Dear Parents,
It is hard to believe that the summer is finally upon us. We have had a wonderful year and have truly enjoyed teaching your children! This list is a collection of recommended books, many of which have been published in the past year. There is also a list of recommended books from years past towards the bottom. This list is organized into genres of Picture Books, I-Can-Read books, and Non-Fiction/Biography books.
We hope that you find something you like on the list, but even more so, we encourage your child to read books over the summer that they enjoy. We also encourage you to read books with your child that you both love and read a little bit each day. Have a wonderful summer!
Best Wishes,
Maria Alegre & Trudy DiGiorgio
First Program Librarians
New Picture Books
- Agee, Jon – It’s Only Stanley
- Bang, Molly – When Sophie’s Feelings Are Really, Really Hurt
- Barash, Chris – Is It Hanukkah yet?
- Barnett, Mac – Leo: A Ghost Story (2013 Caldecott Award Winner)
- Barnett, Mac – The Skunk (2013 Caldecott Award Winner)
- Bean, Jonathan – This is my home, this is my school
- Beaton, Kate – The Princess and the Pony
- Bell, Cece – I Yam A Donkey
- Berry, Lynne – Pig and Pug
- Bissonette, Amy – North Woods Girl
- Bradley, Sandra – Henry Holton takes the ice
- Calid, Davide – Snow White and the 77 Dwars
- Carey, Lorraine – Cinderella’s stepsister and the big bad wolf
- Cotter, Bill – Don’t touch this book!
- Cronin, Doreen – Click, Clack, Ho! Ho! Ho!
- Crow, Kristyn – Zombelina dances the Nutrcracker
- Daywalt, Drew – The Day the Crayons Came home
- Matt de la Pena – Last Stop on Market Street (winner of the 2016 Newbery Award)
- Detlefsen, Lisl H. – Time for Cranberries
- Dewdney, Anna – Llama Llama Gram and Grandpa
- Dolan, Elys – Nuts in space
- Ewert, Marcus – Mummy Cat
- Farish, Terry – Joseph’s Big Ride
- Ferry, Beth – Land Shark
- Fisman, Karen – Nonna’s Hanukkah Surprise
- Florian, Douglas – How To Draw a Dragon
- Gerstein – Mordicai – The Night World
- Graham, Bob – How the Sun Got to Coco’s House
- Hall, Michael – Red: A Crayon’s Story
- Henkes, Kevin – Waiting (2016 Caldecott Award Honor)
- Jones, Sarah – Lloyd Llama
- Kann, Victoria – Aqualicious
- Kim, Cecil – The Three Pig Sisters
- Kim, Hanmin – Tiptoe Tapirs
- Kim, Tae-Yeon – Mango Trees
- Kulling, Monica – The Tweedles Go Online
- Lang, Suzanne – Families, families, families!
- Lozan0, Jose – Little Chanclas
- Maclear, Kyo – The Good Little Book
- Manzano, Sonia – Miracle on 133rd Street
- Manzione, Lisa – Christmas in New York City!
- Martins, Isabel Minhos – The World in a Second
- Matthies, James – Two is Enough
- McDonnell, Patrick – Thank you and Good Night
- Miller, Pat Zietlow – Sharing the bread: An old-fashioned Thanksgiving Story
- Moreau, Laurent – My Wild Family
- Nelson, Kadir – If you plant a Seed
- Niemann, Christoph – The Potato King
- Olien, Jessica – Shark Detective!
- Peet, Amanda – Dear Santa, Love Rachel Rosenstein
- Pennypacker, Sara – Meet the Dullards
- Pinkney, Brian – On The Ball
- Proimos, James – Waddle! Waddle!
- Regan, Dian Curtis – Space Boy and His Dog
- Schachner, Judy – Dewey Bob
- Schiffer, Miriam B. – Stella Brings the Family
- Seeger, Laura Vaccaro – I Used To Be Afraid
- Singer, Isaac Bashevis – The Parakeet named Dreidel
- Stark, Ulf – When Dad Showed Me the Universe
- Stead, Philip C – Special Delivery
- Stead, Philip C – Lenny & Lucy
- Stein, David Ezra – Tad and Dad
- Teague, Mark – The Sky is Falling!
