Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Primary Grades: K 2
ALPHABET BOOKS
BAKER, KEITH. LMNO Peas
Having trouble knowing what you want to be when you grow up? Well, not these peas! Learn the alphabet with these humble green vegetables as they journey through different professions and doing different jobs.
BIOGRAPHY
COOK, MICHELLE. Our Children Can Soar
Famous illustrators celebrate the accomplishments of Rosa, Barack, and the pioneers of change. A biography of the first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal; from her childhood in segregated Georgia in the 1930s, through her recognition at the 1996 Olympics as one of the hundred best athletes in Olympic history.
MCDONNELL, PATRICK. Me . . . Jane Holding her stuffed chimpanzee, young Jane Goodall observes nature, reads Tarzan books and dreams of living in Africa and helping animals.
EARLY READER
LONG, ETHAN. Up, Tall, and High
South Orange-Maplewood School District Summer Reading 2011-2012 This fun and whimsical book explores a series of very short chapters that demonstrate the concepts of tall, high and up. The fun illustrations of brightly colored and googly-eyed birds and flip up pages will engage parents and children.
FABLES
CODELL, ESME. Fairly Fairy Tales
A book that incorporates twists on traditional fairy tales with parent-child interplay creates a great combination of bedtime read-aloud and fairytales that will interest both parents and children.
HOBERMAN, MARY ANN. You Read to Me, Ill Read to You: Very Short Fables
A great series for reading aloud, containing text presented in two voices for children and adults to read together.
also: Very Short Stories; Fairy Stories; Mother Goose; Very Scary Stories PINKNEY, JERRY. The Lion and the Mouse
This 2010 Caldecott award-winning book is a wordless retelling of an Aesop fable, an adventuresome mouse proves that even small creatures are capable of great deeds when he rescues the King of the Jungle
HISTORICAL FICTION
BLUE, ROSE. Rons Big Mission Nine-year-old Ron, a frequent visitor to the Lake City Public Library in South Carolina in the 1950s where he pores over books on airplanes and flight, makes his own quiet stand against segregation when he decides to apply for his own library card. Story based on the life of astronaut Ron McNair.
HUMOR
AGEE, JON. My Rhinoceros
A young boy is disappointed that his pet rhinoceros can only do two things, pop balloons and poke holes in kites, until an unexpected event leads to a big surprise.
South Orange-Maplewood School District Summer Reading 2011-2012 George is a well-behaved dog who is left alone for the day. He tries to be good and doesnt chase the cat, or dig up flowers. Can he resist the cake?
LITWIN, ERIC. Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
Pete the cat loves the buttons on his shirt so much that he makes up a song about them, and even as the buttons pop off, one-by-one, he still finds a reason to sing. also: Pete, the Cat; Rocking in My White Shoes; I Love My School Shoes
NONFICTION
ASTON, DIANNA HUTTS. A Butterfly is Patient
The creators of the award-winning An Egg is Quiet and A Seed is Sleepy have teamed up again to create this informative introduction to the world of butterflies. From iridescent blue swallows and brilliant orange monarchs to the worlds tiniest butterfly (Western Pygmy Blue) and the largest (Queen Alexandras Birdwing), an incredible variety of butterflies are celebrated here in all of their beauty and wonder.
South Orange-Maplewood School District Summer Reading 2011-2012 During an ordinary visit to the library, a girl pulls a not-so-ordinary book from the shelves. As she turns the pages in this book about coral reefs, the city around her slips away and she finds herself surrounded by the coral cities of the sea and the mysterious plants and animals that live, hunt, and hide there.
PICTURE BOOKS
CARLE, ERIC. The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse
The artist in this book paints the world as he sees it, just like a child. Theres a red crocodile, an orange elephant, a purple fox and a polkadotted donkey. More than anything, theres imagination. Filled with some of the most magnificently colorful animals of Eric Carles career, this tribute to the creative life celebrates the power of art.
HENKES, KEVIN. Little White Rabbit One bright spring day a little white rabbit sets out from home on an adventure. What does he find? Look! Everything is new. Anything is possible A quiet gem of a picture book about a small bunny with a big imagination! also: Penny and Her Song HILLS, TAD. How Rocket Learned to Read
An endearing white dog with black spots loves chasing leaves and chewing sticks. He also loves napping under his favorite tree. Then his sleep is interrupted one spring day by a tiny yellow bird that designates him her first student.
