Summer Reading 2020 Books for Beginning Readers

Look for many other wonderful selections by these same authors!

Picture Books

Award Winners

Caldecott Medal: The Undefeated, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, written by Kwame Alexander and published by Versify, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Kadir Nelson’s rich illustrations amplify Kwame Alexander’s poetic tribute to the resiliency, strength, and perseverance of the historical and present-day Black experience. Gripping, realistic oil portraits use light and forward movement to portray the deep humanity and contributions of Black brilliance in America.

Caldecott Honors: Bear Came Along, illustrated by LeUyen Pham Double Bass Blues, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez, written by Andrea J. Loney, Going Down Home With Daddy, illustrated by Daniel Minter, written by Kelly Starling Lyons

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award: Stop! Bot! written and illustrated by James Yang and published by Viking, Penguin Young Readers

When a child loses control of a flying bot, a diverse group of apartment residents attempt to stop it. As the bot drifts up each floor of the skyscraper, the tenants try creative and extreme strategies to no avail; leading up to a surprise rooftop captor and an ingenious rescue.

Geisel Honors:

Chick and Brain: Smell My Foot! written and illustrated by Cece Bell Flubby Is Not a Good Pet! written and illustrated by J.E. Morris The Book Hog, written and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli

Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Picture Book Award: Are You Scared, Darth Vader? by Adam Rex

Although he professes to fear nothing, it turns out that the most-feared villain in the Star Wars universe may not be so fearless after all.

One Word from Sophia by Jim Averbeck, illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail All Sophie wants for her birthday is a pet giraffe, but as she tries to convince different members of her rather complicated family to support her cause, each tells her she is using too many words until she finally hits on the perfect one. Includes glossary.

The Magic Word by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Adam Rex When a Paxton’s babysitter tries to teach him some manners, telling him to say the magic words instead leads to some hilarious wish fulfillment.

A Bike Like Sergio's by Maribeth Boelts, illustrated by Noah Z. Jones Ruben, hopeful for a new bike, finds a one-hundred dollar bill, but he's unsure of what to do with the unexpectedly found money.

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James Celebrates the magnificent feeling that comes from walking out of a barber shop with newly-cut hair.

Say Something! written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds From the creator of the The Word Collector and The Dot comes an empowering story about finding your voice, and using it to make the world a better place.

Hippopotamister written and illustrated by John Green Hippo isn't happy. But what can he do? A hippopotamus can't leave the zoo. A hippopotamus can't get a job. But a hippopotamister can. And so, with the help of his friend Red Panda, Hippo tries on a few new hats. He makes a great construction worker! There's no better hairstylist! And he's a natural as a chef! But what hippo really needs... is a job where he can be himself.

Giraffe Problems by Jory John, illustrated by Lane Smith A giraffe complains about the uncontrollable problems in his life.

Claymates by Dev Petty Two balls of clay have a great time shaping themselves into various animals and objects until their sculptor comes back and discovers the mess they've made of her work.

Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima Born deep in the ocean, Kelp is not like the other narwhals and one day, when he spies a creature on land that looks like him, he learns why.

Wolf Camp written and illustrated by Andrea Zuill Homer the dog goes away to wolf camp to learn how to bring out his inner wolf.

Early Readers

Narwhal and Jellyfish (series) by Ben Clayton Narwhal is a happy-go-lucky narwhal. Jelly is a no-nonsense jellyfish. The two might not have a lot in common, but they do ... love waffles, parties and adventures. Join Narwhal and Jelly as they discover the whole wide ocean together in this graphic novel series.

The Princess in Black (series) by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham A humorous and action-packed chapter-book series for young readers who like their princesses not only prim and perfect, but also dressed in black.

Bunjitsu Bunny (series) written and illustrated by John Himmelman Although she can throw farther, kick higher, and hit harder than anyone else at school, Isabel, aka Bunjitsu Bunny, never hurts another creature, unless she has to.

Sam and Charlie (and Sam Too!) (series) by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Stefano Tambellini A boy named Sam, a girl named Charlie, and Charlie's sister Sam become neighbors and friends.

Elephant & Piggie (series) written and illustrated by Mo Willems Best friends, but very different, Gerald and Piggie explore a range of emotions in silly ways.