- Waber, Bernard – Ask me
- Wahl, Charis – Rosario’s Fig Tree
- Wahl, Phoebe – Sonya’s Chickens
- Wardlaw, Lee – Won Ton and Chopstick: A Cat and Dog Tale Told in Haiku
- Willard, Nancy – The Three Mouths of Little Tom Drum
- Willems, Mo – I Will Take A Nap
- Willems, Mo – I Really Like Slop!
- Winstanley, Nicola – The Pirate’s Bed
- Wood, Don – The Full Moon at the Napping House
- Zagarenski, Pamela – The Whisper
New Nonfiction & Biography Books
- Andrews, Troy – Trombone Shorty (2016 Caldecott Honor, 2016 Coretta Scott King Award Winner)
- Bond, Rebecca – Out of the Woods: A true story of an unforgettable event
- Engle, Margarita – Drum Dream Girl (2016 Pura Belpré Award)
- Francis, Pope – Dear Pope Francis: The Pope Answers Letters from Children Around the World
- Gourley, Robbin – Talkin’ Guitar: A Story of the young Doc Watson
- Mattick, Lindsay – Finding Winnie: The True Story of the world’s most famous bear (2016 Caldecott Award Winner, voted favorite book of the year by Kindergarten and First Grade)
- McCully, Emily Arnold – Queen of the Diamond: The Lizzie Murphy Story
- Meltzer, Brad – I am Jackie Robinson
- Meltzer, Brad – I am Lucille Ball
- Meltzer, Brad – I am Helen Keller
- Nolan, Nina – Mahalia Jackson: Walking With Kings and Queens
- Rhodes-Pitts, Sharifa – Jake makes a World: Jacob Lawrence, a young artist in Harlem
- Stone, Tanya Lee – The House that Jane Built: A story about Jane Addams
Recommended Picture Books:
Picture books are beautifully illustrated books for children where the words and the pictures work together to tell the story. The following books have appropriate themes and language for Kindergarteners. The vocabulary of a picture book is not as controlled or as consistent as that of an “I-Can-Read” book, therefore, some of the books listed here are more difficult than others. All are wonderful for reading aloud, but specific reading levels must be judged individually.
- Allard, Harry – Miss Nelson Is Missing (series)
- Bang, Molly – When Sophie Gets Angry, Really, Really Angry…and others
- Bemelmans, Ludwig – Madeline (Series)
- Becker, Aaron – Journey, Quest
- Brett, Jan – The Mitten, The Hat …and others
- Brown, Margaret Wise – Sailor Dog, The Runaway Bunny … and others
- Bunting, Eve – I Don’t Want To Go To Camp Sunflower House Dandelions … and many others
- Burfoot, Ellen – How to Bake A Book
- Burton, Virginia – The Little House Mike Mulligan And His Steam Shovel … and others
- Buzzeo, Toni – One Cool Friend
- Castillo, Lauren – Nana In the City
- Cotter, Bill – Don’t Push the Button
- Crews, Donald – Shortcut Big Mamma’s … and others
- Curtis, Jamie Lee – I’m Gonna Like Me
- De Paola, Tomie – Strega Nona (Series) … and many others
- Dewalt, Drew – The Day the Crayons Quit, The Day the Crayon’s Came Home
- Eaton, Jason – How to Train a Train
- Engel, Diana – The Little Lump of Clay, Gino Badino
- Falconer, Ian – Olivia (series)
- Faller, Regis – Polo
- Fishman, Jon – Who Was… (series)
- Flack, Marjorie – Angus and the Cat … and others
- Fox, Mem – Sophie …and Others
- Freeman, Don – Corduroy, Dandelion… and others
- Fromental, Jean-Luc – 365 Penguins
- Gall, Chris – Dog vs. Cat
- Gantos, Jack – Rotten Ralph (series)
- Gutman, Anne – Gaspard And Lisa (series)
- Harris, Marie – The Girl Who Heard Colors
- Henkes, Kevin – Wemberly Worried, Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse, Sheila Rae The Brave … And Others
- Holabird, Katherine Angelina Ballerina (Series)
- Isadora, Rachel – Lili At Ballet, Nick Plays Baseball
- Kang, Anna – You Are (Not) Small
- Katz, Karen – The Colors of Us
- Keats, Ezra Jack – Whistle For Willy, Peter’s Chair…and others
- Knudsen, Michelle – The Library Lion
- Leaf, Munro – The Story Of Ferdinand
- Lehman, Barbara – The Red Book
- Lionni, Leo – Swimmy, Frederick … And Many Others
- Lobel, Arnold – The Great Blueness And Other Predicaments … And Others
- MacLachlan, Patricia – All The Places To Love
- Marshall, James – George And Martha (Series) … And Others
- McCloskey, Robert – Blueberries for Sal, Make Way for Ducklings…and others
- McMullan, Kate & Jim – I STINK!
