Recommended Summer Reading Lists
Recommended Summer Reading Lists
⭐ Entering 1st grade ⭐
It Began With Lemonade by Gideon Sterer, illustrated by Lian Cho
One scorching hot summer day, a spunky young girl decides to sell lemonade . . . only to find there are too many other young entrepreneurs on her street with the same idea. So she sets off with her lemonade stand and ends up at the river's edge, where she discovers a most unexpected, quirky, and very thirsty clientele.
Genre: Fiction
Meet Doug, Abby, and Josh: the BUG SCOUTS! Doug and Abby love everything about being Bug Scouts: their super-duper top-secret headquarters, earning bug badges, wearing scout gear, and, of course, snacks. Josh, meanwhile, is a grump and doesn’t like anything (except the snacks). The Bug Scouts begin to work on earning the "foraging" bug badge, which they can only get if they successfully find an edible plant. Together, they head into the woods in search for adventure and something to eat. But will they be able to avoid the poisonous plants and manage to not get eaten by a clever frog?!
Genre: Graphic Novel
Cinderella With Dogs by Linda Bailey
Here is a Cinderella story like no other. When Cinderella wishes for a fairy godmother, she’s not expecting one that barks! And this fairy dogmother has a different agenda. Yes, Cinderella will have a new dress, but made of a cozy dog blanket. Yes, they will go to the ball, but they will run there and chase squirrels along the way. There’s nothing like a canine companion to get a girl out of the house and her mind off her troubles! Yes, indeed, dogs do make everything better—and are a reminder that you don’t need “happily ever after” when you have the joy of now. Readers will get a kick out of this retelling with its lovable cast of characters and refreshing ending.
Genre: Humor
Poppleton and Friends by Cythia Rylant, illustrated by Mark Teague
Poppleton has the best friends! When he's feeling landlocked, Hudson goes to the shore with him. When he has dry, flaky skin, Cherry Sue helps him treat it. And when Poppleton grows tired of eating grapefruit, his friends help him find an even better way to live a long and healthy life.
Genre: Fiction
The Smart Cookie by Jory John, illustrated by Pete Oswald
This cookie has never felt like a smart cookie no matter how hard she tries, especially in comparison to all the clever cupcakes and brilliant rolls in the bakery. Will a dash of creativity and a sprinkle of confidence be enough to help her learn that perfect scores and having all the answers aren’t the only ingredients for intelligence?
Genre: Fiction
Home in a Lunchbox by Cherry Mo
When Jun moves from Hong Kong to America, the only words she knows are hello, thank you, I don’t know, and toilet. Her new school feels foreign and terrifying. But when she opens her lunchbox to find her favorite meals—like bao, dumplings, and bok choy—she realizes home isn’t so far away after all. Through lush art and spare dialogue, Cherry Mo’s breathtakingly beautiful debut picture book reminds readers that friendship and belonging can be found in every bite.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
My Toothbrush is Missing by Jan Thomas
Dog's toothbrush is missing. Has anybody seen it? Maybe . . . But what does a toothbrush look like? Donkey wonders. Featuring Jan Thomas’s wonderfully wacky humor, rowdy repetitions, and hilarious characters, this book is sure to have young readers laughing out loud!
Genre: Fiction
King and Kayla and the Case of the Mysterious Mouse by Dori Hillestad Butler
King and Kayla are playing fetch with Jillian and Thor. Jillian throws King's favorite ball too hard, and it goes over the fence and into the neighbor's yard. The ball she brings back isn't King's. Where is King's favorite ball? Analytical Kayla creates a list of possible explanations to investigate. Sensitive King puts aside his worries and questions the cat hiding under the porch, who claims a mouse did it. How could a mouse take King's ball?
Genre: Mystery
Truth or Lie: Sharks! (Step into Reading) by Erica S. Perl and Michael Slack
Baby sharks are toothless at first, right? That's a LIE! The TRUTH is, sharks are born with a mouthful of teeth to protect themselves and hunt right away. Though this engaging early reader is 100% fun, 25% of it is FALSE! In a unique question-and-answer format, proficient readers are quizzed about their favorite ocean predators to see if they can separate facts from "lies." The book's mascot--the Truth Sleuth--guides readers through this funny and fact-packed Step 3 Reader, filled with photos of sharks in action, as well as kid-appealing art and humor.
Genre: Nonfiction