Read Aloud Ideas
Big Bad Detective Agency by “When the houses of the three pigs are ransacked, Wolf and the fourth pig form the Big Bad Detective Agency to find the real culprit” (OPAC).
Book Uncle and Me by "Every day, Yasmin borrows a book from Book Uncle, a retired teacher who has set up a free lending library on the street corner. But when the mayor tries to shut down the rickety book-stand, Yasmin has to...do something" (publisher).
A Boy Called Bat by "When his veterinarian mom brings home a stray baby skunk that needs rehabilitation before it can be placed in a wild animal shelter, Bat, who has autism, resolves to prove that he is up to the challenge" (OCLC).
Bunnicula by “Though scoffed at by Harold the dog, Chester the cat tries to warn his human family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire” (OPAC).
Elf Dog and Owl Head by "Quarantined with his family as a global plague ravages the world, Clay retreats to the woods where he meets a special little dog who leads him on surreal adventures where choosing the wrong path could cause them both to lose their way forever" (OPAC).
Fantastic Mr. Fox by “Three farmers, each one meaner than the next, all try to get rid of the fox and his family” (OPAC).
The School Is Alive! by “Sam Graves discovers that his elementary school is alive and plotting against the students, and, as hall monitor, it is his job to protect them, but he will need some help from his friends” (OPAC).
Skunk and Badger by “The last thing Badger wants is a roommate, and certainly not Skunk, but since the house does not belong to him he does not have a choice; and soon everything in Badger's quiet and ordered life studying rocks is turned upside down” (OPAC).
Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face by “Stinkbomb and his sister, Ketchup-Face, with help from King Toothbrush Weasel, go on an adventure to recover the stolen contents of their piggybank from a gang of rascally badgers” (OPAC).
The Year of the Dog by “Frustrated at her seeming lack of talent for anything, a young Taiwanese American girl sets out to apply the lessons of the Chinese Year of the Dog, those of making best friends and finding oneself, to her own life” (OPAC).
Hot Off the Presses
These are recently published books that may be of particular appeal. Many are the newest in a series.
Bo and the Witch: a Branches Book (Unicorn Diaries #10) by "When Charm, a young witch, crash lands in Sparklegrove Forest, Bo and the other young unicorns set out to help her with her flying skills and her confidence" (OPAC).
City Pals by "Isla's newest adventure takes her on an airplane to the big city where she speaks to a pigeon in need of assistance" (OPAC).
The Witch Get Witcher by "Convinced their principle is a witch, Andres and Desmond's next step is to find out if she is a good one or a bad one" (OPAC.)
Invasion of the Pugs (Pets Rule! #5) by "It is hard for Chihuahua Ember to decide which is worse: a pack of pugs who announce that they are aliens, or the dog park which is filled with large and overexcited dogs--but he is convinced that he and his animal friends must stop the pugs to save the world (for themselves)" (OPAC).
Cave of the Crystal Dragon (Dragon Masters #26) by "While trying to rescue their friend Griffith, Drake and Rori team up with a boy named Llew and try to gain the trust of a Crystal Dragon" (OPAC).
Sink or Swim! (Batcat Book #2) by "Batcat and Al the Ghost are great roommates--Batcat even shares their eye scream occasionally--but sometimes Batcat still craves solo them time. When Batcat visits the Mermaid Lagoon for a relaxing day of reading all by themself, they discover the local mermaids in hysterics all over the beach--so much for quiet day on the sand! " (publisher)
The Mystery of the Painted Fan by "Thoughtful and creative, Jacob is tired of being the baby of the family. He is ready to fully express himself in all of the ways that feel right to him, but not everyone seems as eager to accept change." (publisher).
Rise of the Green Flame (Kwame's Magic Quest #1) by "Eight-year-old Kwame is eager to start Juju School and learn calabash magic, yet none of the teachers can figure out what kind of magic is in his gourd. When one of Kwame's new friends is possessed by an evil magic, its power is revealed" (OPAC).