- Morales, Yuri – Frida
- Moore, Julianne – Freckleface Strawberry
- Munsch, Robert – The Paper Bag Princess, Andrew’s Loose Tooth … and others
- Novack, BJ – The Book With No Pictures
- Otoshi, Kathryn – One, Two, Zero
- Rathman, Peggy – Officer Buckle And Gloria
- Reynolds, Peter – The Dot, Ish
- Rohman, Eric – My Friend Rabbit
- Santat, Dan – The Adventures of Beekle: The Un-Imaginary Friend
- Sendak, Maurice – Where The Wild Things Are … And Others
- Seuss, Dr. – The Sneetches, Horton Hears A Who, If I Ran The Zoo … And Many Others
- Shannon, David – No! David David Goes To School … and many others
- Sis, Peter – Madlenka
- Steig, William – Pete’s A Pizza, Doctor De Soto, Brave Irene… and many others
- Taback, Simms – There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly
- Viorst, Judith – Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day … And Others
- Waber, Bernard – Lovable Lyle (Series) … And Others
- Wells, Rosemary – Yoko, Bunny Money (Series) … And Others
- Wiesner, David – Sector 7, Flotsam, … And Others
- Willems, Mo – Pigeon (Series), Piggie & Gerald (Series)
I-Can-Read Book Recommendations
I-Can-Read books are perfect for Kindergarteners looking for a longer book. We like to describe them as short chapter books, since they are just long enough. The vocabulary is usually fairly controlled and consistent and will give readers a lot of practice reading high-frequency words. In addition, many of the books have memorable characters and a wonderful sense of humor. Again, some are slightly easier than others, so a quick review is always wise.
- Adler, David – Young Cam Jansen (Series)
- Arnold, Tedd – Fly Guy
- Capucilli, Alyssa – Biscuit (Series)
- Eastman, PD – Summer, Go, Dog Go!…and others
- Gantos, Jack – Rotten Ralph Helps Out (Series)
- Hoban, Lillian – Arthur’s Loose Tooth (Series)…and others
- Hoff, Syd – Danny and the Dinosaur, Mrs. Brice’s Mice…and others
- Le Sieg, Theo – Wacky Wednesday … And Others
- Lobel, Arnold – Frog and Toad (Series), Mouse Tales, Owl at Home… and others
- Marshall, Edward – Fox All Week (Series) Three By The Sea (Series) … And Others Marzollo, Jean Soccer Sam
- McKissack, Patricia – Monkey-Monkey’s Trick
- Minarik, Else Holmelund – Little Bear (Series) … And Others
- Moore, Julianne – Backpacks, What’s for Lunch (Series)
- Parish, Peggy – Amelia Bedelia (Series) … And Others
- Rylant, Cynthia – Poppleton (Series), Puppy Mudge (Series) … And Others
- Seuss, Dr. – One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish … And Many Others
- Sharmat, Marjorie – Nate the Great (Series)
- Van Leeuwen, Jean – Tales Of Amanda Pig (Series)
- Wells, Rosemary – Yoko (Series)
- Wiseman, Bernard – Morris And Boris (Series)
Non-Fiction Book Recommendations:
A little bit of everything! This is the just-for-fun section: full of books to entertain, inform and inspire creative projects. Like other recommended books, some of the books listed here are more difficult than others. All are wonderful for reading aloud, but specific reading levels must be judged individually. These selections include biographies, informational books, poetry and cultural folktales.
