Newton Kid's Summer Reading List
Summer time is the best time for reading - for 2nd Graders
FICTION AND PICTURE BOOKS:
Amazing Grace by Walker: Grace's Nana reminds her she can be anything she wants to be. Multicultural. Ages 4-8.
Angel Child, Dragon Child by Surat: Ut from Vietnam feels out of place in school and misses her mother.
Arthur's April Fool by Brown: One of series about Arthur the Aardvark.
Babushka's Doll by Polacco: Natasha's doll comes to life and teaches her the meaning of patience. Many additional titles.
Big Mama and Grandma Ghana by Medearis: An African American boy meets and bonds with his Grandmother Ghana.
Black Lagoon Series by Thaler: Funny stories about children's school fears. Ex. The Principal from the Black Lagoon, etc.
Boundless Grace by Hoffman: Grace goes on a journey to visit her father in Africa. Multicultural; vivid illustrations.
Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella by Souci: A Cinderella tale set in Martinique. Multicultural.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Barrett: Humorous story about land of Chewandswallow where food comes out of the sky.
Danny and the Dinosaur by Hoff: Dinosaur in a museum comes to life and spend the day with Danny
Fraidy Cats by Krensky: Age 5-7 readers. Fraidy cats let imagination run wild, visualize scary things
Frog and Toad Are Friends by Lobel: A story of enduring friendship. Humorous. Sequels.
Gracias, the Thanksgiving Turkey by Cowley: A Puerto Rican boy saves the life of his pet turkey in NYC. Multicultural.
Grufalo by Donaldson: Humorous read-aloud about the adventures of a clever mouse.
Huggly's Thanksgiving Parade by Arnold: Glashka is the only one who can hear the voice of Narna, the whale. True rescue story.
Irish, Persian, Korean Cinderella by Climo: Three versions of the Cinderella story
Jamaica's Find by Havill: Series. Jamaica finds a stuffed dog in the park, then must struggle with her conscience. Multicultural.
Jumanji by Van Allsburg: Caldecott winner. Jungle adventure game comes to life. Sculptural illustrations.
Just the Two of Us by Smith, Will: About a father's love for his son. Multicultural
Miss Nelson is Missing by Allard: Humorous story about a teacher who cannot control her classroom. Sequels.
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by Steptoe: An African Cinderella tale.
One Dark and Scary Night by Cosby: Multicultural stories with a moral for younger readers. Many other titles available.
Pumpkin Day! by Wallace: A journey through Tanzania. Lively rhyming text.
Spirulina and The Haunted Shipwreck by McKain: About a mermaid who wants adventure
The Black Snowman by Mendez: A magical snowman helps a black boy discover his self-worth.
The Crocodile and the Dentist by Gomi: Amusing picture book with lots of repetition.
The Gingerbread Man by Schmitt: Series. An Easy-to-Read Fairy Tale.
The Great Kapok Tree by Cherry: Beautiful story about a kapok tree in the rainforest.
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf Scieszka: Funny story from wolf's point of view
Tomas and the Library Lady by Mora: Childhood story of Tomas Rivera who became chancellor of USC. More titles by Mora available.
CHAPTER BOOKS/SERIES:
Boxcar Children by Warner: Suspenseful 60's series about children learning resourcefulness through adventure. Series. Grade 2
Flat Stanley by Brown: Stanley finds himself suddenly only a half inch thick! Humorous chapter book. Sequels.
Horrible Harry in the Ant Invasion by Kline: Live ants invade Room @b and Harry is in charge of moving them. Funny chapter book.
Magic Tree House Books by Osborne: Exciting early reader mystery series.
Paint Box Kid by Bulla: About Greg who honors his Uncle Pancho through painting
Shark Lady: About Eugenie Clark, famous diver and scientist.
The Littles Make a Friend by Peterson: Series, chapter book, similar to the Borrowers.
The Secret of Droon Series by Abbott: Science fiction for ages 9-12.
NON-FICTION BOOKS:
Abe Lincoln's Hat by Brenner: Humanizing biography of Lincoln for young readers - appealing illustrations.
How Much is a Million? by Kellogg: Original picture book depicting the concepts of a million, a billion, and a trillion. Math.
Math Fables by Tang: Fables about math concepts - addition and subtraction.
More Than Anything Else by Bradby: Nine-year-old Booker T. Washington overcomes obstacles to learn to read. Multicultural.
My First Book of Sign Language by Holub: Children learn signs for entire alphabet and common words.
Our Wild World Series by Evert: Fun new series re: animals from. around the world. Close-up photos, detailed illustrations. Ages 8-12
Salt in his Shoes by Jordan: About Michael Jordan's childhood. Written by his mother and sister. Grade 2
Scholastic Question and Answer Series by Bergen: Did Dinosaurs Live in Your Backyard? Can Snakes Crawl Backward? Do Whales have Belly Buttons? Etc.
Story of Ruby Bridges by Coles: About first black child to integrate all-white school. Children love this biography.
Tadpole to Frog by Keller: Book covers metamorphosis of frog from egg to bullfrog.
The Magic School Bus Series by Cole and Degen: Popular books about science: Inside the Earth, Inside a Beehive, Inside a Volcano, etc.
Volcanoes - Mountains of Fire by Arnold: Steps in Reading Series