Mia Mayhem and the Wild Garden by "As part of her new mega-botany class at the Program for In-Training Superheroes, Mia Mayhem has to grow a plant from superseeds all on her own, but when her plant grows out of her control, she must find a way to stop the ensuing chaos" (OPAC).
Nonfiction
Alicia Alonso Dances On by "As a young girl in Cuba, Alicia Alonso practiced ballet in tennis shoes. Within a few years, she was in New York City, with a promising ballet career. But her eyesight began to fail...She found the strength and determination to return to the stage and become a prima ballerina" (publisher).
Ancient Egypt by "Presents a tour of what everyday life was like in ancient Egypt" (OPAC).
A Boy Named Isamu by "Imagines a day in the boyhood of Japanese American artist, Isamu Noguchi, while wandering through an outdoor market, through the forest, and then by the ocean, seeing things Isamu sees through the eyes of a young artist" (OPAC).
Brains! Not Just a Zombie Snack by "Brains. 78% water, 100% delicious. A zombie chef who has sworn off eating brains salivates over this super powerful organ. . . From learning about how the brain processes messages from our five senses, to learning why wrinkly human brains are so much more powerful than smooth mouse brains, this is an introduction to the organ that does it all" (publisher).
Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix by "Describes the popular street cook's life, including working in his family's restaurant as a child, figuring out what he wanted to do with his life, and his success with his food truck and restaurant" (OCLC).
A Leopard Diary by "Leopards are known for being shy and elusive, and leopard mothers are even more so. Imagine, then, having the rare opportunity to follow and photograph a mother leopard and her cubs" (OPAC).
Locomotive by "Details what the first passengers experienced as they traveled West on the transcontinental railroad in...1869" (OPAC).
Moonshot by "An illustrated account of the flight of Apollo 11 in 1969, the first manned mission to land on the moon" (OPAC).
The Museum of Odd Body Leftovers by "This illustrated tour of our 'leftover' body parts (like the appendix, or even goosebumps) introduces readers ... to the bizarre and fascinating science of evolution" (publisher).
The Truth about Bears by "A lighthearted nonfiction picture book, filled with useful facts about bears" (publisher).
With Great Power by "For Stan Lee, it was books of adventure, monsters, and magic that helped him transform from an ordinary boy to a superstar superhero creator" (OPAC).
More Ideas for Summer Reading
Yay for Vaycay! by "Sunny and Rosy's human is going on vacation and it's NO DOGS ALLOWED. But they don't mind--they're headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house for unlimited snuggles and as many pug snacks as they can eat" (publisher).
Peter and Ernesto: a Tale of Two Sloths by “Peter loves their tree and never wants to leave, while Ernesto loves the sky and wants to see it from every place on earth. So Ernesto leaves to have a grand adventure, and Peter stays behind and frets" (publisher).
The Pirate Who's Afraid of Everything by "Shivers, the pirate who's afraid of everything, battles a giant squid, discovers hidden treasures, and gets pooped on by a pigeon to save his parents from the clutches of evil" (publisher).
Bird and Squirrel On the Run! by “Squirrel, who is afraid of everything, teams up with Bird, who is fearless but grounded by a wounded wing, to head south for the winter, closely followed by Cat, who wants to eat them both” (OPAC).
Dragons and Marshmallows by "A girl, Zoey, and her cat, Sassafras, use science experiments to help a dragon with a problem" (OCLC).
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by "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" (publisher).
Eva's Treetop Festival by “Having a Bloomtastic Festival at school to celebrate spring is a great idea--but Eva Wingdale, a young owl, discovers that it is also a lot of work, and there is nothing wrong with asking her friends for help” (OPAC).
Game Over, Super Rabbit Boy! by “When King Viking and his evil robot army attack Animal Town, and kidnap Singing Dog, it is up to Super Rabbit Boy, with some help from Sunny and his video game console, to save the day” (OCLC).
