Hamden Hall Entering PK/K
Summer Reading List
2005

Mrs. Migliore’s Quick Picks

Alborough, Jez. Where’s My Teddy?
A story about a teddy bear and a real bear that uses rhyming words to
tell the story. A fun story about large and small.

Henkes, Kevin. Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum loves her name until she goes to school and others 
make fun of it.  Then the students meet the music teacher and 
Chrysanthemum blossoms.

Henkes, Kevin. Wemberly Worried
A story about worrying. Wemberly worried about everything. When it was time for school to start, Wemberly worried even more.

McCloskey, Robert.  Make Way For Ducklings   
Story about Mrs. Mallard’s journey through busy Boston streets 
with her ducklings.

Penn, Audrey.  The Kissing Hand
Sweet story about a young raccoon and the anxiety he feels
about leaving his Mom for the first day of school. Ideal for young
children who are separating from their families for whatever reason.

Rathman, Peggy.  Ruby the Copycat 
A delightful tale about how a teacher helps a young child appreciate her individuality.

Ross, Dave.  A Book of Hugs
A book about all kinds of hugs.

Ruis, Maria and Parramon, J. M. Grandparents               
A story that explains what grandparents are and their place in the family.

Yolen, Jane.  Owl Moon
A beautiful story about a young child’s walk in the woods with her father.

Van Laan, Nancy . Rainbow Crow
A Native American legend about the world given the gift of fire.                                                                     

Entering GRADE K

Mrs. Scognamillo and Mrs. Williams’ Quick Picks

Child, Lauren.  I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato
Lola is a fussy eater.

Crews, Donald.  Parade
Here it comes, batons, bands, flags and crowds.

Heine, Helme.  Friends
Beautifully illustrated book of three animal friends, Percy Pig, 
Charlie Rooster, and Johnny Mouse. Tells of their adventures
 together and their determination to always remain friends.

Nicholls, Judith .  Someone I Like, Poems About People
Poems about our relationships with the people who are dearest to us.

Penn, Audrey.  The Kissing Hand
Sweet story about a young raccoon and the anxiety he feels about leaving his Mom for first day of school. Ideal for young children who are separating from their families for whatever reason.

Potter, Tessa and Ken Lilly. 
 Digger: The Story of a Mole in the Fall
The adventures of Digger, the mole, who is forced to find a new home because the weather is beginning to change. This is an inside look at the creatures’ adaptations to changes in the seasons.

Rylant, Cynthia.  In November
Story of people gathering together and preparing for the coming Thanksgiving holiday, and animals getting ready for winter. Beautiful illustrations.

Waddell, Martin. The Little Bear Series
(not to be confused with the Little Bear Series by Elsa H. Minarik)
Adorable stories and illustrations about the everyday life of a little bear who lives in a big cave with Big Bear. It depicts a very sweet and tender relationship between an adult and a child.

Walsh, Stoel.  Mouse Magic
A mouse wizard shows what happens when complementary colors come up against each other.

Weitzman, Jacqueline Preiss.  You Can’t Take a Balloon Into The Metropolitan Museum
Explore the magical relationship between art and life.

Wood, Audrey.  The Flying Dragon Room
Take an unforgettable romp with monsters and wild animals.

Ahlberg, Janet and Allan.  Each Peach Pear Plum
Rhymed text and illustrations invite the reader to play “I spy” with a variety of mother goose and other folklore characters.

Adlerman, Daniel.  Africa Calling Nighttime Falling
A girl imagines herself in Africa with lions, elephants, monkeys, rhinos, zebras and other animals.

Baker, Jeannie.  Home in the Sky
A pigeon with a kindly owner and a home on the roof of a building meets a boy who wants to keep him.

Brett, Jan.  Hedgie’s Surprise
Hedgie the hedgehog, helps Henny the speckled hen trick the Tomten who has been eating all of Henny’s eggs for breakfast.

Brown, Ruth.  A Dark Dark Tale
Journeying though a dark, dark house, a black cat surprises the only inhabitant of the abandoned residence.

Burleigh, Robert.  I Love Going Through This Book
This book takes us to many places such as a thick wood, a wide river, and a mountainside.  A book of rhymes that you will want to read over and over again.

Carle, Eric.  Little Cloud
A little cloud becomes all sorts of things before joining other clouds and raining.

Crews, Donald.  School Bus
Teaches signs and symbols associated with the familiar school bus.

Cronin, Doreen.  Diary of a Worm
A young worm comments on friendship, family life, school and his place in the universe.

Davis, Aubrey. The Enormous Potato
A folk tale, retold by Aubrey Davis, of a farmer who grows a potato large enough to feed his whole village.

Giganti, Paul.  Each Orange Had 8 Slices
A counting book

Grossman , Virginia and Long, Sylvia. Ten Little Rabbits
A counting rhyme with illustrations of rabbits in Native American costume.

Henkes, Kevin.  Kitten’s First Full Moon
2005 Caldecott Medal  

Hoban, Tana.  26 letters and 99 cents
Colorful graphs of letters, numbers, coins, and common objects introduce the alphabet.

Johnson, Crockett.  Harold and the Purple Crayon
A picture story about a creative little boy who draws himself in and out of trouble.

Lehman, Barbara.  The Red Book
In this wordless story, a magical red book has the power to take its reader to different places.  2005 Caldecott Honor  

Lopshire, Robert.  I Want to Be Somebody New!
Spot uses his magic to try life as different animals--- big, tall and small---before agreeing with his friends that it does feel best to be just me.

McCarty, Peter.  Hondo & Fabian
The story of a beach outing for a dog and a full day at home for a cat - a quiet tale of friendship.

Murphy, Stuart J. Just Enough Carrots
Comparing amounts: more, same and few.

Rohmann, Eric.  My Friend Rabbit
Mouse shares his brand-new toy airplane with his friend Rabbit. When the airplane lands in a tree, the chaos only builds as Rabbit drags, pushes and carries the whole neighborhood, including Elephant, Hippo, and Crocodile, to the rescue. 2003 Caldecott Medal.

Rylant, Cynthia.  Dog Heaven
God created dog heaven, a place for dogs to eat ice cream biscuits, sleep on fluffy clouds, and run through unending fields.

Sheppard, Jeff.  Splish, Splash
A playful rhyme book that is perfect for reading out loud.

Simont, Marc.  The Stray Dog
A family befriends a stray dog, names him Will, and decides to keep him.  2002 Caldecott Honor.

Watt, Melanie.   Leon the Chameleon
Leon never turns the same color as everyone else.  When lost in the desert with other baby chameleons, he learns the benefits of being different.  Children will benefit from this lesson of acceptance and self-respect.

Wick, Walter.  Can You See What I See?   
Rhyming clues for each photograph lead you on a quest for trinkets and treasures.

Wiesner, David.  The Three Pigs
The three pigs escape the wolf by going into another world where they meet the cat and the fiddle, the cow that jumped over the moon, and a dragon. 2002 Caldecott Medal.

Willems , Mo.  Knuffle Bunny
2005 Caldecott Honor.

Winch, John.  Keeping Up With Grandma
When Grandma decides it’s time to have fun outdoors; Grandpa has a few problems keeping up with her.

Woodson, Jacqueline.  Coming on Home Soon
2005 Caldecott Honor.

Visit the Hamden Hall Kindergarten Resources web page for librarian selected subject area activities.