Summer Reading for Students Entering Kindergarten

This summer we want you to focus on enjoying reading.  One of the best ways to grow as a reader is to read various     genres of books and to read often.  Students are being asked to read at least 3 books, but we hope you will read many more!  Please write the title and author for each book you read on the enclosed leaf.  Please save the leaves and return them to school in the fall.  Feel free to make more leaves for every book you read this summer.  On the following pages is a list of recommended books, but your choice is not limited to these books. Have fun reading!

Beginning Readers

Biscuit’s New Trick  by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Dinosaurs by Grace Maccarone

Dirk Bones and the Mystery of the Haunted House by Doug Cushman

Duck Company by Kathy Caple

Fancy Nancy at the Museum by Jane O’Connor

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

Hi, Fly Guy! by Ted Arnold

Hop On Pop by Dr. Seuss

Max & Mo’s First Day at School by Patricia Lakin

Mister Bones: Dinosaur Hunter by Jane Kurtz

Meet the Dinosaurs by Penny Smith, ed.

One Saturday Evening by Barbara Baker

Puppy Mudge Wants to Play by Cynthia Rylant

Snack Attack by Stephen Krensky

Swing Otto, Swing! by David Milgrim

Wind  by Marion Dane Bauer

Great Books to Share!

Actual Size by Steve Jenkins

Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman

Below by Nina Crews        

Bob and Otto by Robert Bruel

The Day the Babies Crawled Away by Peggy Rathmann

Dog and Bear: Two friends, Three Stories by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Emma’s Rug by Allen Say

Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy by Jane O'Connor

The First Day of School by Margaret McNamara

Froggy Learns to Swim by Jonathan London

Gossie by Olivier Dunrea

Here Comes Mother Goose by Rosemary Wells

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Little Rabbit Goes to School by Harry Horse
Move Over, Rover! by Karen Beaumont

My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann

Olivia by Ian Falconer

An Orange in January by Dianna Hutts Aston

Oscar’s Half Birthday by Bob Graham

The Princess Knight by Cornelia Funke

Splish, Splash by Sarah Weeks

Stella: Star of the Sea by Marie-Louise Gay

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig

The Three Pigs by David Wiesner

Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

When Dinosaurs Came with Everything by Elise Broach

Yoko by Rosemary Wells

You Read to Me & I’ll Read to You : Stories to Share from the 20th Century

              by Janet Schulman

Zelda and Ivy: The Runaways by Laura McGee Kvasnosky

Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth

The ABC’s of Reading To And With Your Child

Ask questions while reading together. “What do you think will happen next?”

   Buy books as gifts for birthdays, Christmas, Hanukkah, or other holidays.

      Chat about what is happening in the book and how it relates to everyday life.

Drop everything and read.  Set aside 20 minutes a day during which the whole

                            family reads.

  Examine book illustrations in detail. Select books that have large bright pictures.

      Find books that interest your child. Make suggestions, but don’t turn reading

                            into work.

Give hints when your child gets stuck on a word.

   Have fun. Smile and enjoy the story. Read with a slow, relaxed voice and be

                            expressive.

      Invite your child to the bookstore. Take time to lounge in the chairs and

                            browse the books.

Join in your child’s reading successes. Celebrate every small step with sincere

                            praise.

   Kids love to receive mail. Send your child a magazine subscription that interests

                             him or her.

         Learn to read with, and not just to, your child daily. Read aloud, share ideas,

                            and answer questions.

Model reading. Share with your child, whether you’re reading for information or

                            for entertainment.

   Never force your child to read. If you’re both too tired or discouraged to read,

                             take a break.

       Offer your child a variety of reading materials, such as books, magazines,

                            cereal boxes, comics, and newspapers.

Predict story elements, draw conclusions, and retell the story with your child.

   Quiz your child at the end of a story. Informally, of course!

       Reread books to familiarize your child with words and to build

                            self-confidence.

Sing songs, recite poetry, and do fingerplays to help develop language and listening

                             skills.

   Try to help your child understand that it’s okay to make mistakes.

       Understand that reading is developmental and that it takes time and

                            practice to become fluent.

Visit your local library on a regular basis. Sign your child up for his or her own

                            library card.

   Welcome wordless picture books into your collections. They generate

                            conversation and allow the nonreader to create his or her own

                            stories.

“eXhibit” patience when your child is selecting books. Your support is empowering.

   You are the most important person helping your child develop a lifelong love of

                            reading.

       Zealous readers are the result of supportive and nurturing role models.