The Princess in Black by “While having hot cocoa with the Dutchess, Princess Magnolia must sneak away to fight monsters as her alter ego the Princess in Black” (OPAC).
March of the Mini Beasts by "Three second-graders who love science get thrown in a wild spiral of adventures after meeting their reclusive neighbor, Dr. Gustav Bunsen. When Dr. Bunsen's growth ray hits a crate of animal figurines, the toys not only start growing, but also come to life" (publisher).
Yours Sincerely, Giraffe by “A lonely giraffe with no friends becomes pen pals with a penguin with the help of a friendly pelican” (OPAC).
Captain Pug by "Pug is going on a seafaring adventure. He's had jam tarts for breakfast. He's wearing a smart sailor suit. There's just one problem. Pug is afraid of the water!" (OPAC).
The Great Pet Escape by "A young graphic novel chapter book about the escape escapades of class pets at Daisy P. Flugelhorn Elementary School" (publisher).
Ella and Owen 1: the Cave of Aaaaah! Doom! by “A young dragon named Ella convinces her twin brother Owen to join her on a bold quest to find a wizard that will help cure Owen of his flaming cold” (OPAC).
Super Turbo Saves the Day! by ISBN: 9781481488853"After the last bell, classroom pet hamster Turbo becomes Super Turbo to fight evil, but he soon finds that he isn't the only super pet in town when he is forced to face an evil rat named Whiskerface” (OPAC).
The Infamous Ratsos by "Rat brothers Louie and Ralphie Ratso try to prove they can be as rough and tough as their father in the Big City, but every time they try to show how tough they are, they end up accidentally doing good deeds instead" (OCLC).
A Running Back Can't Always Rush by “Ten-year-old Danny Gohl, a football player at the Victory School for Super Athletes, learns that while his super speed is great on the football field, he needs to slow down when eating, doing homework, and finishing his chores” (OPAC).
Let's Get Cracking! by “Gordon Blue and his brother Benny, unlikely superheroes, must save Fowladelphia from Granny Goosebumps, who has filled the city with cookies that cause innocent chickens' feathers to fall off” (OPAC).
Lulu and the Duck in the Park by “Lulu, who loves animals, brings an abandoned duck egg to school, even though her teacher has banned Lulu from bringing animals to school ever again” (OPAC).
Meet the Bigfeet by “Blizz, a yeti, attends a family reunion, but he and his friends must be wary of a human photographer” (OPAC).
Tiger vs. Nightmare by "Tiger is a very lucky kid: she has a monster living under her bed. Every night, Tiger and Monster play games until it's time for lights out. Of course, Monster would never try to scare Tiger-- that's not what best friends do. But Monster needs to scare someone-it's a monster, after all. So while Tiger sleeps, Monster scares all of her nightmares away. Thanks to her friend, Tiger has nothing but good dreams. But waiting in the darkness is a nightmare so big and mean that Monster can't fight it alone" (publisher).
Mia Mayhem Is a Superhero! by “Eight-year-old Mia Macarooney is delighted to learn she is from a family of superheroes, but her acceptance into the Program for In Training Superheroes requires she take a placement exam” (OPAC).
Rise of the Earth Dragon by “Eight-year-old Drake is snatched up by the King's soldiers and taken to the castle where he is told by the wizard Griffith that he has been chosen to be a Dragon Master like Ana, Rori, and Bo--and his first task will be to discover whether his dragon, Worm, has any special powers” (OPAC).
All Paws on Deck by “Tank is a clumsy, outgoing Great Dane, and Haggis is a bored, curmudgeonly Scottie--so one afternoon Tank suggests they turn the wagon in the backyard into a ship and play pirate” (OPAC).
My Life in Pictures by “When budding artist Bea Garcia's best friend moves to Australia and a loud, rambunctious boy moves into her old house, Bea must learn to make new friends” (OPAC).
Spooky Sleuths #1: the Ghost Tree by "When Asim moves to a new town, he must save his new teacher when an evil spirit from Guyanese folklore begins to wreak havoc" (publisher)
