88 Great Reads
Bushels of book titles — how many can you read this summer? Check off a box for each book you read, then share the list with your new teacher in the fall!
by Judy Freeman
Illustrations by Daphne Lage

(S) = this book is one in a series.

Easy Fiction

Amelia Bedelia 4 Mayor
The world's wackiest maid decides to run for office. By Herman Parish (HarperCollins, 1999) (S) Grades 1–4.

A Beasty Story
Four mice find a scary creature as they creep through a dark, dark wood. By Bill Martin, Jr. and Steven Kellogg (Harcourt, 1999) Grades Pre-K–1.

Benjamin McFadden and the Robot Babysitter
A young boy reprograms his robot, Babysitter, for fun — but the machine runs amok. By Timothy Bush (Crown, 1998) Grades K–3.

Big Anthony: His Story
The biography of klutzy Big Anthony, Strega Nona's assistant, who never pays attention. By Tomie dePaola (Putnam, 1998) (S) Grades K–4.

Blue-Ribbon Henry
Henry, the clever hind-leg-walking Siamese cat, becomes a hero at the county fair. By Mary Calhoun (Morrow, 1999) (S) Grades Pre-K–3.

Chocolatina
A chocolate-loving girl finds out the meaning of the saying "You are what you eat." By Erik Kraft (BridgeWater, 1998) Grades K–2.

Cook-a-Doodle-Doo!
With the help of Turtle, Pig, and Iguana, Big Brown Rooster bakes a strawberry shortcake. By Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel (Harcourt, 1999) Grades Pre-K–2.

Cosmo Zooms
Cosmo, a little dog, takes a surprise trip on a skateboard. By Arthur Howard (Harcourt, 1999) Grades Pre-K–1.

David Goes to School
David's teacher wants him to stop yelling, pushing, and causing trouble. By David Shannon (Scholastic, 1999) (S) Grades Pre-K–1.

Ding Dong Ding Dong
A big ape gets a job washing windows at the Empire State Building to work his way to the top. By Margie Palatini (Disney Press, 1999) Grades 1–8.

Five Little Piggies
A new look at the familiar piggies who went to market, stayed home, had roast beef, had none, and went wee wee wee, all the way home. By David Martin (Candlewick, 2000) Grades Pre-K–1.

The Gruffalo
A mouse talks a fox, an owl, and a snake out of eating him by describing the fierce monster he is planning to meet. By Julia Donaldson (Penguin, 1999) Grades Pre-K–1.

Heat Wave!
When the heat wave hits a Kansas family's farm, it pops the corn and turns the cows' milk to butter. By Helen Ketteman (Walker, 1998) Grades 1–4.

Henry and Mudge and Annie's Perfect Pet
In their 20th adventure together, Henry and his big dog, Mudge, help Cousin Annie pick out the perfect pet. By Cynthia Rylant (Simon & Schuster, 2000) (S) Grades Pre-K–2.

Honk!: The Story of a Prima Swanerina
Ballet fan Mimi the swan sneaks into the Paris Opera House to see Swan Lake. By Pamela Duncan Edwards (Hyperion, 1998) Grades K–2.

Horace and Morris but Mostly Dolores
Two mouse boys leave best friend Dolores behind to join an all-boys clubhouse. By James Howe (Simon & Schuster, 1999) Grades Pre-K–2.

How Are You Peeling?:
Foods With Moods
Real fruits and veggies, with faces carved into them, show moods from amused to angry. By Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers (Scholastic, 1999) Grades K–3.

Hush, Little Baby
Even when the family brings him presents, the baby cries. By Marla Frazee (Harcourt, 1999) Grades Pre-K–1.

I, Crocodile
A Nile crocodile is captured by the Emperor Napoleon, who brings him to Paris. By Fred Marcellino (Harper San Francisco, 1999) Grades K–4.

oIsaac the Ice Cream Truck
Isaac admires the bigger trucks, but on the day that a fire happens he discovers that he is important, too. By Scott Santoro (Henry Holt, 1999) Grades Pre-K–1.

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
Joseph turns his old and worn overcoat into a jacket, a vest, a scarf, a necktie, and more. By Harriet Ziefert (Viking, 1999) Grades Pre-K–1.

The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza
The duck, the dog, and the cat are too busy to help the hen construct her magnificent pizza. By Philemon Sturges (Penguin, 1999) Grades Pre-K–1.

