep.

Rising 1st Graders:
Early Chapter Books & Stories to Read Together

Jo Jo Makoons by Dawn Quigley
Jojo Makoons Azure is a spirited seven-year-old who moves through the world a little differently than anyone else on her Ojibwe reservation. It always seems like her mom, her kokum (grandma), and her teacher have a lot to learn--about how good Jo Jo is at cleaning up, what makes a good rhyme, and what it means to be friendly. Even though Jo Jo loves her #1 best friend Mimi (who is a cat), she's worried that she needs to figure out how to make more friends.

Unicorn Diaries by Rebecca Elliot
Rainbow Tinseltail and the other students at Sparklegrove School for Unicorns are excited when a brand new unicorn, Sunny Huckleberry, enters the school.

See The Cat by David LaRochelle
See the cat -- See the snake -- See the dog. "Max is not a cat -- Max is a dog! But much to his dismay, this book keeps instructing the readers to 'see the cat.' How can Max get through to the book that he is a dog?

Pedro, First Grade Hero by Fran Manushkin
Spend some time with Pedro, Katie Woo's fun-loving friend. From a buggy disaster to a run for class president, Pedro has what it takes to be the hero of first-grade. No matter what he's doing, Pedro is always good for some laughs and adventure.

Wind Riders by Jen Marlin
After discovering Wind Rider, an abandoned magical sailboat, Max and Sofia arrive on a beach in Hawaii where, with new friend Laila, they rescue newly-hatched sea turtles.

King and Kayla by Dori Hillestad Butler King's human, Kayla, has baked some treats for a friend's new puppy, Thor, but some go missing and it is up to King to find the culprit

Rising 1st Graders: Additional Recommendations

Chapter Book Series to Enjoy Together
Mindy Kim series by Lyla Lee
The World According to Humphrey series by Betty G. Birney
The Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo
The Critter Club series by Callie Barkley

Early Chapter Books
What About Worms??? by Ryan T. Higgins
Crab and Snail the Invisible Whale by Beth Ferry
Sofia Martinez, The Beach Trip! By Jacuqeline Jules
Unicorn Diaries by Rebecca Elliot
My Kite is Stuck and Other Stories by Salina Yoon
I See a Cat! By Paul Meisel
Yasmin series by Saadia Faruqi
Unlimited Squirrels series by Mo Willems

Picture Books
Alicia and the Hurricane by Leslea Newman
Jabari Tries by Gaia Cornwall
The Little Red Fort by Brenda Maier
Kamit: An Inuit Puppy Story by Donald Uluadluak
Bug on the Rug by Sophia Gholz
Julian at the Wedding by Jessica Love a
Hello Ocean/Hola Mar! by Pam Muñoz Ryan
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson
Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan
The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad
My Heart Fills with Happiness by Monique Gray Smith
Eyes that Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho
Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima

Rising 2nd Graders: Picture Books

Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev
A boy is excluded from joining his friends' pet club because of his unusual pet.

The Word Collector by Peter Reynolds
Jerome enjoys collecting and using words that he hears, reads, or sees, and then decides to share his collection with others.

I am Every Good Things by Derrick Barnes
The confident Black narrator of this book is proud of everything that makes him who he is. Sometimes he falls, but he always gets back up. And other times he's afraid, because he's so often misunderstood and called what he is not. So slow down and really look and listen, when somebody tells you--and shows you--who they are. There are superheroes in our midst!

A Different Pond by Bao Phi
As a young boy, Bao Phi awoke early, hours before his father's long workday began, to fish on the shores of a small pond in Minneapolis. Unlike many other anglers, Bao and his father fished for food, not recreation. Between hope-filled casts, Bao's father told him about a different pond in their homeland of Vietnam.

Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer Two curious children go for a walk, asking imaginative questions about the natural beauty that surrounds them.

Grandad's Camper by Harry Woodgate
A child who enjoys Grandad's stories of his travels and adventures with Gramps persuades him to fix up their old camper and take another trip, in honor of Gramps.

Rising 2nd Graders:
Stories to Read Independently or Together

Miles Lewis King of the Ice by Kelly Starling Lyons
Myles loves science and sports. But when his teacher announces a class field trip to an ice skating rink to learn about physics, he isn't so excited.

Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech Louie doesn't have the best luck when it comes to nurturing small creatures--not even lightning bugs, worms, or goldfish. So when his father brings home a sickly, newborn mini donkey, he's determined to save him.

Surviving the Wild by Remy Lai Rainbow the koala is ready to go off and live on his own--or so his mom says. But Rainbow is scared! The kookaburra bird cackles at him and he struggles to find a tree to call his home. As scorching heat takes hold and Rainbow runs out of water, he'll soon face his most dangerous test: surviving a bush fire

The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale
While having hot cocoa with the Dutchess, Princess Magnolia must sneak away to fight monsters as her alter ego the Princess in Black

Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon Dory, the youngest in her family, is a girl with a very active imagination, and she spends the summer playing with her imaginary friend, pretending to be a dog, battling monsters, and generally driving her family nuts.

Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina A spunky young girl from Colombia loves playing with her canine best friend and resists boring school activities, especially learning English, until her family tells her that a special trip is planned to an English-speaking place

Rising 2nd Graders: Additional Recommendations

Picture Books
Nico Draws a Feeling by Bob Raczka
The Promise by Nicola Davies
We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrome
Aaron Slater, Illustrator by Andrea Beaty
Freedom Soup by Tami Charles
There’s a Dinosaur on the 13th Floor by Wade Bradford
Vamos! Let’s Cross the Bridge by Raúl the Third
Winnie Finn, Worm Farmer by Carol Brendler
Rainbow Weaver/Tejedora de Arcoiris by Linda Elovitz Marshall
Drawn Together by Minh Le

Informational Texts
Borrowing Bunnies by Cynthia Lord
Chowder Rules! The True Story of an Epic Food Fight by Anna Crowley Redding
Earth, My First 4.54 Billion Years by Stacy McAnulty
Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré by Anika A. Denise
Shark Lady: The True Story of how Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating
Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton
Summertime Sleepers: Animals that Estivate by Melissa Stewart

Chapter Books to Read Independently or to Share
Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick
Clubhouse Mysteries series by Sharon Draper
Charlie & Mouse by Laurel Snyder
Clementine Series by Sara Pennypacker
Good Rosie! by Kate DiCamillo
Jada Jones series by Kelly Starling Lyons
Narhwal and Jelly Series by Ben Clanton
Isadora Moon Series by Harriet Muncaster

Rising 3rd Graders
Picture Books

After the Fall by Dan Santat. After falling off the wall, Humpty Dumpty is very afraid of climbing up again, but is determined not to let fear stop him from being close to the birds. Watch the booktrailer!

The Next President: The Unexpected Beginnings and Unwritten Future of America's Presidents by Kate Messner. An exploration of the presidents before they were presidents--as kids, adventurers, journalists, prospectors, gun-slingers, TV hosts, and more!

Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña. While Milo and his sister travel to a detention center to visit their incarcerated mother, he observes strangers on the subway and draws what he imagines their lives to be.

How to be an Elephant: Growing up in the African Wild by Katherine Roy. This nonfiction picture book follows an elephant's growth from a newborn calf to a full-grown adult in one of the most socially and structurally complex family groups on earth.

We are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom. Water is the first medicine. It affects and connects us all . . . When a black snake threatens to destroy the Earth and poison her people's water, one young water protector takes a stand to defend Earth's most sacred resource.

The Tree Lady: the true story of how one tree-loving woman changed a city forever by H. Joseph Hopkins. An illustrated look at the life of Kate Sessions, who planted a nursery in San Diego, California, after making a deal with the city.

Rising 3rd Graders
Chapter Books

Cilla Lee-Jenkins: Future Author Extraordinaire by Susan Tan. A half-Chinese, half-Caucasian girl's 'memoir' about a new sibling, being biracial, and her path to literary greatness

Princess Cora and the Crocodile by Laura Amy Schlitz. Unhappy queen-in-training Cora receives a pet crocodile from her fairy godmother, who disrupts her mundane daily routine.

Inspector Flytrap by Tom Angleberger. Hoping to become the greatest detective that ever grew, InspectorFlytrap, a Venus Flytrap, and his assistant, Nina the Goat, investigate "big deal" mysteries at an art museum, a cookie shop, and a garden.

Gone Camping: A Novel in Verse by Tamera Will Wissinger. Camping is fun. Until it's time to sleep. Then, Lucy wonders, what kinds of creatures lurk in the dark? With only her brother and grandpa as tent mates, will Lucy be able to face her camping fears? Includes a variety of poetic forms--from aubade to haiku--as well as writing tips about rhyme and rhythm.

Stuntboy in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds. Portico Reeves’s superpower is making sure all the other superheroes—like his parents and two best friends—stay super. And safe. Super safe. And he does this all in secret. No one in his civilian life knows he’s actually…Stuntboy!

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes. Seven-year-old Billy Miller starts second grade with a bump on his head and a lot of worries, but by the end of the year he has developed good relationships with his teacher, his little sister, and his parents and learned many important lessons.

Rising 3rd Graders: Additional Recommendations

Fiction Picture Books

Chapter Books/Novels

A Different Pond by Bao Phi

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes

Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

Informational Picture Books

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard

Malala's Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai

A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold

Calpurnia Tate, Girl Vet by Jacqueline Kelly

Frindle by Andrew Clements

Jada Jones Rock Star by Kelly Starling Lyons

Kung Pow Chicken Series by Cyndi Marko

Little Dog, Lost by Marion Dan Bauer

No Talking by Andrew Clements

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

Ranger in Time Series by Kate Messner

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin