Enjoy your summer.  Here are some good books for you to read.  You will find lots more at the Public Library.

Non Fiction

• Aronin, Miriam,  The Prairie Dog’s Town; A Perfect Hideaway.  A book in the series ,“Spectacular Animal Towns.”  This book tells how Prairie Dogs build their cities, communicate, find food and raise their young.
• Aston, Dianna Hutts,  A Seed is Sleepy.
• Godkin, Celia, Fire!  A story which covers the life cycle of a forest, from the devastation of a fire to its gradual renewal as a vital ecosystem.  Handsomely illustrated with photographs.
• Jenkins, Martin, Ape.  Describes the behavior,  diets,  and habitats of the orangutan, chimpanzee, bonobo, and gorilla before revealing that humans are the other great ape. The book discusses simple similarities between people and the other apes and the need to protect these species.
• Lunis, Natalie,  Green Iguanas . A book in the series, “Peculiar Pets.”  What does it take to have an iguana as a pet?  This book tells you everything you need to know.
• Lunis, Natalie,  Katydids: Leaf Look-Alikes .  A beautifully illustrated book about these insects and how they camouflage themselves to look like leaves.  One of the series, “Disappearing Acts.”
• Jenkins, Steve,  Never Smile at a Monkey. When it comes to wild animals, everyone knows that there are certain things you just don't do. It's clearly a bad idea to tease a tiger, pull a python's tail, or bother a black widow spider. But do you know how dangerous it can be to pet a platypus, collect a cone shell, or touch a tang fish? Some creatures have developed unusual ways of protecting themselves or catching prey, and this can make them unexpectedly hazardous to your health. In this dynamic and fascinating picture book by Steve Jenkins, you'll find out what you should never do if you encounter one of these surprisingly dangerous animals.

Fiction

• Barrett, Judi and Ron,   The Marshmallow Incident . Another book by the authors of the original Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.  In this one left-handed and right-handed people live in separate towns.  One day there is a marshmallow throwing incident between the two towns.
• Bruel, Nick,   Bad Kitty Gets a Bath.  Another engaging book in the Bad Kitty, Poor Puppy series.
• Hornik, Laurie Miller,  Zoo School.  A Chapter book about a school where the children learn everything from the animals.  The desks are aquariums filled with fish and the teacher has never taught children before.  She has only taught animals, but how different can it be?
• Kirk, Daniel, Library Mouse. Sam is a library mouse and he loves to read.  One day he decided to write books himself!  Sam places his books on the library shelves at night and suddenly everyone wants to meet the talented author. 
• McDonald, Megan. Judy Moody (series) and Stink (series) Young readers who don't know Judy yet will enjoy  the series, with its good-natured wordplay, riddles, and an ear for how real third graders talk. They'll also take a shine to her little brother, Stink, who has his own series, starting with Stink!: The Incredible Shrinking Kid. And they'll find lots of "Way-Not-Boring Fun Stuff to Do" at www.judymoody.com and www.stinkmoody.com.
• Pennypacker, Sara,  The Talented Clementine . Peel some Clementines to eat and empathize with that unforgettable girl who “got stuck” with a fruit name. She’s one of a kind!
• Prelutsky, Jack. The Wizard.  In this story poem, a wizard sits alone in his grey tower in a cozy suburban neighborhood and contemplates evil deeds.   Bored and looking for something to do, he wonders what might be made of the children playing outside.
• Rosenthal, Amy Krause, Duck! Rabbit!  Using an optical illusion young readers take part in debate between the characters.  Is it a duck or a rabbit? 
• Sierra, Judy, Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf.  In this witty fractured fairy tale, the Big Bad Wolf (B.B.) is retired and living in the Senior Center when he is invited to tea at the local library.  His friend warns him that he will have to mind his manners, but he gets a little confused when he is hungry.
• Soman, David,  Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy. Lulu is back in this companion to Ladybug Girl (Dial, 2008). Taking on the guise of her superhero alter-ego (including a red tutu and spotted wings), she makes her own fun on the way to the playground by leaping over sidewalk cracks and counting to infinity. However, once she and her mother arrive, Ladybug Girl faces a new challenge: she wants to play with her friend Sam, but they can't agree on what to do.