INTRIAGO, PATRICIA. Dot Dots here, dots there, you can see dots everywhere! Some are loud, and some are quiet. Some are happy, and some are sad. Some dots even taste yummy, while others taste bad. Graphic designer Patricia Intriago sets bold, circular shapes against a stark white background to emphasize opposite dot relationships. JOHNSON, D. B. Magrittes Marvelous Hat
D.B. Johnson writes and illustrates
the surreal story of famous surrealist painter Rene Magritte and his very mysterious (and mischievous!) hat. While the art reflects some of Magrittes own work, the text sets readers on a fun and accessible path to learning about the simpler concepts behind Mr. Magrittes work. This delightful picture book captures the playfulness and the wonderment of surrealist art. Four transparent pages add yet another level of surrealism to the illustrations as pictures can be altered with the turn of a page.
South Orange-Maplewood School District Summer Reading 2011-2012 Up and down, around and around, Tom is having a blast zooming all over the neighborhood on his new red bike. This book offers a clever take on the concept of sharing.
also: It's not Fair! Duck! Rabbit! Yes Day! Little Hoot SAVAGE, STEPHEN. Wheres Walrus?
In this wordless picture book, follow Walrus on a happy-go-lucky spree through the big city, as he tries on different hats to disguise himself from the chasing zookeeper.
also: The Quiet Book VICENTE, ALIDIS. The Coqui and the Iguana
Set in a bioluminescent bay in Puerto Rico, local author, Alidis Vicente, teaches readers a valuable lesson about overcoming fears and facing new experiences.
also: Dogku
BOOKS IN A SERIES:
Here are some suggestions for series books for young readers:
A is for Africa and other books about life in an African village by Ifeoma Onyefulu American Museum of Natural History Easy Readers (titles include: Wolf Pup; The World of Sharks) A-Z Mysteries by Ron Roy Amelia Bedelia series by Peggy Parish Bad Kitty series by Nick Bruel Biscuit series by Alyssa Satin Capucilli Black Lagoon Adventures series by Mike Thaler Capital Mysteries series by Ron Roy Cat the Cat series by Mo Willems Cool Sports Facts Dolphins and other nonfiction books by Seymour Simon Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems Flat Stanleys Worldwide Adventures series by Jeff Brown Flip-A-Word series by Harriet Ziefert Fluffy series by Kate McMullan Fly Guy series by Ted Arnold Is Everyone Ready For Fun? series by Jan Thomas Ivy and Bean series by Annie Barrows Just for You! Easy reader series (titles include: Shop Talk; Threes a Crowd; Lights Out) Korgi series by Christian Slade Life Size series (titles include: Life Size Reptiles; Life Size Killer Creatures; Life Size Dragons) Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo
9
Miami series by P. & F. McKissack My First Graphic Novel series National Geographic Readers series (titles include: Volcanoes!; Dolphins; Bats; Snakes) Nibbles, Bites, and Chomps series (Running Press Book Publishers) Princess Posey series by Stephanie Greene Riddle Books by Katy Hall Skippyjon Jones series by Judy Schachner Sticky Burr graphic novel series by John Lechner Toon Book series Willimena Rules series by Valerie Wilson Wesley
ADDITIONAL AUTHORS:
Here are some great authors & illustrators to explore for primary readers: Jan Brett, Marc Brown, Eric Carle, Beverly Cleary, Lauren Child, Andrew Clements, Joanna Cole, Floyd Cooper, Doreen Cronin, Tomie DePaola, Kate DiCamillo, Hallie Durand, Ed Emberley, Emily Gravett, Kevin Henkes, 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, Daniel Pinkwater, Patricia Polacco, James Ransome, Eric Rohmann, Cynthia Rylant, John Scieszka, David Shannon, William Steig, Mark Teague, Chris Van Allsburg, Rosemary Wells, Mo Willems, Harriet Ziefert Here are some recommended reading websites too: http://www.readkiddoread.com/home 10
South Orange-Maplewood School District Summer Reading 2011-2012 Author James Patterson works with childrens book expert, Judy Freeman, to present a resource-rich website full of unforgettable titles bound to turn kids on tobooks. http://guysread.com Author, Jon Scieszka has created a wonderful website of suggested titles specifically aimed toward boys but dont kid yourself, girls will love these books as well. http://www.abookandahug.com A book and a hug was created to help you find a book for your child. It's important to match children up with books they want to read and this website can make all the difference in the world helping your child figure out their "reading personality."
Maplewood Memorial Library www.maplewoodlibrary.org 51 Baker Street, Maplewood (973) 762-1622 ext 5005 Maplewood Library Hilton Branch 1688 Springfield Ave., Maplewood (973) 762-1688
South Orange Public Library www.sopl.org 65 Scotland Road, South Orange (973) 762-0230 This list is available online at the public library sites.
11