- Aardema, Verna – Borreguita and the Coyote (Folklore)
- Applegate, Katherine – Ivan: the Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla
- Beck, Esther – Cool Spy Supplies: Fun Top Secret Science Projects
- Beery, Barbara – Princess Cookbooks (series)
- Bryan, Ashley – Beautiful Blackbird (Folklore)
- Comora, Chandra – George Washington’s Teeth
- Crews, Donald – Harbor … And Others
- Cole, Joanna – The Magic School Bus Series
- Copeland, Misty – Firebird
- Cowley, Joy – Red Eyed Tree Frog
- Davis, Robin – Wookie Pies, Clone Scones and other Galactic Goodies
- Ehlert, Lois – Waiting For Wings
- Emberly, Ed – Great Thumbprint Drawing Book … And Others
- “Eyewitness Juniors”: Series Amazing Cats (Parsons) … And Others
- Florian, Douglas – Mammalabilia, Insectlopedia (Poetry)
- French, Vivian – Growing Frogs
- Gerstein, Mordecai – The Man Who Walked Between the Towers (2004 Caldecott Award Winner)
- Giovanni, Nikki – Hip Hop Speaks To Children: A Celebration Of Poetry With A Beat
- Holub, Joan – Why Do Rabbits Hop? Hong, Lily Toy Two Of Everything
- Jackson, Emma – A Home For Dixie: The True Story Of A Rescued Puppy
- Katz, Alan – Take Me Out of the Bathtub! (Series)
- Kimmel, Eric A. – Anansi And The Talking Melon (Folklore) Katzen, Mollie Pretend Soup
- Lee, Dennis – Dinosaur Dinner
- Lock, Deborah – Grow It, Cook It
- Macmillan Publishers – Macmillan First Atlas
- Martin, Rafe – The Rough-Face Girl
- Mcdermott, Gerald – Anansi the Spider, Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest…and others
- Morozumi, Atsuko – One Gorilla: A Counting Book
- Murphy, Stuart J. – Give Me Half!
- Nivola, Claire – Planting Trees Of Kenya: The Story Of Wangari Maathai
- Pinkney, Jerry – The Lion And The Mouse (2010 Caldecott Award Wi nner)
- Ryder, Joanne – Panda Kidergarten
- Silverstein, Shel – Runny Babbit, The Missing Piece … and others
- Singer, Marilyn – Mirror, Mirror: A Book Of Reversible Verses
- Steptoe, John – Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters
- Swinburne, Stephen – What’s A Pair? What’s A Dozen? “What’s Inside” (Series)
- Wick, William – A Drop Of Water
- Winter, Jeanette – Wangari’s Trees Of Peace: A True Story From Africa
Additional Resources
These books have been read and enjoyed by us and are recommended for summer reading. In addition, you may want to keep this list handy for supplemental reading throughout the year.
The following bookstores have many of these titles available:
Saturday mornings at 11:00 a.m. is often a time for storytelling in Central Park. Check the website for further information.
The summer is also a wonderful time to visit public libraries here in New York City. For information regarding events for children, please visit:
The New York City Public Library now offers free eBook titles for kids at ebooks.nypl.org. All that is required to access titles is to have a New York Public Library Card. Go to nypl.org/ebookcentral for detailed information on how to download digital materials.
We recommend the following online resources that provide additional reading lists from which to choose books:
