Students Entering Kindergarten

2011 Burlington Twp. Schools’

Summer Reading Selections

Consider some of the following books when making your

summer reading selections…

A big happy frog, a plump purple cat, a handsome blue horse, and a soft yellow duck-- all parade across the pages of this delightful book. Children will immediately respond to Eric Carle's flat, boldly colored collages. Combined with Bill Martin's singsong text, they create unforgettable images of these endearing animals.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?by Bill Martin Jr.

There are things to count all around you. If you look. And think. And see. Tana Hoban does — and so will the youngest reader who accompanies her through this book. Exciting photographs — reinforce by the number as word, as numeral, and as model set — show you how to count what you see, and make what you see count.

Count and Seeby Tana Hoban

One-hundred-and-one numbers climb the apple tree in this bright, rollicking, joyous book for young children. As the numerals pile up and bumblebees threaten, what’s the number that saves the day? (Hint: It rhymes with "hero"!) Read and count and play and laugh to learn the surprising answer. In this lively alphabet rhyme, all the letters of the alphabet race each other up the coconut tree. Will there be enough room? Oh, no -- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!

Chicka Chicka Books by Bill Martin Jr.

She was a perfect baby, and she had a perfect name. Chrysanthemum. When she was old enough to appreciate it, Chrysanthemum loved her name. And then she started school. "I'm named after my grandmother," said Victoria. "You're named after a flower." Chrysanthemum wilted. Life at school didn't improve. In fact, it got worse. Then the students were introduced to their music teacher, Mrs. Twinkle. Mrs. Delphinium Twinkle. And suddenly, Chrysanthemum blossomed....

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

The furnishings are few in this chilly Eskimo dwelling, but when Michael jumps in Mother's lap, the love between them warms the room, as ``back and forth, back and forth, they rock.'' Michael runs to get Dolly, then his carved boat, a reindeer blanket and even his puppy: the small rocking chair is full. When Baby cries, Mother insists there's room for her too, but Michael pouts and hides. All of them end up back in the chair, crowded but cozy; Michael admits, ``It feels good.'' It makes a reassuring point for little ones, who need to know that a mother's love is an expandable quantity.

On Mother’s Lapby Ann Herbert Scott

Die-cut holes in the cover reveal the "two big yellow eyes" of the title hobgoblin in Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley (first published in 1992). The sturdy laminated pages that follow also have die-cuts that show the monster's fleshy "long bluish-greenish nose," "a big red mouth with sharp white teeth" and more. But the text gives readers the confidence ("You don't scare me!") to take away its scary features with each succeeding page turn until he's gone-"and don't come back! Until I say so." A fun way to conquer fears.

Go Away, Big Green Monster

by Ed Emberley

Annie's sister Sophie won't eat her peas. Sophie's sister Annie is a know-it-all. Annie's sister Sophie refuses to be quiet. Sophie's sister Annie can't stop being bossy. In these three linked short stories, the two girls work out solutions to their differences and to common childhood problems -- foods touching on a plate, the difficulty of being quiet, the desire for a pet -- with wit, empathy, and moments every parent and child will recognize.

Don’t Let The Peas Touch

by Deborah Blumenthal

In this book With your little eye

Take a look And play "I spy”

This interactive book invites young children to play the classic "I spy" game. The rhymed verses give youngsters clues about who to look for in the detailed illustrations. Little ones will be delighted when they spy Tom Thumb, Jack and Jill, The Three Little Bears and many other nursery rhyme characters hiding in the pictures.

Each Peach, Pear, Plum

by Allen Ahlberg

A little rabbit bids goodnight to each familiar thing in his moonlit room. Rhythmic, gently lulling words combined with warm and equally lulling pictures make this beloved classic an ideal book.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret W. Brown

Grandmother and I are sitting on the big chair, rocking. We rock back and forth, and back and forth. Other people have laps for sitting on and backs for riding on. But when you have a cold or lighting is coming, nothing feels quite as right as rocking on Grandmother's lap, listening to the little tunes that she hums.

Grandmother and I by Helen W. Buckley

Little siblings of Duck and Goose fans rejoice! The stars of the bestselling Duck & Goose and Duck, Duck, Goose return in this board book for preschoolers, this time, to introduce basic opposites. Goose carries an oh so-heavy log, while duck easily balances a light-as-a-feather feather. Thistle is one fast bird, but Goose is slooo-w. And when Duck is sound asleep, Goose is wide awake.

What’s Up, Duck?by Tad Mills

Theodora loved her grandfather's old garden. His new apartment's balcony is too windy and small for a garden. But what appears to be a drawback soon leads to a shared burst of creativity as Theo and her Poppa decide to paint a new garden. As they work side by side -- sowing seeds with brushes and paint -- a masterpiece begins to take shape that transforms the balcony into an abundant garden. When Poppa goes away on holiday, Theo helps nurture the garden and it begins to take on a life of its own. This garden grows not from soil but from love, imagination and creativity. Readers will marvel at each stage of this fertile garden as it grows from seed to full flower, revealing the power of art to enrich our lives.

The Imaginary Garden

by Andrew Larsen

Harry is a white dog with black spots who loves everything . . . except baths. So one day before bath time, Harry runs away. He plays outside all day long, digging and sliding in everything from garden soil to pavement tar. By the time he returns home, Harry is so dirty he looks like a black dog with white spots. His family doesn't even recognize him!

