Summer Reading Suggestions- Entering K and 1st grade
All titles are available at the Wilmington Memorial Library
Award Winning
Find these award-winning books in the Picture Books section. Unless otherwise indicated, picture book call numbers are Picture Book [Author’s Last Name].
Crown: An Ode to The Fresh Cut
by Barnes, Derrick
Celebrates the magnificent feeling that comes from walking out of a barber shop with newly-cut hair.
Wolf In The Snow
by Cordell, Matthew
When a wolf cub and little girl are lost in a snowstorm they must find their way home.
Location: Picture Book Winter Cordell
Last Stop on Market Street
by de la Peña, Matt
A young boy rides the bus across town with his grandmother and learns to appreciate the beauty in everyday things.
Make Way For Ducklings
by McCloskey, Robert
When Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings are stuck at a busy street in downtown Boston, their policeman friend Michael rushes in to stop traffic and make way for them.
Blackout
by Rocco, John
Neighbors gather on the roof after the power goes out on a hot night in the city and start having so much fun not everyone is happy when the lights go back on.
The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend
by Santat, Dan
An imaginary friend waits a long time to be imagined by a child and given a special name, and finally does the unimaginable – he sets out on a quest to find his perfect match in the real world.
A Sick Day For Amos McGee
by Stead, Philip
Amos McGee, a friendly zookeeper, always made time to visit his good friends: the elephant, the tortoise, the penguin, the rhinoceros, and the owl. But one day--'Ah-choo!'--he woke with the sniffles and the sneezes. Though he didn't make it into the zoo that day, he did receive some unexpected guests.
Interrupting Chicken
by Stein, David Ezra
Little Red Chicken wants Papa to read her a bedtime story but interrupts him almost as soon as he begins each tale.
The House In The Night
by Swanson, Susan Marie
Illustrations and easy-to-read text explore the light that makes a house in the night a home filled with light.
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly
by Taback, Simms
Ever-expanding die-cut holes show exactly what is happening in the old lady’s stomach as she swallows an assortment of creatures, beginning with a small fly, and ending with a fatal horse.
King Bidgood’s In The Bathtub
by Wood, Audrey
Despite pleas from his court, a fun-loving king refuses to get out of his bathtub to rule his kingdom.
Picture Books
Find these books in the Picture Books section. Unless otherwise indicated, picture book call numbers are Picture Book [Author’s Last Name].
Triangle
by Barnett, Mac
After Triangle plays a trick on Square, Square plans to reciprocate but runs into trouble when he tries to enter the triangular doorway of Triangle's home.
Wolf, The Duck, and The Mouse
by Barnett, Mac
When a mouse is swallowed by a wolf, he learns that a duck devoured earlier has set up a table to enjoy the food the gluttonous predator eats.
Rot, The Cutest In The World!
by Clanton, Ben
Rot, a mutant potato, enters a "Cutest in the World" contest but worries when he sees his competition.
Love
by de la Peña, Matt
Illustrations and easy-to-read text celebrate the bonds of love that connect us all.
Islandborn
by Díaz, Junot
Lola was just a baby when her family left the Island, so when she has to draw it for a school assignment, she asks her family, friends, and neighbors about their memories of her homeland.
Floaty
by Himmelman, John
Blah! Mr. Raisin is a bit of a grump. He lives all alone in a little house, and he likes it that way just fine. One day, a mysterious basket appears on Mr. Raisin's doorstep. When he opens it up, it seems there's nothing inside... until he notices a floating dog bobbing along his ceiling.
The Bad Seed
by John, Jory
The bad seed changes his mind about being bad and decides that he wants to be happy.
Izzy Gizmo
by Jones, Pip
Izzy Gizmo loves to invent but gets frustrated when her inventions fail to work properly, so when she finds a crow with a broken wing her grandfather urges her to persist until she finds a way to help.
A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale
by Klostermann, Penny
A hapless young chef, hoping to impress workers at Fairy-Tale Headquarters, cooks some story ingredients he has found and gives a new twist to familiar tales.
Location: Picture Book Tales Cooked
The Digger and The Flower
by Kuefler, Joseph
When Digger discovers a flower growing in the center of the town being built, his entire perspective changes.
The Book of Mistakes
by Luyken, Corinna
As an artist creatively incorporates her slipups into a drawing, readers see the ways in which 'mistakes' can provide inspiration and opportunity, and reveal that both the art and artist are works-in-progress.
The Little Red Fort
by Maier, Brenda
One day, she finds some old boards and decides to build something. She invites her brothers to help, but they just laugh and tell her she doesn't know how to build.
