Summer Reading 2021
For Kindergarteners Going Into First Grade
Welcome to Summer 2021!
This list was created by First Program Librarians featuring the recommendations of Dalton's rising second graders (class of 2032) and encompasses a wide variety of interests and reading levels. Over the break, as always, our top priority is to foster a love of reading in our students and our community.
Have a wonderful summer of reading!
All the best,
Jordy Samuels & Christine Nassar
FP Librarians
Symbols Key
* = Available on Sora though the First Program Library
(NY) = Available on Sora through the New York Public Library
(B) = Available on Sora through the Brooklyn Public Library
(Q) = Available on Sora through the Queen Public Library
(PL) = Available on Sora through the New York, Brooklyn, and Queens Public Libraries
Books recommended by students in the class of 2032
As of the week of June 14th, 2021
Picture Books
- Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña *(PL)
- We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom *(PL)
- Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio *(B, NY)
- Antoinette by Kelly DiPucchio (PL)
- Julia's House For Lost Creatures by Ben Hatke
- Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers *(PL)
- Outside, Inside by LeUyen Pham *(PL)
- Lift by Minh Lê (PL)
Picture Books About Adventure and Discovery
- Just in Case You Want to Fly by Julie Fogliano (PL)
- Max and Marla (series) by Alexandra Boiger
- Journey by Aaron Becker
- Quest by Aaron Becker
- Return by Aaron Becker
- The Three Pigs by David Wiesner (PL)
- Tuesday by David Wiesner
- After The Fall by Dan Santat *(PL)
- Drawn Together by Minh Lê *(PL)
- What If? by Samantha Berger
- The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce (Q)
- Frank and Lucky Get School by Lynne Rae Perkins
- The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen *(B)
- Max Explains (series) by Stacy McAnulty (Q)
Funny Picture Books
- Llama Destroys the World by Jonathan Stutzman *(PL)
- Llama Unleashes the Alpacalypse by Jonathan Stutzman *(PL)
- Tiny T. rex (series) by Jonathan Stutzman (PL)
- The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt *(PL)
- Stuck by Oliver Jeffers (B)
- Up and Down by Oliver Jeffers (NY, Q)
- The Great Paper Caper by Oliver Jeffers (B)
- This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers (B, NY)
- Be Quiet! by Ryan T. Higgins (B)
- Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins (PL)
- We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins *(PL)
- The Rock From the Sky by Jon Klassen (B, NY)
- This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen (B, NY)
- Sam & Dave Dig A Hole by Jon Klassen
- A Piglet Named Mercy by Kate DiCamillo (B)
- Dragons Love Tacos (series) by Adam Rubin *(PL)
- Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin (B, NY)
- Robosauce by Adam Rubin
- The Bear Who Wasn't There by LeUyen Pham *(NY)
- A Piece of Cake by LeUyen Pham
- Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris *(PL)
- Triangle by Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen *(PL)
- Circle by Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen *(PL)
- Square by Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen *(PL)
- The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat *(B)
- Rodzilla by Dan Santat *(B, NY)
- Dog In Charge by K. L. Going *(B, NY)
- Tiger in My Soup by Kashmira Sheth
- Harriet Gets Carried Away by Jesse Sima (B, Q)
- I Yam A Donkey by Cece Bell (PL)
- Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds *(PL)
- Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds *(PL)
Picture Books About Being Proud to Be Yourself
- Be Who You Are by Todd Parr *(NY, Q)
- Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry *(PL)
- The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson *(PL)
- Your Name Is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow *(PL)
- Not Quite Narwhal by Jesse Sima (B, Q)
- Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty *(PL)
- Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty *(PL)
- Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty *(PL)
- All Because You Matter by Tami Charles *(PL)
- Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho (PL)
- I Will Be Fierce by Bea Birdsong
- Bilal Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed *(PL)
- Danbi Leads the School Parade by Anna Kim *(PL)
- Not Quite Snow White by Ashley Franklin *(B)
- Where Are You From by Camille Saied Méndez (NY, Q)
- Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett
- Super Manny Stands Up by Kelly DiPucchio *
- Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes (B, NY)
Fiction Chapter Books
- Mercy Watson (series) by Kate DiCamillo *(PL)
- Inspector Flytrap (series) by Tom Angleberger *(PL)
- Magic Treehouse (series) by Mary Pope Osborne *(PL)
- Dory Fantasmagory (series) by Abby Hanlon (PL)
- Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot (series) by Dav Pilkey *(PL)
- Dragon Masters (series) by Tracey West *(PL)
- Ruby and the Booker Boy (series) by Derrick Barnes * (NY, B)
- Princess in Black (series) by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale *(PL)
