South Orange Maplewood School District

2018 Summer Reading List Primary List for Grades K – 2

Reading is one of the most important lifelong skills we can develop in children.

This list of summer reading suggestions was compiled by your librarians

from the South Orange and Maplewood elementary schools and public libraries, and is available online

through the SOMSD website and the public library sites.

We have included many great books to read over the summer. Enjoy the summer and keep reading!

You can find these and other books at your public library:

South Orange Public Library

www.sopl.org

65 Scotland Road

South Orange, NJ 07079

973.762.0230

Maplewood Memorial Library

www.maplewoodlibrary.org

51 Baker Street

Maplewood, NJ 07040

973.762.1622 ext 5005

Maplewood Library Hilton Branch

www.maplewoodlibrary.org

1688 Springfield Ave.

Maplewood, NJ 07040

973.762.1688

Thanks to: Melissa Butler, Supervisor of English Language Arts ; Jen Latimer, Clinton School ;

Teresa Quick, Jefferson School ; Maria-Daphne Kazanis, Marshall School ; Janine Poutre, Seth Boyden School ;

Cathy Campbell, South Mountain School & South Mountain Annex ; Amy Popp, Tuscan School ;

Amalia Butler, Jane Folger, & Rachael Guerrero, Maplewood Library ; Beth Halliday, South Orange Library

2

ALPHABET AND NUMBER BOOKS

7 Ate 9: The Untold Story by Tara Lazar

Baby Goes to Market by Atinuke

Billions of Bricks by Kurt Cyrus

It’s not Easy Being Number Three by Drew Dernavich

The Little Red Cat Who Ran Away and Learned His ABC’s (the Hard Way) by Patrick McDonnell

Octopuses One to Ten by Ellen Jackson

Once Upon An Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers

Yaks Yak: Animal Word Pairs by Linda Sue Park

BIOGRAPHY & HISTORY

Be The Change: A Grandfather Gandhi Story by Arun Gandhi

Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli by Kyo Maclear

The Doctor With An Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath by Julia Mosca

(also read The Girl Who Thought in Pictures)

Duke Kahanamoku by Laurie Calkhoven (also read other books in the You Should Meet series)

Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos by Monica Brown

Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code by Laurie Wallmark

I Am Jim Henson by Brad Meltzer (also read other books in the Ordinary People Change the World series)

Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor by Patricia Valdez

Mae Among the Stars by Ahmed Rod

Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai

Margaret and the Moon : How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing by Dean Robbins

My Journey to the Stars by Scott Kelly

3

Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask About Having a Disability by Shane Burcaw

Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe

She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World by Chelsea Clinton

(also read She Persisted Around the World)

Sonia Delaunay: A Life of Color by Cara Manes

Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton

CHAPTER BOOKS

Baxter is Missing by Rebecca Elliott (also read other books in the Owl Diaries series)

Beach Trip by Jacqueline Jules (also read other books in the Sofia Martinez series)

Beatrice Zinker Upside Down Thinker by Shelley Johannes

Best Friend Bandit by Marty Kelley (also read other books in the Molly Mac series)

Block Party Surprise by Jerdine Nolen (also read other books in the Bradford Street Buddies series)

Charlie & Mouse by Laurel Snyder

Digging For Dinos by Jessica Young (also read other books in the Haggis and Tank series)

Frog and Friends: Frog Saves the Day by Eve Bunting (also read other books in the series)

Infamous Ratsos Are Not Afraid by Kara LaReau (also read Infamous Ratsos)

Inspector Flytrap by Tom Angleberger (also read other books in the series)

King & Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats by Dori Butler (also read other books in the series)

Lola Levine and the Vacation Dream by Monica Brown (also read other books in the series)

Lulu and the Hamster in the Night by Hilary McKay (also read other books in the Lulu series)

Mouse Scouts Camp Out by Sarah Dillard (also read other books in the series)

Noodleheads See the Future by Tedd Arnold (also read Noodlehead Nightmares)

Stella Diaz Has Something to Say by Angela Dominguez

Sydney and Simon: To The Moon! by Paul Reynolds (also read other Sydney & Simon books)

Two’s A Crowd by Flora Ahn

Violet Mackerel’s Personal Space by Anna Branford (also read other Violet Mackerel books)

4

EARLY READERS After-School Sports Club: Time for T-Ball by Alyson Heller (also read other books in the Ready-to-Read series)

All About Bats (also read other books in the DK Readers, Level 1 series)

At the Beach by Shira Evans (also read other books in the National Geographic Readers series)

Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat

Dog on His Bus by Eric Seltzer (also read other titles in the Penguin Young Readers series)

Hi Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold (also read other books in the Fly Guy series)

I Can Run by Murray Head

My Friend Lucky by David Milgrim

My Kite Is Stuck! by Salina Yoon (also read Duck, Duck, Porcupine!)

