2008 SUMMER READING LIST

Entering Grades Pre-K through 3

P – Picture
B – Beginning Readers
C – Books with Chapters

NON FICTION

Bang, Molly. My Light (P)
Dazzling illustrations show how the sun’s energy lights up the world.

Bausum, Ann.  Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement (B)
The 1961 Freedom Rides come to life through the unflinching personal stories of two men uniting for a common cause: Lewis, the African American Southerner and Zwerg, the Caucasian Midwesterner.

Borden, Louise and Kroeger, Mary Kay.  Fly High! The Story of Bessie Coleman (P)
Bessie Coleman was the first African American to earn a pilot’s license.  Her words, “Keep trying! Fly high!” inspire children to higher goals.

Weatherford, Carole Boston. Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
Illustrated by Kadir Nelson.
Dramatic illustrations evoke the spiritual and physical journey of Harriet Tubman, a strong woman who followed her star to an extraordinary destiny.

Cherson Siegel, Siena .  To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel
This graphic novel dramatizes the struggle and fulfillment of becoming a professional ballerina – lifting the curtain on a dream shared by many young dancers.

Daniels, Teri.  Math Man (P)
Math problems are interspersed in a fast-paced story of a grocery story crisis.

Fritz, Jean. Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? (C)
A witty look back at American History.

Gelman, Rita Golden. Doodler Doodling (P)
Doodling is a creative way to spend a lazy summer afternoon.

Gerstein, Mordicai.  The Man Who Walked Between the Towers (P)
This is the true story of the daring feat of a spirited young Frenchman who walked a tightrope between the World Trade Center twin towers in 1974.

Gutelle, Andrew.  Baseball's Best - Five True Stories (C)
Interesting facts and stories related to Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson , Roberto Clemente, and Hank Aaron.

Jenkins, Steve. Prehistoric Actual Size (P)
How big is a gorilla’s hand or a giant squid’s eye? Find out in this book.

Kessler, Leonard.  Here Comes the Strikeout! (P)
Bobby always struck out until his friend helped him improve his game.

Montgomery, Sy.  Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea (B)
Biologist Lisa Dabek and her multinational team search for the beautiful, elusive Matschie’s tree kangaroo in the cloud forests of Papua New Guinea .

McLimans, David. Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet (P)
A contemporary interpretation of an illuminated alphabet melds animals and letters into 26 unique and elegant graphic images.

Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw.  Horses (C)
Nonfiction book about horses with many photos, a glossary, and an index.

Piven, Hanoch. What Presidents Are Made Of (P)
Humorous, collage portraits composed of a variety of objects highlight this collection of presidential trivia.

Thimmes, Catherine. Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon
With heart-stopping prose and stunning NASA photographs, Thimmesh celebrates the men and women who solved a series of unfolding crises that threatened the mission of Apollo 11. The animated text lets the reader experience the tension of the mission from multiple vantage points and takes the reader along as an active participant. Personal interviews and oral histories help recreate the immediacy of the event for a new generation.

Turner, Pamela. Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog (P)
The moving story of a canine that was loyal to his master long after the man died.

White, Linda Arms. I Could Do That! : Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote (P)
How a determined woman became a pioneer of equal rights for women.

Wiesner, David.  Flotsam (P)
A vintage camera washed up on the beach provides a young boy with a surprising view of fantastical images from the bottom of the sea. From fish-eye to lens-eye, readers see a frame-by-frame narrative of lush marine escapes ebbing and flowing from the real to the surreal.

Winter, Jeanette. The Librarian of Basra : A True Story From Iraq (P)
A hopeful story of a brave Iraqi woman who risked her life to save thousands of books in the Basra Central Library.

Yoo, Paula. Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story (P)
An inspiring picture book biography of the Asian-American gold medal diver.