Ray School Library Media Center
Recommended Books for Kindergarten and First Grade
(Some are new... some tried and true!)
Summer 2008

Picture Books

Ahlberg, Allan. Previously. [2007]

The adventures of various nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters, including Goldilocks, Jack and Jill, the frog prince, Cinderella, and the gingerbread man, are retold in backward sequence with each tale interrelated to the other.

Bean, Jonathan. At Night [2007]

A sleepless city girl imagines what it would be like to get away from snoring family members and curl up alone with one's thoughts in the cool night air under wide-open skies.

Brown, Margaret Wise and Dillon, Diane. Two Little Trains. [2001, 1949].

Two little trains, one streamlined, the other old-fashioned, puff, puff,
puff, and chug, chug, chug, on their way West.

Cole, Henry. On Meadowview Street [2007]

Upon moving to a new house, young Caroline and her parents encourage wildflowers to grow and birds and animals to stay in their yard, which soon has the whole suburban street living up to its name. .

Dewdney, Anna. Llama Llama Mad at Mama [2007]

Bored and frustrated, Llama Llama moves steadily toward a tantrum during a trip with Mama to the grocery store, and Mama realizes there must be a way to make shopping more fun. [S]

Fox, Mem and Vivas, Julie. Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge. [1985, 1984].

A small boy tries to discover the meaning of "memory" so he can restore
that of an elderly friend.

Friend, Catherine. The Perfect Nest [2007]

With hopes of making a delicious omelet, Jack the cat builds a nest to catch a chicken, but ends up attracting more than the bird.

LaRochelle, David. The End [2007]

When a princess makes some lemonade, she starts a chain of events involving a fire-breathing dragon, one hundred rabbits, a hungry giant, and a handsome knight.

Lester, Helen and Munsinger, Lynn. Tacky the Penguin. [1988].

Tacky the penguin does not fit in with his sleek and graceful companions,
but his odd behavior comes in handy when hunters come with maps and traps. [S]

Levine, Ellen. Henry’s Freedom Box [2007]

A fictionalized account of how in 1849 a Virginia slave, Henry "Box" Brown, escapes to freedom by shipping himself in a wooden crate from Richmond to Philadelphia.
Long, Melinda. Pirates Don’t Change Diapers [2007]

Braid Beard and his pirate crew return to retrieve the treasure they buried in Jeremy Jacob's backyard, but first they must help calm his baby sister, Bonney Anne, whom they awoke from her nap. [S]

Marshall, James. George and Martha. [1972]

The original chronicle of the ups and downs of a very special friendship. [S]

Perkins, Lynne Ray Pictures from Our Vacation [2007]

Given a camera that takes and prints tiny pictures just before leaving for the family farm in Canada, a young girl records a vacation that gets off to a slow start, but winds up being a family reunion filled with good memories.

Polacco, Patricia. Thunder Cake. [1990].

Grandma finds a way to dispel her grandchild's fear of thunderstorms.

Rylant, Cynthia and Brown, Kathryn, ill. The Old Woman Who Named Things. [1996].

An old woman who has outlived all her friends is reluctant to become too
attached to the stray dog that visits her every day.

Thompson, Lauren. The Apple Pie That Papa Baked [2007]

A father makes his daughter an apple pie and all of the farm animals want a taste.

Early Readers

Bang-Campbell, Monika. Little Rat Makes Music [2007]

Little Rat loves the violin but hates to practice, until her teacher suggests she perform a duet with one of the advanced students at the holiday concert.

Chaconas, Dori and McCue, Lisa. Cork & Fuzz: the collectors [2008]

Cork, a short muskrat, and Fuzz, a tall possum, both like to collect shiny stones, but Cork must act fast to save his friend when Fuzz angers a mother duck by trying to take a "stone" from her nest. [S]

Hoff, Syd. Danny and the Dinosaur. [1992]

A little boy is surprised and pleased when one of the dinosaurs from the museum agrees to play with him.

Kvasnosky, Laura. Zelda and Ivy, the Runaways. [2006]

In three short stories, two fox sisters run away from home, bury a time capsule, and take advantage of some creative juice.

Lobel, Arnold. Frog and Toad are Friends. [1970].

Five tales recounting the adventures of two best friends - Frog and Toad. [S]

Marshall, Edward and Marshall, James. Fox at School. [1983].

Fox gets stage fright, overcomes his fire escape fears, and runs the class. [S]

Miller, Sara, Three Stories You Can Read to Your Dog. [1995]

Three stories addressed to dogs and from a dog’s point of view, featuring topics such as a burglar, bones and running free. [S]

Mills, Claudia and Stock, Catherine. Gus and Grandpa. [1996].

Gus and Grandpa have a loving, warm relationship. [S]

Minarik, Else Holmelund and Maurice Sendak. Little Bear. [1957, 1985].

Little Bear’s adventures include a trip to the moon and a birthday party. [S]

Parish, Peggy and Siebel, Fritz. Amelia Bedelia. [1992].

A literal-minded housekeeper causes a ruckus in the household when she
attempts to make sense of some instructions. [S]

Ries, Lori. Aggie and Ben: Three Stories. [2006]

After choosing a new dog, Ben describes what the pet, Aggie, can do and should not do around the house.

Rylant, Cynthia and Howard, Arthur. Mr. Putter & Tabby See the Stars [2007]

When Mr. Putter cannot sleep after eating too many of Mrs. Teaberry's pineapple jelly rolls, he and Tabby take a moonlit stroll that ends with the perfect neighborly gathering. [S]

Rylant, Cynthia and Stevenson, Sucie. Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas [2005].

When Henry and his dog, Mudge, go with Henry's parents to visit Great
-Grandpa Bill in the home with lots of other grandpas, they lead them all on a wonderful adventure. [S]

Sharmat, Marjorie. Weinman. Nate the Great. [1977].

Nate, with the cool detachment of a Sam Spade, plunges into the case of Annie’s lost picture, solves the case, tracks down the culprit, and even discovers the whereabouts of a missing cat. [S]

Willems, Mo. I am Invited to a Party [2007]

Gerald the elephant, who "knows parties," gives his best friend, Piggie, advice for getting ready after Piggie receives her very first party invitation.

[S] = Sequels or Part of a Series


Bernice A. Ray School
Summer Library

July 7 - August 8, 2008
Hours: 9:00 - 12:00
643-6655 http://www.rayschool.org

The Howe Library

Monday - Thursday 10 - 8, Friday 10 - 6, Saturday 10 - 5
Sunday 1 - 5 from September - May
(closed on Sunday during the summer)
643-4120 http://www.thehowe.org

Etna Library

Mondays & Thursdays: 2 - 7
Tuesday: 9 - 2
Friday: 9 - 4
Saturday: 10 - 12 noon
(closed on Wednesdays and Sundays)
643-3116 email: etna.library@hanovernh.org