- Mia Mayhem (series) by Kara West *(PL)
- Ivy + Bean (series) by Annie Barrows *(PL)
- Anna Banana (series) by Anica Mrose Rissi *(NY, B)
- Rainbow Magic (series) by Daisy Meadows (PL)
- The Major Eights (series) by Melody Reed *
- Layla and the Bots (series) by Vicky Fang *(PL)
- Unicorn Academy (series) by Julie Sykes (PL)
- Kingdom of Wrenly (series) by Jordan Quinn *(PL)
- Dragon Kingdom of Wrenly (series) by Jordan Quinn (PL)
- The 13-Story Treehouse (series) by Andy Griffiths (PL)
- Isadora Moon (series) by Harriet Muncaster *(PL)
- Sofia Martinez (series) by Jacqueline Jules *(PL)
- Jasmine Toguchi (series) by Debbi Michiko Florence *(PL)
- Horrible Harry (series) by Suzy Cline (B, Q)
- Katie Woo (series) by Fran Manushkin *(PL)
- Pedro (series) by Fran Manushkin *(PL)
- Yasmin (series) by Saadia Faruqi *(PL)
- Frog and Toad (series) by Arnold Lobel *(PL)
- Beasts of Olympus (series) by Lucy Coats (B)
- Owl Diaries (series) by Rebecca Elliott *(PL)
- Unicorn Diaries (series) by Rebecca Elliott *(PL)
- Isle of Misfits (series) by Jamie Mae
- Sports Stories (series) by Jake Maddox (NY, Q) <- also available as graphic novels
- Heidi Heckelbeck (series) by Wanda Coven *(PL)
- Henry Heckelbeck (series) by Wanda Coven *(PL)
- Whatever After (series) by Sarah Mlynowski *(PL)
- Rider Woofson (series) by Walker Styles *
Graphic Novels
- The Bad Guys (series) by Aaron Blabey *(PL)
- Narwhal and Jelly (series) by Ben Clanton *(PL)
- Bunbun & Bonbon (series) by Jess Keating (PL)
- Pea, Bee, and Jay (series) by Brian "Smitty" Smith *(PL)
- Peanut Butter, and Crackers (series) by Paige Braddock (B)
- Written and Drawn by Henrietta by Liniers
- Bots (series) by Russ Bolts *(PL)
- Press Start (series) by John Flintham *(PL)
- Baby Mouse (series) by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm *(PL)
- The Great Pet Escape by Victoria Jamieson (B, Q)
- Bird & Squirrel (series) by James Burk
- Poppy & Sam (series) by Cathon
- The Yeti Files by Kevin Sherry
- Lunch Lady (series) by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (PL)
- Bug Boy (series) by Laura Knetzger (PL)
- Peter & Ernesto (series) by Graham Annable (B, PL)
- Cici: A Fairy's Tale (series) by For Doerrfeld *(B, Q)
- Star Wars: The Original Trilogy
Nonfiction
- National Geographic (numerous and varied titles available through the FP Library website and on Sora through the FP Library and all public libraries by searching "National Geographic")
- Alphabreaths: The ABCs of Mindful Breathing by Christopher Willard & Daniel Rechtschaffen*
- A Hatful of Dragons by Vikram Madan (PL)
- What Can a Citizen Do? by Dave Eggers *(PL)
- Tomorrow Most Likely by Dave Eggers *(PL)
- A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood by Fred Rogers *(B, NY)
- Shark Lady by Jess Keating *(PL)
- Hands & Hearts: With 15 Words in American Sign Language by Donna Jo Napoli
- The Brain is Kind of A Big Deal by Nick Seluk *
- The Sun is Kind of a Big Deal by Nick Seluk *
- Hard-Boiled Eggs for Breakfast by Jack Prelutsky (PL)
- Locomotive by Brian Floca *(B, NY)
- Keeping the City Going by Brian Floca (PL)
- Earth!: My First 4.54 Billion Years by Stacy McAnulty (Q)
- Sun!: One in a Billion by Stacy McAnulty (Q)
- Moon!: Earth's Best Friend by Stacy McAnulty (B, Q)
- Mars!: Earthlings Welcome by Stacy McAnulty (PL)
- Ocean!: Waves for All by Stacy Mcanulty (PL)
Additional Resources
Public Libraries
While our Dalton libraries are physically closed, public libraries are open and ready for summer reading! In addition to those reopening for in-person browsing and checkouts, many offer fantastic digital resources, including greater access to e-books and audiobooks. For information on virtual resources and programming, please visit:
New York Public Library (serving Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island)
You can also very easily add any libraries to which you belong on Sora (New York, Brooklyn, Queens Public Libraries, or any others) and search their collections in addition to Dalton offerings. Please note that the NYPL, Brooklyn, and Queens Public Libraries also include Young Adult selections when you connect to their collections on Sora.
Further Book Lists
For those seeking additional book lists, we recommend the following online resources:
The Association for Library Service to Children
The Horn Book Summer Reading List 2021
We Need Diverse Books, and the OurStory App
Here Wee Read, including their "Reading Together Summer Reading Challenge"
Dog Man & Friends Summer Camp
This summer, Scholastic is offering a free, virtual Dog Man & Friends Summer Camp. "Starting June 21st, get ten weeks of FREE, fun downloadable activities for kids ages 6-12 featuring characters from Dav Pilkey’s books." For details, visit the Scholastic website.
Book Purchasing
For families buying books, please consider purchasing directly from local independent bookstores who could use the support. We also highly recommend Bookshop, an online book delivery service, designed to work with independent book stores rather than compete with them.
We encourage you to read books with your child that you both love and are able to read a little bit of each day.