PICTURE BOOKS FOR SUMMER READING TOGETHER




The Adventures of Taxi Dog

by Debra Barraca His name is Maxi and he rides in a taxi with his beloved Jim all day! Maxi, a homeless mutt, has fended for himself in the city until one day he meets taxi drive Jim who invited him to come home and live with him. Maxi can hardly believe his good luck, and from that point on, he and Jim share their adventures. They revel in the sights and sounds of the city: Maxi tells of rushing a young couple to the hospital, in a frantic effort to beat the stork; of the day when two circus clowns and a chimp jump into their taxi; and about the times when Maxi puts on his Groucho Marx nose, mustache and glasses for the entertainment of the backseat passengers.




Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

by Judith Viorst From the moment Alexander wakes up and finds gum in his hair, everything goes wrong! His brothers both get prizes in their cereal boxes, his best friend demotes him to third-best friend, there are lima beans for dinner, and there is kissing on TV. All kids experience this kind of day and will be glad to find they are not alone.




Cinder Edna

by Ellen B. Jackson Cinderella and Cinder Edna, who live with cruel stepmothers and stepsisters, have different approaches to life; and, although each ends up with the prince of her dreams, one is a great deal happier than the other.




Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type

by Doreen Cronin Farmer Brown has a problem. His cows like to type. All day long he hears: Click, clack, MOO. Click, clack, MOO.Clickety, clack, MOO. But Farmer Brown's problems REALLY begin when his cows start leaving him notes.... First they demand better working conditions...and then they stage a strike. Doreen Cronin's understated text and Betsy Lewin's expressive illustrations make the most of this hilarious situation. Come join the fun as Farmer Brown's savvy —and literate— cows turn his farm upside down!




Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs

by H.Judi Barrett The tiny town of Chewandswallow was very much like any other tiny town except for its weather which came three times a day, at breakfast, lunch and dinner. But it never rained rain and it never snowed snow and it never blew just wind. It rained things like soup and juice. It snowed things like mashed potatoes. And sometimes the wind blew in storms of hamburgers. Life for the townspeople was delicious until the weather took a turn for the worse. The food got larger and larger and so did the portions. Chewandswallow was plagued by damaging floods and storms of huge food. The town was a mess and the pople feared for their lives. Something had to be done, and in a hurry.




Crickwing

by Janell Cannon Artistic flair and the spirit of cooperation save the day! Crickwing never set out to be a bully. All he wants is to create his art in peace. But it's not easy being different--a cockroach with a cricked wing and a flair for sculpture is a ready target for the bigger creatures in the forest. Crickwing just wants to even the score, and leafcutter ants are so easy to pick on. ... Big mistake. Nobody angers the leafcutter queen and gets away with it. In this epic adventure beneath the foliage, Crickwing and the leafcutter ants go head-to-head. Then a swarm of ferocious army ants threatens, and suddenly everyone is in danger. Crickwing has to do something, but what? He's an artist, not a fighter. What the leafcutters need is a hero. Or, maybe, a cockroach with a really clever idea...




Dear Mrs. LaRue

by Mark Teague When Ike LaRue is "imprisoned" at the Igor Brotweiler Canine Academy, he tries everything to get sent home - weepy letters to his owner, even illness. In reality. Brotweiler is more camp than prison, but still, Ike is not cut out for life without Mrs. LaRue and his creature comforts. Finally, he runs away, only to find himself back in Snort City - just in time to save Mrs. LaRue's life.




Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

by Mo Willems When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place -- a pigeon! But you've never met one like this before. As he pleads, wheedles, and begs his way through the book, children will love being able to answer back and decide his fate. In his hilarious picture book debut, popular cartoonist Mo Willems perfectly captures a preschooler's temper tantrum.


Halmoni's Day

by Edna Coe Bercaw Jennifer, a Korean American, is worried that her grandmother, visiting from Korea, will embarrass her on her school's Grandparents' Day, but the event brings her understanding and acceptance.





How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?

by Jane Yolen In a few simple lines of verse on each spread, fathers and mothers are ready to put their youngsters to bed. But in this book, the youngsters are a wide variety of dinosaurs. And how do dinosaurs say good night? Filled with wonderful detail and humor, children and their parents will love the expressions and antics of the eleven different dinosaur children depicted here, and each species is spelled out somewhere in the young dinosaur's bedroom. In the end, young dinosaurs behave a lot like people do: They give a big kiss, turn out the light, tuck in their tails, and whisper "good night."


If You Give A Pig A Pancake

by Laura Joffe Numeroff Chaos is the order of the day when an accommodating little girl tries to keep up with the whims of a busy little pig. Teachers can now share this favorite, mega-selling story with their classes in the forever-popular Big Book format.




Jumanji

by Chris Van Allsburg When Judy and Peter find a board game under a tree in the park, it looks like just another boring game. But Jumanji has more thrills than even a child could wish for. Imagine a lion, a python, and stampeding rhinos in your living room! The surreal story is enhanced by Van Allsburg's incredible artwork.





Make Way For Ducklings

by Robert McCloskey Starting and ending with adorable ducklings, this 60-year old story is still as charming today as it was when Viking first published it in 1941. A true classic, Make Way for Ducklings is sure to win yet another generation of fans!




My Friend Rabbit

by Eric Rohmann When Mouse lets his best friend, Rabbit, play with his brand-new airplane, trouble isn't far behind. Of course, Rabbit has a solution -- but when Rabbit sets out to solve a problem, even bigger problems follow. Every child who's ever had someone slightly bigger or slightly older over to play will recognize this story about toys and trouble and friendship.




Rapunzel

by Paul O. Zelinsky Trapped in a tower with no door, Rapunzel is allowed to see no one but the sorceress who has imprisoned her-until the day a young prince hears her singing to the forest birds. . . . The timeless tale of Rapunzel is vividly and magnificently brought to life through Paul O. Zelinsky's powerful sense of narrative and his stunning oil paintings.




Rumpelstiltskin

by Paul O. Zelinsky Rumpelstiltskin is one of the Grimm brothers' most popular tales. Illustrated through oil paintings by Zelinsky, this supple, fresh retelling is based on the Grimms' earliest versions of the story. The splendid detail of the late medieval setting, the tender beauty of the miller's daughter, and the ingenious rendering of the little man himself -- an impudent, sympathetic, infuriating creature, as witty and engaging as the age-old tale -- are all evidence of Zelinsky's particular genius.




St. George and the Dragon

by Margaret Hodges Retells the segment from Spenser's The Faerie Queene, in which George, the Red Cross Knight, slays the dreadful dragon that has been terrorizing the countryside for years and brings peace and joy to the land.




The Three Pigs

by David Weisner 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.




The True Story of Three Little Pigs

by Jon Scieszka The wolf gives his own outlandish version of what really happened when he tangled with the three little pigs. Now fans of the delightful The True Story of the Three Little Pigs can hear the story read aloud in inimitable style by Jon Scieszka. Side one features a reading of the story accompanied by music, while side two offers a toe-tapping original soundtrack by composer Kurt Hoffman.




Tuesday

by David Wiesner It's Tuesday night, and a large bullfrog suddenly wakes up to discover he and his lily pad are floating in the air! Soon the sky is filled with flying frogs, careening on their pads and having a whale of a time. At dawn, they all come crashing to the ground, and return to their now boring life at the pond. Whatever will next Tuesday bring?




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Created By Mary M. Silgals, MLIS, M.Ed.

April 25, 2004
Last edited May 17, 2012
Annotations by Editors