Look-Alikes, Jr.
The pictures in this eye-popping book are made up of more than 700 everyday objects. By Joan Steiner (Little, Brown, 1999) (S) Grades K–3.

Lottie's New Friend
Herbie the duck is jealous of best friend Lottie the chicken's glamorous new friend, Dodo the bird. By Petra Mathers (Atheneum, 1999) (S) Grades Pre-K–1.

Mouse Practice
A young mouse named Monk is no good on the baseball field, so he begins practicing his skills at home. By Emily Arnold McCully (Scholastic, 1999) (S) Grades Pre-K–1.

My Friend Bear
A lonely bear thinks his giant teddy bear is able to talk, but there's really a little boy hiding behind it. By Jez Alborough (Candlewick, 1998) (S) Grades Pre-K–1.

My Rows and Piles of Coins
Dreaming of his own bicycle, Saruni counts the coins he earns helping his mother sell food at the open-air market. By Tololwa M. Mollel (Houghton Mifflin, 1999) Grades K–3.

Nadia's Hands
In preparation for her aunt's traditional Pakistani wedding, flower girl Nadia has her hands decorated with mehndi, a decorative body paint, in beautiful flowers and swirls. By Karen English (Boyds Mills Press, 1999) Grades 1–4.

Off to School, Baby Duck!
Baby Duck is nervous about starting school until Grandpa reassures her. By Amy Hest (Candlewick, 1999) (S) Grades Pre-K–1.

Pumpkin Soup
Duck decides he wants to take over the job of stirring the pumpkin soup, but Squirrel and Cat won't let him. By Helen Cooper (Farrar, 1999) Grades Pre-K–1.

Rabbit Pirates: A Tale of the Spinach Main
Two former rabbit pirates are content running their small café — until a wily fox starts dining there. By Judy Cox (Harcourt, 1999) Grades K–2.

Raising Sweetness
The sheriff, new pa to eight little orphans, receives a letter that no one in the family can read. What will Sweetness do? By Diane Stanley (Putnam, 1998) (S) Grades K–3.

Sector 7
On a school field trip to the Empire State Building, a boy wanders off with a cloud. By David Wiesner (Houghton Mifflin, 1999) Grades Pre-K–2.

10 Minutes Till Bedtime
A child gets ready for bed with the help of a large band of happy hamsters. By Peggy Rathmann (Putnam, 1998) Grades Pre-K–1.

Toot and Puddle: You Are My Sunshine
Pigs Toot and Puddle hit a slump in their friendship when Toot can't shake his mopey mood. By Holly Hobbie (Little, Brown, 1999) (S) Grades K–2.

The Very Noisy Night
Little Mouse can't sleep because of all the strange noises he hears, though Big Mouse reassures him. By Diana Hendry (Penguin, 1999) Grades Pre-K–1.

Virgie Goes to School With Us Boys
Virgie is eager to walk the seven miles to school with her big brothers so she can learn to read, too. By Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard (Simon & Schuster, 2000) Grades 1–4.

When Agnes Caws
Agnes and her mother travel to the Himalayas in search of the rare pink-headed duck. By Candace Fleming (Simon & Schuster, 1999) Grades K–3.

Where Is That Cat?
Miss Perkins wants to find Fitz the cat a good home, but he'd prefer to stay with her. By Carol Greene (Hyperion, 1999) Grades Pre-K–1.

Whooo's Haunting the Teeny Tiny Ghost?
The teeny tiny ghost learns the hard way that being brave takes practice. By Kay Winters (HarperCollins, 1999) (S) Grades Pre-K–1.

Young Cam Jansen and the Baseball Mystery
Mystery-solving Cam, with her photographic memory, needs to find a missing baseball. By David A. Adler (Viking, 1999) (S) Grades K–3.

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Intermediate Fiction

All Alone in the Universe
Thirteen-year-old Debbie is devastated when her best friend drops her in favor of another girl. By Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow, 1999) Grades 5–8.

Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride
Eleanor Roosevelt invites her friend Amelia Earhart to the White House for dinner, and the two take a plane ride to Baltimore and back. By Pam Muñoz Ryan (Scholastic, 1999) Grades 2–5.

Annabel the Actress Starring in Gorilla My Dreams
Annabel's first acting job is as a cake-carrying gorilla at a birthday party for a five-year-old boy. By Ellen Conford (Simon & Schuster, 1999) Grades 1–4.