Harry the Dirty Dog

by Gene Zion

In this nonfiction picture book, Ruth Heller gives us egg-layers rare and common. While most of us would have answered affirmatively to the question "Does this particular animal lay eggs?", we would not have been quick to list animals such as spiders, octopuses, and sharks. The book makes an excellent introduction to a study of eggs and egg-layers, an adjunct to a farm theme, or just a wonderful book for browsing.

Chickens Aren’t The Only Ones

by Ruth Heller

Messy Bessy Where’s My Homework?

by Harriet Ziefert

Bessie is trying to get ready for school, but her room is so messy she can't find anything! Will she locate her keys, her books, and her permission slip, and still get to school on time? Finding the missing objects amidst all the clutter of Bessie's messy room is a game that school-age children will relish. Roger De Muth's enchantingly detailed illustrations of Bessie's messy home will have readers eagerly helping Bessie find everything she needs to start her day.

Little blue and little yellow share wonderful adventures. One day, they can't find one another. When they finally meet, they are overjoyed. They hug until they become green. But where did little

blue and little yellow go? Are they lost?

Little Blue and Little Yellow

by Leo Lionni

Letting Swift River Goby Jane Yolen

Yolen's gently poetic text tells how the young Sally Jane witnesses the forming of the Quabbin Reservoir in western Massachusetts and, thereby, the unavoidable drowning of her Swift River valley town. Gradually the streets she traveled and the homes she played in are covered by water for the hungry city's (Boston's) needs. Since young readers caring about Sally Jane will see this plight through her eyes, they are sure to grasp the plot's historical relevance. But the author is telling more than a personal or even a regional story here. Sally Jane's mother's words at the book's end, recalled when the girl and her father are in a boat on the now-filled reservoir--``You have to let them go, Sally Jane''--speak wisely to all of us about our pasts.

Joyously colored animals, riding on a train to the zoo, offer youngsters a first introduction to numbers, number sets, addition and counting in this paperback reissue of Eric Carle's first picture book. A gatefold spread at the back of the book, featuring the whole wonderful animal train, adds to the fun!

One, Two, Three to the Zoo

by Eric Carle

The Biscuit Series

by Allyssa Capucilli

Let Biscuit introduce your child to the joys of independent reading. The little puppy's gentle nature and playful ways have made I Can Read® Biscuit books favorites with over a million emergent readers.

Jesse Bear What Will You Wear?

by Nancy Carlson

This lilting poem follows Jesse Bear and the things that he wears throughout the day. In the morning, he dons "my shirt of red pulled over my head," while at noon his apparel is "carrots and peas / And a little more please." Night time brings "sleep in my eyes / And stars in the skies / Moon on my bed / And dreams in my head." Degen's cheerful illustrations help capture the playful interaction between toddlers and parent.

Take a peek inside -- the dogs in this book are unlike any dogs you have ever seen. Who can resist page after page of these adorable pups? It's impossible not to have a favorite. Is it the tiny Shih Tzu or the big, fluffy Shetland sheepdog? This noisy alphabet book of dog sounds and commands will appeal to the dog lover in everyone.

The Dog From Arf! Arf! Arf! to ZZZZZ

by The Dog Artist Collection

Everyone loves The Little Engine That Could, that classic tale of the determined little engine that, despite its size, triumphantly pulls a train full of toys to the waiting children on the other side of a mountain. Now the great Loren Long (Mr. Peabody's Apples) has brilliantly re-illustrated this classic story, bringing it exuberantly to life for today's child. Get on board for the publishing event of the year.

The Little Engine That Could

by Watty Piper

Feast your eyes on these amazing creatures before they disappear. This stampede of wild animals, from Chinese Alligator to Grevy's Zebra, are so rare, they're all endangered. David McLiman's bold and playful illustrations transform each letter into a work of art, graphically rendered with animal characteristics. Scales, horns, even insect wings transform the alphabet into animated life. Once you take this eye-opening safari, you'll never look at letters or animals with the same way again. A striking work of art and a zoological adventure, "Gone Wild" is sure to be loved by children and adults alike.

Gone Wildby David McLiman

Rainbow Fish will enchant even the youngest child with his silver scales and heart of gold in this award-winning book about the beautiful fish who learned to share his most prized possession.

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

A square is just a square until it becomes a house in this clever book. A circle becomes a spinning ferris wheel, and when you add some string and a tail to a diamond shape, it becomes a kite flying high in the sky! With sprightly rhymes and energetic illustrations filled with hidden shapes, Dayle Ann Dodds and Julie Lacome reveal that shapes are everywhere. Encouraged by this entertaining introduction to an important first concept, young children will eagerly begin to identify shapes in the world around them.

The Shape of Things by Dayle Ann Dodds

A caterpillar hatches out of his egg and is very hungry. On his first day, he eats through one piece of food; on his second, two, and so on. Little holes cut in the pages allow toddlers to wiggle their fingers through the food, just like the caterpillar. Vivid and colorful illustrations and ingenious layered pages help preschoolers learn the days of the week, how to count, and how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

You may have tangible wealth untold:

Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.

Richer than I you can never be–

I had someone who read to me.

by Strickland Gillilan

**Special thanks to our BTHS students who read the synopses, which were featured on Barnes and Noble and Amazon websites.