Pedro (series) by Fran Manushkin, illustrated by Tammie Lyon Spend some time with Pedro, Katie Woo's fun-loving friend. From a buggy disaster to a run for class president, Pedro has what it takes to be the hero of first-grade. No matter what he's doing, Pedro is always good for some laughs and adventure.

Scholastic Branches Series – Owl Diaries and Kung Pow Chicken series in particular.

Chapter Books and Series

Juana & Lucas written and illustrated by Juana Medina Winner of the Pura Belpré Award for outstanding Latino literature, this book is based on the childhood adventures of the author, a Colombian-American resident of D.C., and helps young readers to learn some Spanish vocabulary. The cheerful protagonist loves her adorable dog Lucas and is a positive role model for reading, traveling, and lifelong learning.

Inspector Flytrap (series) by Tom Angleberger, illustrated by Cece Bell Hoping to become the greatest detective that ever grew, Inspector Flytrap, a Venus Flytrap, and his assistant, Nina the Goat, investigate mysteries at an art museum, a cookie shop, and a garden.

Big Foot and Little Foot (series) by Ellen Potter, illustrated by Felicita Sala Hugo is a young Sasquatch who longs for adventure. Boone is a young boy who longs to see a Sasquatch. When their worlds collide, they become the unlikeliest pair of best friends.

Jack Stalwart (series) by Elizabeth Singer Hunt, illustrated by Brian Williamson Travel the world this summer with Jack Stalwart and his high-tech, top-secret gadgets!

The Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut (series) written and illustrated by Laurie Keller Tells the tales of pastries in peril--and one baked good's mission to prevent him and his friends from being just desserts.

Space Taxi (series) by Wendy Mass and Michael Brawer, illustrated by Elise Gravel Archie Morningstar discovers his dad is no ordinary taxi driver. Instead, he drives aliens through outer space.

Detective Gordon (series) by Ulf Nilsson, illustrated by Gitte Spee The main characters are chief of police Gordon, who is a toad and detective Buffy, who is a mouse. Buffy and Gordon are best friends and work together to solve mysteries.

Galaxy Zack (series) by Ray O'Ryan, illustrated by Colin Jack Moving from Earth to the futuristic planet Nebulon in 2120, eight-year-old Zack is nervous about starting school and meeting people.

Piper Green and the Fairy Tree (series) by Ellen Potter, llustrated by Qin Leng Three things you should know about Piper Green: She always says what’s on her mind (even when she probably shouldn’t); she rides a lobster boat to school; there is a Fairy Tree in her front yard.

Stella Batts (series) by Courtney Sheinmel, illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell Meet Stella Batts. She is eight years old and she loves to write.

Biographies and Non-Fiction

One Proud Penny by Randy Siegel A penny narrates the story of his life with humor and factual details.

The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin by Julia Finley Mosca A brief rhyming account of the childhood and work of Temple Grandin, an animal scientist who lives with high-functioning autism.

I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Made Her Mark by Debbie Levy Text and illustrations look at the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg the second woman justice named to the United States Supreme Court.

Elon Musk: This Book is About Rockets by Evan Loomis & Levi Bethune Elon Musk has helped to revolutionize banking, transportation, energy, and of course space travel. But how did he get to where he is? And what fuels him to reach for the next big thing? This book is about rockets, but maybe it's about something bigger, too.

Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Steven Salerno In this deeply moving and empowering true story, young readers will trace the life of the Gay Pride Flag, from its beginnings in 1978 with social activist Harvey Milk and designer Gilbert Baker to its spanning of the globe and its role in today's world. Award-winning author Rob Sanders's stirring text, and acclaimed illustrator Steven Salerno's evocative images, combine to tell this remarkable - and undertold - story. A story of love, hope, equality, and pride.

Follow the Moon Home: A Tale of One Idea, Twenty Kids, and a Hundred Sea Turtles by Philippe Cousteau and Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Melo So. A book about loggerhead sea turtles, and a girl's attempts to help save their babies from man- made light.

Poetry

Sakura’s Cherry Blossoms by Robert Paul Weston, illustrated by Misa Saburi Told in a series of tanka poems inspired by traditional Japanese verse, this story of one little girl’s immigration experience explores the healing power of friendship and the joy of finding the familiar in unexpected places.

Cricket in the Thicket: Poems about Bugs by Carol Murray Poetry about cool insects with accompanying fascinating facts.