New Fiction Books
- Alexie, Sherman – Thunder Boy Jr
- Angleberger,Tom – Inspector Flytrap and many others
- Barnett, Mac – How this book was made : based on a true story
- Barnett, Marc – The terrible two get worse
- Beatty, Andrea – Ada Twist, Scientist
- Brogol, Vera Leave Me Alone! (Caldecott Honor Book)
- Cuevas, Michelle – The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles
- Edwards, Michelle – A Hat for Mrs. Goldman : a story of love and knitting
- Ellis, Carson – Du iz tak (2017 Caldecott Honor Book)
- Genhart, Michael Ouch! when words are used in hateful ways
- Hale, Shannon The Pirncess in Black and the hungry bunny horde
- Jackson, Richard In plain Sight
- Kraulis, Julie An armadillo in New York
- Kuhlmann, Torben Armstrong : the adventurous journey of a mouse to the moon
- Man-Kong, Mary Trolls
- McCully, Emily Arnold Clara : the (mostly) true story of the rhinoceros who dazzle kings, inspired artists, and won the hearts of everyone
- Meadows, Daisy Gwen the beauty and the beast fairy and many others
- Miles, Ellen Bonita
- Muldrow, Diane We Planted a tree
- O’Hara, Mo Live and let swim
- Palacio, R.J. We’re all wonders
- Pilkey, Dav Dog Man
- Ringgold, Faith We came to America
- Robbins, Dean Two Friends: Susan B Anthony and Frederick Douglas
- Scieszka, Jon Frank Einstein and the EvoBlaster belt
- Shealy, Dennis The secret life of pets
- Steptoe, Javaka Radiant Child the story of the Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquia
- Thorpe, Kiki A fairy’s fire
- Wallace, Rich Chasing the Baton
- Wenzel, Brendon They All Saw a Cat (Caldecott Honor Book)
New Non-Fiction Books for 2017
- Barnas, Jo-Ann Olympic record Breakers
- Brett, Flora A dog’s View of the World
- Buckley, James Who was Jules Verne and many others (Series)
- Copeland, Misty Life in Motion : an unlikely ballerina
- Corey, Shana The Secret Subway
- Hoena, B.A. Everything Reptiles and others
- Jiang, Ji_Li Lotus and Feather
- Ross, Tara We elect a president: the story of our Electoral College
- Smith, Nikkolas The golden Girls of Rio
- Tonatiuh, Duncan The Princess and the Warrior : a tale of two volcanoes
- Wainewright, Max How to Code : a step-by-step guide to computer coding
- Zschock, Martha Day Journey around our national parks
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.
- Ackerman, Peter – The Lonely Typewriter
- Barnett, Mac – Sam & Dave Dig A Hole (2015 Caldecott Nominee)
- Becker, Aaron – Quest
- Boyd, Lizi – Flashlight
- Ardagh, Philip – A House Called Awful End (Book One Of The Eddie Dickens Trilogy)
- Barrett, Judi – Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs (series)
- Broach, Elise – The Miniature World Of Marvin & James
- Bryan, Ashley – Beautiful Blackbird
- Bunting, Eve – Butterfly House, I Don’t Want To Go To Camp (And Others)
- Clements, Andrew – Circus Dog
- Cronin, Doreen – Diary Of A Worm (series)
- Danneberg, Julie – First Day Jitters
- DePaolo, Tomie Bill And Peet (and others)
- Gerstein, Mordicai The Seal Mother
- Godin, Thelma Lynne – The Hula-Hoopin’ Queen
- Henkes, Kevin – Lily And The Purple Plastic Purse, Chester’s Way (and many others)
- Hoffman, Mary – Amazing Grace
- Hoban, Lillian – Bread And Jam For Frances (Series)
- Jeffers, Oliver – Once Upon The Alphabet … and more
- Johnson, D.B. – Henry Hikes To Fitchburg
- Kellog, Steven – Pinkerton (Series)
- Lionni, Leo – Tico And The Golden Wings Frederick (and others)
- Marcellino, Fred – I, Crocodile
- McClerran, Alice – Roxaboxen
- Mccully, Emily Arnold – Mouse Practice
- Meddaugh, Susan – Martha Speaks
- Otoshi, Kathryn – One, Two, Zero
- Rathman, Peggy – Officer Buckle And Gloria
- Rosenthal, Amy Krouse – Uni The Unicorn
- Rylant, Cynthia – When I Was Young In The Mountains, Tulip Sees America (And others)
- Santat, Dan – The Adventures Of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend (2015 Caldecott Award Winner)
- Scieszka, John – The Stinky Cheese Man, The Frog Prince Continued
- Simont, Marc – The Stray Dog
- Sis, Peter – Madlenka
- Steig, William – Brave Irene, Doctor DeSoto, Sylvester And The Magic Pebble
- Stewart, Sarah – The Library
- Taback, Sims – Joseph Had A Little Overcoat
- Thurber, James – Many Moons
- Viorst, Judith – Alexander And The Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Day, Alexander Who’s Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going To Move, Rosie And Michael
- Waber, Bernard – The House On East 88th St., Ira Sleeps Over
- Whelan, Gloria – Queen Victoria’s Bathing Machine
- Yasima, Taro – Crow Boy
- Yorinks, Arthur – Hey Al
Recommended I-Can-Read Book:
I-Can-Read books are perfect for First Graders who are going into Second Grade. 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)
- Avi – Abigail Takes The Wheel, Prairie School, Chang’s Paper Pony
- Buller, Jon – 20,000 Baseball Cards Under The Sea
- Byars, Betsy – The Golly Sisters Go West (Series)
- Caple, Kathy – The Friendship Tree
- Cazet, Denys – Minnie And Moo (Series)
- Coerr, Eleanor – The Big Balloon Race, the Josephina Story Quilt
- Cushman, Doug – Inspector Hopper
- DePaola, Tomie – 26 Fairmont Ave.