There’s An Alligator Under My Bed
by Mayer, Mercer
The alligator under his bed makes a boy’s bedtime hazardous operation until he lures it out of the house and into the garage.
The Treasure of Pirate Frank
by Peet, Mal
A boy and his dog set sail in search of treasure, braving stormy seas, mountains snowy and cold, the forest where the monkeys
swing, the swamp where the bullfrogs sing, band other challenging obstacles, before finally reaching the end of their quest—the treasure of
Pirate Frank.
Creepy Pair of Underwear!
by Reynolds, Aaron
A young rabbit is frightened by his underwear.
After The Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again
by Santat, Dan
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.
100 Things That Make Me Happy
by Schwartz, Amy
Lists a wide variety of items, from red socks to peekaboo, that can make one happy.
The True Story of The 3 Little Pigs
by Scieszka, Jon
The wolf gives his own outlandish version of what really happened when he tangled with the three little pigs.
Location: Picture Book Tales Three
Goldfish Ghost
by Snicket, Lemony
The adventures of a goldfish who just died.
Alexander and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
by Viorst, Judith
On a day when everything goes wrong for him, Alexander is consoled by the thought that other people have bad days too.
Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus
by Willems, Mo
When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place – a pigeon! But you've never met one like this before. As he pleads, wheedles, and begs his way through the book, children will love being able to answer back and decide his fate.
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale
by Willems, Mo
After Trixie and daddy leave the laundromat, something very important turns up missing.
Letters and Numbers
Find these books in the ABCs and Counting sections. Letter book call numbers are Picture Book ABC [Author’s Last Name]. Counting book call numbers are Picture Book 123 [Author’s Last Name].
LMNO Peas
by Baker, Keith
Busy little peas introduce their favorite occupations, from astronaut to zoologist.
Location: Picture Book ABC Baker
Ten, Nine, Eight
by Bang, Molly
Numbers from ten to one are part of this lullaby which observes the room of a little girl going to bed.
Location: Picture Book 123 Bang
Z Is For Moose
by Bingham, Kelly
Moose, terribly eager to play his part in the alphabet book his friend Zebra is putting together, then awfully disappointed when his letter passes, behaves rather badly until Zebra finds a spot for him.
Location: Picture Book ABC Bingham
Count!
by Fleming, Denise
The antics of lively and colorful animals present the numbers one to ten, twenty, thirty, forty, and fifty.
Location: Picture Book 123 Fleming
One Big Pair Of Underwear
by Gehl, Laura
Progressively larger groups of animals try to share a limited number of scooters, cookbooks, nap mats, and underwear.
Location: Picture Book 123 Gehl
On Market Street
by Lobel, Arnold
A child buys presents from A to Z along Market Street.
Location: Picture Book ABC Lobel
Alphabatics
by MacDonald, Suse
The letters of the alphabet are transformed into 26 illustrations so that the hole in “b” becomes a balloon and “y” turns into the head of a yak.
Location: Picture Book ABC MacDonald
The Little Red Cat Who Ran Away And Learned His ABC's (The Hard Way)
by McDonnell, Patrick
In this nearly wordless alphabet book, a little red cat runs away and gets caught up in a wild chase that goes everywhere from A to Z and back home again.
Location: Picture Book ABC McDonnell
1 Big Salad
by Medina, Juana
Count from 1 avocado deer to 2 radish mice and all the way up to 10 clementine kitties – which all add up to one big, delicious salad!
Location: Picture Book 123 Medina
One Duck Stuck
by Root, Phyllis
Increasingly larger groups of animals try to help a duck that is stuck in the sleepy, slimy marsh.
Location: Picture Book 123 Root
Early Readers
Find these books in the Early Readers section. The call number is Kids ER [Author’s Last Name]. *Indicated book is part of a series.
Pass The Ball, Mo!
by Adler, David
With the big game coming up, Mo Jackson, the shortest member of the basketball team, is determined to learn how to pass the ball in time to help his team win.
Fly Guy*
by Arnold, Tedd
Boy and fly meet and so begins a beautiful friendship. Er, and so begins a very funny friendship.
Rabbit & Robot*
by Bell, Cece
Accessible for readers who are beyond Willems' Elephant and Piggie series but not quite ready for lengthier chapter books.
Benny and Penny*
by Hayes, Geoffrey
Combines a comic-book format with effective easy-reader elements to introduce two delightful mouse siblings.
You Read To Me, I’ll Read To You: Very Short Stories To Read Together
by Hoberman, Mary Ann
A book of children’s poetry which encourages young children to read with an adult.