Peeper and Zeep by Adam Gudeon (also read Pete Likes Bunny and other books in the I Like to Read series)

Riddle Rhymes by DJ Panec (also read other books in the We Both Read series)

Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems (also read other Elephant & Piggie books)

Snail and Worm Again by Tina Kugler (also read Snail & Worm)

Stop Pop by Harriet Ziefert (also read other books in the Flip-a-Word series)

Strega Nona and Her Tomatoes by Tomie de Paola

Too Many Pigs: The Angry Birds Movie by Christopher Cerasi (also read Meet the Angry Birds)

FABLES & FANTASY

Beauty and the Beast by H. Chuku Lee

Cinnamon by Neil Gaiman

Grandma and the Great Gourd by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Love and Roast Chicken: A Trickster Tale from the Andes Mountain by Barbara Knutson

The Grasshopper and the Ants by Jerry Pinkney (also read other books by this author/illustrator)

La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Elya

5

Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale by Steven Guarnaccia

Unwitting Wisdom by Helen Ward

Water Princess by Susan Verde

GRAPHIC NOVELS Baby Monkey, Private Eye! By Brian Selznick

Bad Kitty Takes the Test by Nick Bruel (also read Bad Kitty Camp Days)

Buzz Beaker and the Outer Space Trip by Cari Mesiter (also read other books in the series)

First Base Blues by Anita Yasuda (also read other books in the My First Graphic Novel series)

Hippopotamister by John Patrick Green

Luke on the Loose by Harry Bliss (also read other books in the Toon Book series)

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea! by Ben Clanton (also read other Narwhal and Jelly books)

Superhero Joe by Jacqueline Weitzman

NONFICTION Apex Predators by Steve Jenkins (also read other titles by Jenkins including Creature Features, Eye to Eye,

Flying Frogs and Walking Fish, The Animal Book)

Blobfish Book by Jessica Olien

The Book About Nothing by Mike Bender

Different? Same! By Heather Tekavec

Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years by Stacy McAnulty

Germs: Fact and Fiction, Friends and Foes by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Giant Squid by Candace Fleming

Give Bees a Chance by Bethany Barton

Glow: Animals With Their Own Night-Lights by W.H. Beck

Grand Canyon by Jason Chin (also read other books by the author)

Her Right Foot by Dave Eggars

Hey-Ho To Mars We Go by Susan Lendroth

How to Code a Sandcastle by Josh Funk

6

If Sharks Disappeared by Lily Williams

Lesser Spotted Animals: The Coolest Creatures You’ve Never Heard Of

by Martin Brown

Life by Cynthia Rylant

Living in South Korea by Chloe Perkins (also read Living in China)

Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush’s Incredible Journey

by Doug Kuntz

Ocean Animals Collection by Laura Marsh

(also read other National Geographic Readers)

Plume by Isabelle Simler

Polar Bear by Jenni Desmond

Secret Subway by Shana Corey

Snakes Slither and Hiss by Fiona Lock

(also read other books in the DK Readers pre-level 1 series)

What if Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javernick

PICTURE BOOKS A Bike Like Sergio’s by Maribeth Boelts

After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again by Dan Santat

Blue Sky White Stars illustrated by Kadir Nelson (also read If You Plant a Seed)

City Shapes by Diana Murray

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes

Dear Dragon by Josh Funk

A Different Pond by Bao Phi

The Digger and the Flower by Joseph Kuefler

Everything You Need For a Treehouse by Carter Higgins

Florette by Anna Walker

The Fly by Petr Horacek

A Hat for Mrs. Goldman: A Story About Knitting and Love by Michelle Edwards

Hello Hello by Brendan Wenzel (also read They All Saw a Cat)

Here We Are: Notes For Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers

7

A Hungry Lion by Lucy Cummins

I Am Enough by Grace Byers

I Am Famous by Tara Luebbe

I Am (Not) Scared by Anna Kang (also read other books by the author)

Idea Jar by Adam Lehrhaupt

In Plain Sight by Richard Jackson

Islandborn by Junot Diaz

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall

Joseph’s Big Ride by Terry Farish

Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt (also The Day the Crayons Quit)

The Library Book by Tom Chapin

Life on Mars by Jon Agee (also read Lion Lessons)

Little Mouse’s Big Breakfast by Christine Pym

Love by Matt de la Pena

Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood by F. Campoy

A Moon of My Own by Jennier Rustgi

More-Igami by Dori Kleber

My New Mom and Me by Renata Galindo

My Toothbrush is Missing! by Jan Thomas

Nothing Can Frighten a Bear by Elizabeth Dale

Now by Antoinette Portis

Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner

A Perfect Day by Lane Smith

8

Robinson by Peter Sis

Singing in the Rain by Arthur Freed

Smile / Cry: Happy or Sad. Wailing or Glad – How Do You Feel Today? by Tania McCartney

Sparkle Boy by Leslea Newman

Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev

The Summer Nick Taught His Cats to Read by Curtis Manley

Surf’s Up by Kwame Alexander

A Tale of Two Daddies by Vanita Oelschlager

Teddy’s Favorite Toy by Christian Trimmer

There’s a Bear on My Chair by Ross Collins

This is a Ball by Beck Stanton (also read Did You Take the B From My _ook?)

Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie

Today by Julie Morstad

Unplugged by Steve Antony

We’re All Wonders by R. J. Palacio

What to Do With a Box by Jane Yolen

What’s Your Favorite Color? By Eric Carle

Windows by Julia Denos

The Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell

The Wolf the Duck & the Mouse by Mac Barnett (also read Triangle and other books by the author)

The Word Collector by Peter Reynolds (also read Happy Dreamer & other books by the author)

POETRY

Cricket in the Thicket: Poems About Bugs by Carol Murray

I Am Loved by Nikki Giovanni

Sakura’s Cherry Blossoms by Robert Weston

Seeing Into Tomorrow: Haiku by Richard Wright

Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals by Nicola Davies

9

SPORTS

20 Fun Facts About Soccer by Ryan Nagelhout (also read other books by the author)

The Away Game by Ryan Howard (also read other books in the Little Rhino series)

Gabby Douglas by Jameson Anderson

Get a Hit, Mo! by David Adler (also read Don’t Throw it to Mo!)

Goodnight Soccer by Michael Dahl

Ibtihaj Muhammad: Olympic Fencer by Katie Lajiness

(also read other books in the Big Buddy Olympic Biographies series)

I’ve Got the No-Skateboard Blues by Anita Yasuda

(also read other books in the Victory School Superstars series)

Queen of the Diamond by Emily McCully

ADDITIONAL AUTHORS & ILLUSTRATORS to explore: Nic Bishop, Jan Brett, Marc Brown, Peter Brown, Eric Carle, Peter Catalanotto, Beverly Cleary, Lauren Child, Andrew

Clements, Joanna Cole, Floyd Cooper, Doreen Cronin, Tomie DePaola, Kate DiCamillo, Hallie Durand, Ed Emberley, Emily Gra-

vett, Kevin Henkes, Tad Hills, Keiko Kasza, Ezra Jack Keats, Steven Kellogg, E.B. Lewis, Leo Lionni, Pat McKissack, Bill Martin,

Susan Meddaugh, Robert Munsch, Margie Palatini, Dav Pilkey, Jerry Pinkney, Patricia Polacco, Antoinette Portis, James Ran-

some, Peter Reynolds, Eric Rohmann, Amy Rosenthal, Cynthia Rylant, John Scieszka, Laura Vaccaro Seeger, David Shannon,

William Steig, Mark Teague, Jan Thomas, Chris Van Allsburg, Rosemary Wells, David Wiesner, Mo Willems, Harriet Ziefert

SERIES BOOKS you may like:

Anna Hibiscus series by Atinuke Ivy and Bean series by Annie Barrows

A-Z Mysteries by Ron Roy Katie Woo series by Fran Manushkin

Amelia Bedelia series by Peggy Parish Knufflebunny series by Mo Willems

Bad Kitty series by Nick Bruel Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo

Ballpark Mysteries by David Kelly Miami series by P. & F. McKissack

Bink and Gollie series by Kate Di Camillo National Geographic Kids series

Black Lagoon Adventures series by Mike Thaler Pedro series by Fran Manushkin

Cam Jansen Mystery series by David Adler Pete the Cat series by Eric Litwin

Capital Mysteries series by Ron Roy Pigeon series by Mo Willems

Cat the Cat series by Mo Willems Princess in Black series by Shannon Hale

Cool Sports Facts series Princess Posey series by Stephanie Greene

Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems Splat, the Cat series by Rob Scotton

I Am Reading series The Stories Julian Tells series by Ann Cameron