By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: May 13, 2009
Summer reading is a brilliant practice you can kick-off with your child. I’ve hand-picked some of my favorite titles, new and old, that are well-suited to the season. Ocean, camping, countryside, learning to swim, and a bit of baking with mom.
NOTE: Please remember that all children develop at a different pace and learn in different ways. During each reading phase there will be a a wide range of development taking place. I have included extra tips on “emergent readers” to help you understand your child’s needs.
I hope you enjoy this list!
Wave
by Suzy Lee
Reading level: Ages 2-6
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Chronicle Books (April 16, 2008)
TCBR review: ” … The illustrations are very simple, and capture the sweet energetic essence of their main character and the ocean. A must for any beach lover! …”
Add this book to your collection: Wave
by Lynne Berry (Author) and Hiroe Nakata (Illustrator)
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co (April 28, 2009)
TCBR review: ” … The engaging rhyme makes this tale a perfect read-aloud book, and it also is a great resource for first time campers.”
Add this book to your collection: Duck Tents
by Marion Dane Bauer (Author) and Ivan Bates (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 3-7
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Orchard Books (February 1, 2009)
TCBR review: ” … Finding friendship is the main purpose to this charmer of a book, but the numerical reference and lilting rhyme are what carry this story to its positively perfect ending…”
Add this book to your collection: One Brown Bunny
by Anita Lobel
Reading level: Ages 0 – 5
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow (March 25, 2008)
TCBR review: ” … With its beautiful illustrations and straightforward text, which includes a new animal sound on each page, it’s the perfect progression from the trusted old board books…”
Add this book to your collection: Hello Day!
by Karen Beaumont
Reading level: Ages 3-7
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (May 27, 2008)
TCBR review: ” … The simplicity and repetitiveness of the words, combined with the rhyming, make this a story that is really easy for youngsters to listen to, and is perfect for an interactive story time…”
Add this book to your collection: Who Ate All the Cookie Dough?
The House in the Night (2009 Caldecott Medal Book)
by Susan Marie Swanson (Author), Beth Krommes (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 2 – 6
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (May 5, 2008)
School Library Journal review: “This picture book will make a strong impression on listeners making their first acquaintance with literature. It is a masterpiece that has all the hallmarks of a classic that will be loved for generations to come.”
Add this book to your collection: The House in the Night
The Pout-Pout Fish (A New York Times Best Seller)
by Deborah Diesen (Author), Dan Hanna (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-6
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (March 18, 2008)
TCBR review: ” … I really enjoyed the clever work of both Deborah Diesen and Dan Hanna – mood-enhancing for even the most sulky pre-schooler…”
Add this book to your collection: The Pout-Pout Fish
by Jon Scieszka (author), David Shannon (illustrator), Loren Long (illustrator), and David Gordon (illustrator)
Reading Level: Ages 3-8
Hardcover: 42 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, (October 28, 2008)
TCBR review: ” … an energized series based on very personable truck characters, and teamed with great pictures from a very notable team of illustrators…”
Add this book to your collection: Melvin Might?
by Edel Rodriguez
Reading level: Ages 2-8
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (May 1, 2008)
TCBR review: ” … Sergio is such a like-able character, and he makes a wonderful role model for anyone learning to swim …”
Add this book to your collection: Sergio Makes a Splash
Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy
by David Soman (Author, Illustrator), Jacky Davis (Author)
Reading level: Ages 3 – 7
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Dial (March 5, 2009)
Publishers Weekly review: ” … Soman’s pen-and-ink characters are remarkably emotive-this is a story that delights in children’s enthusiastic imaginations…”
Add this book to your collection: Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy
by Bonny Becker (Author), Kady Macdonald Denton (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 56 pages
Publisher: Candlewick (February 26, 2008)
TCBR review: ” … The story and its soft illustrations have such an honest and genuine feeling that you’ll be wanting to read it over and over again–as much as your child will!”
Add this book to your collection: A Visitor for Bear
by David Shannon
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: The Blue Sky Press (October 1, 2008)
TCBR review: ” … The way award-winning David Shannon depicts the struggle between mother and son, as they sort through the toys, is priceless…”
Add this book to your collection: Too Many Toys
How I Learned Geography (A 2009 Caldecott Honor Book)
by Uri Shulevitz
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (April 1, 2008)
Washington Post Book World review: “Shulevitz’s simply worded text can be read to preschoolers, but it packs an emotional punch that will resonate with older children and even adults. The watercolor and ink illustrations add further depth as Shulevitz switches from a monochrome palette to a chorus of colors spotlighting how the map stirred his imagination.”
Add this book to your collection: How I Learned Geography
Emergent Readers (preschool – first grade):
- They understand that written words express messages
- They pretend to read by turning pages of a book, and invent a story based on the images and their memory from being read-to
- They begin to match spoken words with print
- They may know some letter names and some letter sound associations
- They may recognize some words and letters in their environment or in texts; but not again in a different context; they may still be unsure of the concept of “word” or “letter”
You can nurture your child’s desire to read by reading books with him/her that are engaging and predictable with pictures that clearly relate-to and illustrate the story line. Emergent readers only recognize a few words, so it is important for your child to have reading modeled to him through listening to good stories. Practicing with rhyming and other word plays is also very helpful, and a great car activity, too. Here is a list of what to look for in a book during this literacy phase:
- Repetitive refrains or patterns
- Repeated vocabulary
- Large text
- Repetitive patterns
- Repeated vocabulary
- Wide letter spacing
- Familiar concepts
- Short books
- Limited text on a page
I found the following websites very helpful: Bank Street: Literacy Guide and ReadingA-Z.com
Bob Books, Set 1: Beginning Readers
by Bobby Lynn Maslen (Author), John R. Maslen (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 16 pages
Publisher: Scholastic (May 1, 2006)
Add this book to your collection: Bob Books, Set 1: Beginning Readers
Are You Ready to Play Outside?
by Mo Willems
Reading level: Ages 3 – 6
Hardcover: 64 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (October 28, 2008)
Each book has been vetted by an early learning specialist (and many adorable early learners).
In Are You Ready to Play Outside?, Piggie can’t wait to go play in the sunshine. But will a rainy day ruin all the fun?
TCBR says: “This is a fantastic series!”
Add this book to your collection: Are You Ready to Play Outside?
NOTE: Some of your older board books that you think your child has grown out of can be just the right reading material for this level reader. Try Go Dog Go, and Hop on Pop.