- Guest, Elisa – Iris And Walter (Series)
- Hayes, Geoffrey – The Secret Of Foghorn Island (Series)
- Hoff, Syd – Sammy The Seal, The Littlest Leaguer (and others)
- Johnson, Tony – Sparky And Eddie And The First Day Of School (Series)
- Kessler, Leonard – Here Comes The Strikeout Kick, Pass And Run Old Turtle’s Baseball Games
- Little, Jean – Emma’s Magic Winter, Emma’s Yucky Brother
- Lobel, Arnold – Frog And Toad (Series) Owl At Home
- Manushkin, Fran – Katie Woo (Series)
- Marshall, James – Fox On The Job (Series) Three By The Sea (Series)
- Minarik, Else – Little Bear
- O’Connor, Jane – Eek, Stories To Make You Shriek
- Parish, Peggy – Amelia Bedelia, Rocklin, Joanne This Book Is Haunted
- Rylant, Cynthia – Henry And Mudge, Mr. Putter And Tabby, Poppleton
- Sharmat, Marjorie Nate The Great (Series)
- Thomas, Shelly Moore – Good Night, Good Knight
- Turner, Ann – Dust For Dinner
- Van Leeuwen, Jean – Tales Of Amanda Pig (Series)
- Wiseman, Bernard – Morris And Boris (Series)
- Yolen, Jane – Commander Toad in Space (Series)
- Zion, Gene – Harry The Dirty Dog
Recommended Chapter Books
Some First-into-Second Graders will be ready for chapter books this summer. The books listed below have themes that we feel are perfect for this age group. In addition, the vocabulary in each book is straightforward and word choice is fairly controlled. We also tried to choose chapter books that are not too long, but should satisfy a reader who wants to stretch a little over the summer.
- Abbott, Tony – Secrets Of Droon (Series)
- Adler, David – Cam Jansen (Series)
- Blyton, Enid – Five On Treasure Island And Others
- Abbott, Tony – Secrets Of Droon (Series)
- Averill, Esther – Jenny’s Moonlight Adventure
- Brisson, Pat – Hot Fudge Hero, Little Sister, Big Sister
- Brown, Jeff – Flat Stanley (Series)
- Byars, Betsy – Tornado Cameron, Ann The Stories Julian Tells (Series)
- Christopher, Matt – The Dog That Pitched A No-Hitter (Series) Soccer Cats (Series)
- Coombs, Patricia – Dorrie The Witch (Series)
- Conford, Ellen – Jenny Archer To The Rescue (Series)
- Coven, Wanda – Heidi Heckelbeck (series)
- Coville, Bruce – Space Brat (Series)
- Cronin, Doreen – The Chicken Squad
- Dadey, Debbie – Triplet Trouble (Series), The Bailey School Kids (Series)
- Dalgliesh, Alice – The Bears Of Hemlock Mountain
- Delton, Judi – Pee Wee Scouts (Series)
- DiCamillo, Kate – Leroy Ninker Saddles Up
- Gannett, Ruth – My Father’s Dragon
- Geras, Adele – The Cats Of Cuckoo Square: Two Stories
- Giff, Patricia Reilly – Dance With Rosie (Series), Kids Of The Polk Street School (Series)
- Gutman, Dan – My Weird School (Series)
- Haas, Jesse – Runaway Radish
- Haywood, Carolyn – B Is For Betsy (Series) Eddie’s Menagerie (Series)
- Hooks, William – Pioneer Cat
- Howe, James – Pinky And Rex (Series)
- Hurwitz, Joanna – Pee Wee’s Tale (Series), Rip Roaring Russel (Series)
- Jenkins, Emily – Toys Go Out
- Keene, Carolyn – Nancy Drew & The Clue Crew (series)
- Kelly, David A. – Ballpark Mysteries (series)
- King-Smith, Dick – The Nine Lives Of Aristotle
- Kline, Suzy – Horrible Harry (Series)
- Landon, Lucinda – Meg Mackintosh And The Mystery At Camp Creepy (Series) Leverich, Kathleen – Best Enemies
- Levinson, Nancy – Smiler Snowshoe Thompson
- Levy, Elizabeth – Something Queer Is Going On
- McDonald, Megan – Jessica Finch (Series)
- Miller, Sara Swan – Three Stories You Can Read To Your Dog
- Murphy, Jill – The Worst Witch (Series)
