Dear Parents,
As summer holidays are upon us and school work can be put aside for a while, the Lakefield Primary teachers would like to share the following information with you. We would like to emphasize the importance of continuing to read over the summer to and with your child. Your child has worked very hard throughout the year to attain their present reading level. Without your on going involvement and guidance of encouraging him/her to continue practicing this skill, the effects can be quite distressing. Research shows that children who do not read over the summer will drop significantly in their reading level. Here are a few suggestions for a great summer of reading. Enjoy!
Students Entering Grade 1
One Smile (McKinley)
- While walking through the park with her mother, a child smiles at a discouraged stranger and sets off a chain of events that spreads kindness and comes full circle.
Mister Seahorse (Carle)
- Mrs. Seahorse lays her eggs, after which Mr. Seahorse carries the eggs through the sea, greeting other fish fathers.
A Bad Case of Stripes (Shannon)
- A girl who is always concerned about what others think of her wakes up one day to discover she is covered with stripes.
The First Day of Winter (Fleming)
- In the first ten days of winter a child brings a snowman to life in a style similar to The Twelve Days of Christmas.
Hooway for Wodney Wat (Lester)
- Students in Rodney’s class make fun of him, because he can’t pronounce his name properly; but it is his speech problem that helps to punish the class bully.
Diary of a Fly (Cronin)
- While keeping a diary, the young fly records how hard it is to be an insect.
Dooby, Dooby, Moo (Cronin)
- Duck organizes the farm animals for a talent show at the country fair. The first prize is a trampoline
Beatrice Doesn’t Want To (Numeroff)
- Beatrice Doesn’t Like to Read, but a librarian changes her attitude during a story session in this humorous, well illustrated book.
Students Entering Grade 2
You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Stories to Read Together (Hoberman)
- This collection of short, rhythmic stories and cheerful art is designed to be read out loud by both child & adult.
Sylvia Jean, Drama Queen (Ernst)
-Although Sylvia Jean owns plenty of costumes, she struggles to come up with a costume for the big party.
Below (Crews)
- When Jack drops his action figure into a mysterious hole, he has to devise a rescue.
Crickwing (Cannon)
- Crickwing the cockroach saves the day for the leaf-cutter ants when their forest enemies attack them.
Amelia Bedelia Stories (Parish)
- Amelia Bedelia, who is a housekeeper, is very literal minded when others give her directions; the results are hilarious.
Once Upon an Ordinary School Day (McNaughton)
- Mr. Gee, the new teacher, changes “ordinary” when he challenges all the children to use their imaginations.
The House On East 88th Street (Waber)
- When Lyle the Crocodile appears in the bathtub of the Primm family, the family is very upset; but Lyle soon wins their hearts.
Students Entering Grade 3
The Girl who Loved Wild Horses (Goble)
- In this folk take, a Native-American girl prefers to live with the wild horses with which she feels happy and free, even though she loves her people.
Dear Max (Grindley)
- Max begins writing letters to his favorite author, D.J. Lucas. Together they share the problems of being a 9-year old who is being bullied and a famous author who is having trouble with her next book.
Mercy Watson to the Rescue (DiCamillo)
- Cute little pig Mercy is happy until the lights turn off at night, and she decides to join her owners in their bed.
Butterfly Buddies (Cox)
- In this transition to chapter book story, two students working together on a project study the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly and learn how important it is to feel accepted.
The Geronimo Stilton series mice, fantasy, mystery(Stilton)
- Geronimo Stilton is a mouse newspaper editor and journalist who travels the world to chase important interviews but winds up in the middle of adventures that involved solving intriguing mysteries.
Jigsaw Jones (Preller)
- Jigsaw Jones and his friends Mila put together pieces of information to solve various mysteries.
Mailing May (Tunnell)
- Five year old May wishes to visit her grandmother, but the train is too expensive. May’s father and cousin concoct a clever means of sending the child after all.
Babymouse (Holm)
- A little mouse whith a big imagination learns about true friendship and popularity.
Martin Bridge: Ready for Takeoff! (Kerrin)
- Martin means well, but his ideas don’t always turn out as expected. In three stand alone chapters, Martin deals with issues at home and school.
Students entering Grade 4
The World According to Humphrey (Birney)
- Humphrey, a classroom hamster, surveys his surrounding and finds ways to help the children in the class.
A to Z Mysteries (Roy)
- Elementary schoolers Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose work together to solve mysteries.
The Dangerous Snake and Reptile Club (San Souci)
- Brothers Bobby, Danny, and Mike decide to display the treasures they find on vacation and start a club with their friends.
Judy Moddy (McDonald)
- On the first of school, third grader Judy snaps out of her bad mood when she receives an assignment to create all about herself.
Shelter Dogs: Amazing Stories of Adopted Strays (Kehret)
- Tells the story of 8 dogs who were saved from the animal shelter and went on to better lives.
Clementine (Pennypacker)
- Clementine is a funny, energetic, third grader with a talent for getting in trouble and a heart of gold.
My Weird School series (Gutman)
- A fun series of books about school life that appeal to reluctant readers.
It Came From Beneath the Bed (Howe)
- Uncle Harold, who wrote books about Bunnicula, helps Howie, his dachshund nephew to write a story in which he saves the world from a science experiment gone wrong.
The Lunch Money (Clements)
- Hart is a popular boy sometimes “goofs off”. When he hits the music teacher with a rubber band, he is put in charge of the holiday concert. Both Hart and his teacher learn lessons.