Bud, Not Buddy
During the Great Depression in 1936, 10-year-old Bud runs away from his latest foster family in search of his father. By Christopher Paul Curtis (Delacorte, 1999) Grades 5–7.

Bunnicula Strikes Again!
Why is vampire bunny Bunnicula growing weaker by the day? By James Howe (Simon & Schuster, 1999) (S) Grades 3–6.

Cody Unplugged
Cody's mom sends him to Camp Bear for a week in the wilds with no television and no computer. By Betsy Duffey (Viking, 1999) (S) Grades 2–4.

Dave at Night
At the Hebrew Home for Boys in Harlem, newly orphaned Dave sneaks outside at night and befriends an elderly fortune-teller. By Gail Carson Levine (HarperCollins, 1999) Grades 4–8.

The Folk Keeper
Fifteen-year-old Corinna, disguised as a boy, is in charge of keeping the dangerous, underworld Folk under control. By Franny Billingsley (Simon & Schuster, 1999) Grades 5–8.

Francie
Growing up in a segregated Alabama town, 12-year-old Francie yearns to join her father in Chicago. By Karen English (Farrar, 1999) Grades 5–8.

Getting Near to Baby
Willa Jo and Little Sister sit on the roof of their aunt and uncle's house, as Willa Jo recalls the awful weeks since their baby sister died. By Audrey Couloumbis (Capricorn, 1999) Grades 5–8.

Good Night, Maman
While Karin Levi and her brother Marc grow accustomed to living in a refugee camp in New York in 1944, Karin longs for her mother, left behind in France. By Norma Fox Mazer (Harcourt, 1999) Grades 5–8.

Goodbye, Walter Malinski
Wanda loves her big brother, Walter, but Pa, unemployed during the hard times of 1934, argues with him all the time. By Helen Recorvits (Farrar, 1999) Grades 3–5.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
In Harry's second year at Hogwarts, he and his friends Hermione and Ron must find out who — or what — is turning students to stone. By J. K. Rowling (Scholastic, 1999) (S) Grades 4–8.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry would like to blend in at Hogwarts in his third year, but an escaped murderer from the dreaded Azkaban prison is seeking him. By J. K. Rowling (Scholastic, 1999) (S) Grades 4–8.

Johnny on the Spot
A mysterious inventor transforms Johnny's radio so it broadcasts tomorrow's news today. By Edward Sorel (Simon & Schuster, 1998) Grades 2–4.

Junie B. Jones Is (Almost) a Flower Girl
In hopes of being the flower girl at her aunt's wedding, kindergartner Junie B. tries to prove she can act like a grown-up lady. By Barbara Park (Random House, 1999) (S) Grades 1–4.

Louise Takes Charge
Classmate Jasper has turned into a bully, but Louise has a new plan to change his attitude. By Stephen Krensky (Penguin, 1998) (S) Grades 2–4.

Not My Dog
Though she agrees to adopt her great-aunt's boring brown dog, Preston, what Ellie really wants is a puppy. By Colby Rodowsky (Farrar, 1999) Grades 2–4.

The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog
In the first book of a very funny series, meet Hank the Cowdog, head of security at a Texas ranch. By John R. Erickson (Penguin, 1999) (S) Grades 3–6.

Our Only May Amelia
The only girl in a family with seven brothers, 12-year-old May Amelia describes country life with her Finnish farming family in Washington State, 1899. By Jennifer L. Holm (HarperCollins, 1999) Grades 4–7.

Owen Foote, Frontiersman
When two boys try to kick Owen out of his own fort, he needs to come up with a "diabolical plan" to teach them a lesson. By Stephanie Greene (Houghton Mifflin, 1999) Grades 1–3.

The Princess Test
Accident-prone Lorelei, the blacksmith's only daughter, captures the heart of Prince Nicholas, whose parents want him to marry a real princess. By Gail Carson Levine (Harper Collins, 1999) (S) Grades 4–7.

Putnam and Pennyroyal
Uncle Frank tells his niece Cora Lee a story about a pied-billed grebe named Putnam. By Patrick Jennings (Scholastic, 1999) Grades 3–7.

Skellig
With the help of his new friend, Mina, Michael sets out to care for a sick and disheveled man he finds in his shed. By David Almond (Delacorte, 1999) Grades 5–8.

Unbroken
After her mother dies when her horse and buggy collides with a Model T Ford, Harriet is sent to live with her disapproving Aunt Sarah on a Vermont farm in 1910. By Jessie Haas (HarperCollins, 1999) Grades 5–8.