- Osborne, Mary Pope – The Magic Treehouse (Series)
- Parish, Peggy – The Key To The Treasure (Series)
- Park, Barbara – Junie B. Jones (Series)
- Peterson, John – The Littles (Series)
- Quinn, Jordan – The Kingdom Of Wrenly (Series)
- Ross, Pat – Meet M And M (Series)
- Rodowsky, Colby – Not My Dog
- Roop, Peter And Connie – Keep The Lights Burning Abby
- Roy, Ron A-Z Mysteries (Series), Capital Mysteries (Series), Calendar Mysteries (Series)
- Rylant, Cynthia – Cobble Street Cousins (Series)
- Stevens, Carla Anna, Grandpa, And The Big Storm
Recommended Non-Fiction Books
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.Aanseng, Nathan – Baseball’s Hottest Hitters And Others
- Adler, David – “A Picture Book Biography Of…” (Series)
- Belanger, Jeff – Who’s Haunting The White House?: The President’s Mansion And The Ghosts Who Live There
- Bennett, Jeffrey – Max Goes To Jupiter: A Science Adventure With Max The Dog
- Bolton, Reg – Showtime: Over 75 Ways To Put On A Show
- Casey, Patricia – One Day At The Wood Green Animal Shelter
- Coles, Robert – The Story Of Ruby Bridges
- Donnelly, Judy – The Titanic: Lost And Found Moonwalk: The First Trip To The Moon
- Esiason, Boomer – A Boy Named Boomer
- Feinstein, Stephen – Wynton Marsalis
- Florian, Douglas – Insectlopedia, Beast Feast Garton
- Scanlon, Liz – All The World (*2010 Caldecott Honor*)
- Gibbons, Gail – Knights In Shining Armourspiders (And Many, Many Others)
- Giganti, Paul – Each Orange Had Eight Slices
- Giovanni, Nikki – Lincoln And Douglass: An American Friendship
- Grimes, Nikki – Barack Obama: Son Of Promise, Child Of Hope
- Gutelle, Andrew – Baseball’s Best: Five True Stories
- Hauser, Jill – Super Science Concoctions
- Heine, Theresa – Chandra’s Magic Light: A Story In Nepal
- Holub, Jean – Why Do Horses Neigh
- Hopkins, Lee Bennett – Good Times, Good Rhymes
- Hornblow, Arthur and Lenore – Birds Do The Strangest Things (And Others In The “Animals Do The Strangest Things” Series)
- Isadora, Rachel – Nick Plays Baseball
- Jabobsen, Kathy – My New York
- Jenkins, Steve – What Do You Do With A Tail Like This
- Koons, Jon – Arthur And Guen: An Original Tale Of Young Camelot
- Krementz, Jill – A Visit To Washington D.C.
- Leedy, Loreen – Mapping Penny’s World, Measuring Penny
- Leyton, Lawrence – My First Magic Book
- Lopshire, Robert – How To Make Snop Snappers And Other Fine Things
- Maestro, Betsey – The Story Of The Statue Of Liberty “Meet” Series, Meet George Washington (Biography Series)
- Murphy, Stuart – Give Me Half, The Penny Pot, Ready Set Hop
- National Children’s Book And Literacy Alliance Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out
- “New True Books” Non-Fiction Series Including Many Animals Ie: A New True Book Of Manatees
- O’Connor, Jim – Comeback! Four True Stories
- Pinkney, Jerry – The Lion And The Mouse (*2010 Caldecott*)
- Prelutsky, Jack – A Pizza The Size Of The Sun (And Others)
- Ross, Kathy – Crafts To Make In The Summer Crafts For Kids Who Are Learning About Dinosaurs
- Shea, George – Amazing Rescues
- Silverstein, Shel – Where The Sidewalk Ends (and Oothers)
- Singer, Marilyn – Mirror, Mirror: A Book Of Reversible Verses
- Sowler, Sanei – Amazing Animal Disguises
- Swinburne, Stephen – What’s A Pair, What’s A Dozen
- Wick, Walter A Drop Of Water
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:
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