Ten Apples Up On Top!
by LeSieg, Theodore (Dr. Seuss)
A lion, a dog, and a tiger are having a contest – can they get ten apples piled up on top of their heads?
Ling & Ting*
by Lin, Grace
Ling and Ting are two adorable identical twins, and they stick together; but people can be very different, even if they look exactly the same.
Up, Tall And High!
by Long, Ethan
Birds demonstrate the meanings of the words up, tall, and high.
Katie Woo*
by Manushkin, Fran
Katie Woo is a spunky, sassy, and stylish school girl that readers will fall in love with.
Amelia Bedelia*
by Parish, Peggy
Everyone loves Amelia Bedelia, the literal-minded housekeeper!
Monkey and Elephant*
by Schaefer, Carole
A series about two very different animals with two very different personalities but who are friends nonetheless.
Baby Monkey, Private Eye
by Selznick, Brian
Baby Monkey, private eye, will investigate stolen jewels, missing pizzas, and other mysteries – if he can manage to figure out how to put his pants on.
Ballet Cat*
by Shea, Bob
With neon-bright pages, colorful speech bubbles, and deadpan humor, this fun series about fighting for attention is sure to entertain.
Little Mouse Gets Ready: A Toon Book
by Smith, Jeff
Little Mouse gets dressed so he can go to the barn with his mother, brothers, and sisters.
Piggy and Elephant
by Willems, Mo
A series about the friendship between an optimistic (and sometimes reckless) pig and a cautious, pessimistic elephant named Gerald.
Stinky: A Toon Book
by Davis, Eleanor
Stinky, a monster who lives in a swamp, comes up with all kinds of strange ways to get rid of a kid who has wandered into his territory.
Location: Kids Graphic Stinky
Information Books
Trombone Shorty
by Andrews, Troy
Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews got his nickname by wielding a trombone twice as long as he was high. A prodigy, he was leading his own band by age six, and today is a Grammy-nominated artist.
Location: Kids Biography Andrews
The Story Of Ruby Bridges
by Coles, Robert
For months six-year-old Ruby Bridges must confront the hostility of white parents when she becomes the first African American girl to integrate Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans in 1960.
Location: Kids Biography Bridges
Barnum’s Bones: How Barnum Brown Discovered The Most Famous Dinosaur In The World
by Fern, Tracey
Text and illustrations look at the life of paleontologist Barnum Brown.
Call Number: Kids 560.92 Brown
Noah Webster & His Words
by Ferris, Jeri
An illustrated account of the life of Noah Webster, a Connecticut farm boy who spent twenty years writing what became the first American dictionary ever to be published.
Location: Kids Biography Webster
Ribbit
by Hurley, Jorey
With minimal prose and joyful illustrations, Hurley tells the story of a year in the life of a frog family. From tadpole to frog, there is more to a frog's life that can be clearly seen.
Location: Picture Book Hurley
My Journey To The Stars
by Kelly, Scott
This picture book memoir about astronaut Scott Kelly takes readers on a journey through his childhood as an average student to his record-breaking year among the stars.
Location: Kids Biography Kelly
All Aboard!: Elijah McCoy’s Steam Engine
by Kulling, Monica
Simple text and illustrations explore the life of African Canadian inventor Elijah McCoy.
Location: Kids Biography McCoy
Pup the Sea Otter
by London, Jonathan
The first year of life for a male sea otter, as his mother tenderly cares for him and teaches him how to survive on his own.
Location: Kids 599.769 London
Full of Fall
by Sayre, April
Simple text and photographs explore the science behind the transformation that trees undergo in the fall.
Location: Picture Book Fall Sayre
Round
by Sidman, Joyce
Newbery-Honor winning poet Joyce Sidman invites readers to search their worlds for round objects in nature.
Location: Picture Book Sidman
Can An Aardvark Bark?
by Stewart, Melissa
A non-fiction look at the sounds that animals make and the reasons behind them.
Location: Kids 591.594 Stewart
Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of The Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade
by Sweet, Melissa
Tells the story of puppeteer Tony Sarg, the man who first invented the helium balloons that have become the trademark of the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Location: Kids Biography Sarg
The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life With The Chimps
by Winter, Jeanette
An illustrated biography of British primatologist Jane Goodall, describing her childhood, the years she spent in the African forests to observe chimpanzees, and her efforts to protect and preserve primates.
Location: Kids Biography Goodall
You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?!
by Winter, Jonah
Offers a brief overview of the life of Sandy Koufax, discussing the obstacles and physical challenges he faced, his successful career, his retirement, and other related topics.
Call Number: Kids 796.357 Koufax