Understood Betsy
In this reissued classic written in 1917, shy, frightened Elizabeth Ann is sent to live on her cousins' farm in Vermont. By Dorothy Canfield Fisher (Dell, 1999) Grades 4–6.

Wander
Secretly caring for a stray dog is the only good thing that's happened to James and his little sister Sary since their mother died. By Susan Hart Lindquist (Dell, 2000) Grades 4–6.

When JFK Was My Father
When Georgia's parents separate in 1963 and she is sent to boarding school in Connecticut, she imagines that President Kennedy is her real father. By Amy Gordon (Houghton Mifflin, 1999) Grades 5–8.

When the Soldiers Were Gone
At the end of World War II, eight-year-old Henk, a Jewish boy, is distraught when the Dutch Christian family that has raised and protected him returns him to strangers — his real parents. By Vera W. Propp (Putnam, 1999) Grades 3–6.

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Nonfiction
(Including folktales, poetry, and biography)

Amazing Dinosaurs: The Fiercest, the Tallest, the Toughest, the Smallest
Read up on the latest facts and discoveries about your favorite extinct reptiles. By Dougal Dixon (Boyds Mills Press, 2000) Grades 1–5.

Aunt Pitty Patty's Piggy
"It's gettin' late, and piggy's by the gate sayin', 'No, no, no, I will not go!' " All about a very stubborn pig. By Jim Aylesworth (Scholastic, 1999) Grades Pre-K–1.

Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella
Godmother explains how she came to help motherless Cendrillon, whose stepmother works her like a serving girl. By Robert D. San Souci (Simon & Schuster, 1998) Grades 2–6.

The Emperor's Egg
Chill out in Antarctica, where a male emperor penguin cares for his new egg, holding it under his feathers and atop his feet for two freezing months. By Martin Jenkins (Candlewick Press, 1999) Grades Pre-K–2.

Geese Find the Missing Piece: School Time Riddle Rhymes
"Where do polar bears learn their ABCs? At a cool school!" Rhymes and riddles to share with friends. By Marco and Giulio Maestro (HarperCollins, 1999) Grades K–2.

Ghosts of the White House
Sara's special tour of the White House is guided by past presidents who come to life and describe what it was like to have lived there. By Cheryl Harness (Simon & Schuster, 1998) Grades 3–6.

Here Comes Mother Goose
See how many of these famous old rhymes you know by heart. Edited by Iona Opie (Candlewick Press, 1999) Grades Pre-K–1.

If I Were President
Children imagine what their days would be like if they became President of the United States. By Catherine Stier (Albert Whitman, 1999) Grades 1–4.

Little Dog Poems
In 30 short, easy-to-read poems, a little girl describes her day with her adorable mop of a dog. By Kristine O'Connell George (Houghton Mifflin, 1999) Grades K–2.

Red-Eyed Tree Frog
The red-eyed tree frog searches for food and avoids danger in a South American rain forest. By Joy Cowley (Scholastic, 1999) Grades Pre-K–2.

Snowflake Bentley
Wilson Bentley, known as the world's expert on snow, spent his life photographing snowflakes. By Jacqueline Briggs Martin (Houghton Mifflin, 1998) Grades 1–4.

Through My Eyes
In 1960, first grader Ruby Bridges was one of the first African-American children to attend a formerly all-white New Orleans public school. By Ruby Bridges (Scholastic, 1999) Grades 4–8.

The Top of the World: Climbing Mount Everest
Experience cold, snow, and incredible beauty on a climb of the tallest mountain in the world. By Steve Jenkins (Houghton Mifflin, 1999) Grades 3–6.

Turn of the Century
On the New Year's Day of each century from 1000 to 2000, meet a typical child — from a peasant to an earl's daughter — who describes his or her life. By Ellen B. Jackson (Charlesbridge, 1998) Grades 2–5.

The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury
More than 200 poems introduce the best children's poets then and now. Selected by Jack Prelutsky (Knopf, 1999) Grades 1–6.

26 Fairmount Avenue
Author and illustrator Tomie dePaola recalls his kindergarten year in 1938, when his family built a new house. By Tomie dePaola (Putnam, 1999) Grades 1–4.

About Fingers, Forks & Chopsticks
A history of cooking, food habits, and good manners. By Patricia Lauber (Simon & Schuster, 1999) Grades 2-5.

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from Instructor magazine