Out of the Best Books:
Summer Reading Fun

My First Songs Colorfully illustrated are the lyrics of “The Wheels on the Bus,” “Old MacDonald Had a Farm,” “The Eentsy, Weentsy Spider,” “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” “Ring Around the Rosie,” “London Bridge,” “Pop! Goes the Weasel,” “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” “Hush, Little Baby,” and “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
Jane Manning (compiler, illustrator)
2–4 years

Room for a Stepdaddy Joey doesn’t want a stepdaddy. Bill is nice, though, and patient.
Jean Thor Cook
3–5 years

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse When Lilly opens her purse at school after her teacher asks her not to, he keeps it in his desk until the end of the day. Angry, Lilly draws a not-nice picture of him and sneaks it into his book bag. What happens next will surprise you, as Lily learns a lesson about making amends.
Kevin Henkes
3–5 years

Down the Road When Hetty goes down the road to town by herself for the first time, she buys a dozen eggs and carries them back safely—as far as the apple tree. But the next morning, Mama and Papa do not have eggs for breakfast. They have something really good, though!
Alice Schertle
4–8 years

Grandma Buffalo, May, and Me When she was Poppy’s age, Great-grandmother May “‘learned to catch fish, plant a garden, and feed buffalo.’” Mama says Poppy will learn to do the very same things in the very same places when she visits her Montana grandmother.
Carol Curtis Stilz
5–8 years

Grandfather’s Gold Watch Before Peter’s family leaves Denmark, Grandfather gives his wonderful watch to Peter, saying, “‘My timepiece and my name belong to you now.’” The journey to Utah is very hard, but Grandfather’s watch gives Peter comfort. But what happens when Peter loses the watch?
Louise Garff Hubbard
5–11 years

Scaredy Dog When Erin goes to the dog pound to choose a dog, she finds Mac cowering in a corner. Erin will need a lot of patience, and Mac a lot of love, for him to be anything but a scaredy dog. …
Jane Resh Thomas
6–8 years

Lucy’s Wish; Will’s Choice Two books in the wonderful Orphan Train Children series. Lucy’s wish is for adoptive parents who will love her, and for a little sister. She gets her wish—in a way. For one thing, her “little sister” is older than she is. … Will’s choice is between the father he loves but who doesn’t know what to do with him, and the kind doctor who wants to adopt him.
Joan Lowery Nixon
7–11 years

Turn of the Century Each hundred years of the last millennium is represented by a child in England or America on New Year’s Day. Fascinating things are shown and described, such as what Rhys, a merchant’s son, said in 1300: “‘There were maggots in the meat at lunch. It is the kitchen boy’s task to pick them out, but he had run off to view a hanging.’”
Ellen Jackson
8–12 years

A Crow’s Journey “A wandering crow / was curious to know: / Where does it go, / this mountain snow, / each spring?” The art is beautiful. A book worthy of being among the favorites on your bookshelf.
David Cunningham
all ages