Dragonflies and Damselflies by Elaine Pascoe

This book is pleasing to the eye! There is information on collecting and caring for dragonflies -- Investigating dragonflies -- Some words about dragonflies -- Sources for dragonfly nymphs.

Elephants Can Paint Too! by Katya Arnold

How to be a Medieval Knight, by Fiona Macdonald. Clearly written with colorful and detailed illustrations about everything you want to know about the life of a knight off and on the battlefield. Part of a new series from National Geographic, How to Be a…

Owen & Mzee by Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, and Dr. Paula Kahumbu

The inspiring true story of two great friends, a baby hippo named Owen and a 130-yr-old giant tortoise named Mzee (Mm-ZAY). When Owen was stranded after the Dec 2004 tsunami, villagers in Kenya worked tirelessly to rescue him. Then, to everyone's amazement, the orphan hippo and the elderly tortoise adopted each other. Now they are inseparable, swimming, eating, and playing together. Adorable photos e-mailed from friend to friend quickly made them worldwide celebrities. Here is a joyous reminder that in times of trouble, friendship is stronger than the differences that too often pull us apart.

This title, which was a Caldecott Honor Book for 2006, is a tribute to the life of

Find It on a Coral Reef by Dee Phillips

This book is part of the series, Can You Find It? The images are beautiful with many close-ups, the text informative, and the layout is well-designed. The first 2-page spread is fun with a list of the animals covered in the book and big photograph of a coral reef for readers to search.

The Journey that Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margaret and H.A. Rey by Louise Borden

Chronicles the amazing World War II escape from Paris of authors Margret and H.A. Rey.

The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle : and Other Surprising Stories About Inventions By Don L. Wulffson
Brief factual stories about how various familiar things were invented, many by accident, from animal crackers to the zipper.

The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter

Alia Muhammad Baker secretly moves thirty thousand books into the safety of friends' homes when her government refuses to help get them out of the war zone.

Prehistoric Actual Size, by Steve Jenkins

Discusses and gives examples of the size of various prehistoric animals and portions of animals.

Time for Kids: Science Scoops – This new colorful and eye-catching series on a variety of topics for developing readers includes planets, dinosaurs, etc.

Coyote Raid in Cactus Canyon, by Jim Arnosky.

Four young coyotes harass the animals in a desert canyon until they run into a rattlesnake

that brings peace to the canyon again.

The Great Fuzz Frenzy, by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel.

Humorous account of when a tennis ball lands in a prairie-dog town, the residents find that their newfound frenzy for fuzz creates a fiasco.

Leo the Lightning Bug, by Eric Drachman
Leo was the littlest lightning bug that he knew. Not only was he little, he couldn’t make a light like all the other lightning bugs. Then one day after lots of practice, Leo finds the secret to making light - - and learns something about himself and the value of self-confidence.

The Neat Line: Scribbling Through Mother Goose by Pamela Duncan Edwards

Not Norman: A Goldfish Story, by Kelly Bennett

Norman, the goldfish, wasn’t the kind of pet the little boy had in mind. As he tries, unsuccessfully, to trade Norman for a "good pet," he learns that maybe he’s not so bad.

Sunny Boy: The Life and Times of a Tortoise by Candace Fleming
Sunny Boy, a 100-year-old tortoise, describes events in his life including the dangerous ride over Niagara Falls that he takes with his owner on July 5, 1930.

Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies by Carolyn Crimi

Henry is not your average pirate, even for a bunny. He likes reading the books the buccaneers steal from the other ships, and his father Black Ear is not exactly proud of him. Henry is lonely because the crew members make fun of him for reading. With all of his knowledge from books, Henry just might be able to save the day when a storm hits and the crew ends up on an island.

The Boy Who Grew Flowers by Jennifer Wojtowicz

Rink Bowagon lives with his quirky family on the hill. He doesn’t really fit in with his classmates, and even the teacher leaves him alone. Rink has a secret special trait of sprouting flowers all over his body on nights when there is a full moon. One day, Angelina, a new student comes to school, and she has a secret of her own. What will become of Rink? This is wonderful story about individual differences and friendship, written by a local author.

Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson

A mother passes on the tradition of making quilts, or "Show ways", that serve as secret maps for freedom seeking slaves.

Wild About Books – by Judy Sierra

The recipient of the 2005 E.B. White Read Aloud Award from the Association of Independent Children’s Booksellers, this title was recognized as the best read aloud book of the years 2005. The story follows the adventures of Molly, the bookmobile librarian, who accidentally drives her bookmobile into the zoo. Molly, the ever resourceful librarian, uses this unique opportunity to introduce the joys of reading to the animals of the zoo. Needless to say, the animals are soon "wild about reading". A great selection as a family read aloud.

Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth

When Stillwater the bear moves into the neighborhood, the stories he tells to three siblings teach them to look at the world in new ways.

Justin Robert is ten years old and likes computers, biking and peanut butter cups. But his passion is animals. When an uncommon pair of Common Loons takes up residence on Fourth Lake in the Adirondacks near the family camp, he will do anything he can to protect them.

Babymouse: Queen of the World! By Jennifer and Matthew Holm (graphic novel)

An imaginative mouse dreams of being queen of the world, but will settle for an invitation to the most popular girl's slumber party.

The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse : From the Tattered Casebook of Chet Gecko, Private Eye, by Bruce Hale. (Series: A Chet Gecko Mystery)

When hired by a fellow fourth-grader to find her missing brother, Chet Gecko uncovers a plot involving a Gila monster's revenge upon the school football team.

Gooney Bird and the Room Mother by Lois Lowry

Gooney Bird Greene, an entertaining second grader who introduces challenging vocabulary words and tells "absolutely true" stories, finds a surprise room mother to bring cupcakes for the Thanksgiving pageant.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Percy, expelled from six schools for being unable to control his temper, learns the truth from his mother that his father is the Greek god Poseidon, and is sent to Camp Half Blood where he is befriended by a satyr and the demigod daughter of Athena who join him in a journey to the Underworld to retrieve Zeus's lightning bolt and prevent a catastrophic war.

Magician’s Boy, by Susan Cooper.

A boy who works for a magician meets familiar fairy tale characters when he is transported to the Land of Story in search of a missing puppet. Easy fiction read for the beginning fantasy reader.

Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo

After Mercy the pig snuggles to sleep with the Watsons, all three awaken with the bed teetering on the edge of a big hole in the floor.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

Edward Tulane, a cold-hearted and proud toy rabbit, loves only himself until he is separated from the little girl who adores him and travels across the country, acquiring new owners and listening to their hopes, dreams, and histories.

Only Emma, by Sally Warner

Third-grader Emma's peaceful life as an only child is disrupted when she has to temporarily share her tidy bedroom with four-year-old Anthony Scarpetto, a bona fide "pain in the patootie."

Rodzina, by Karen Cushman

This story is told from the view-point of a twelve-year-old Polish American girl that is sent onto an orphan train from Chicago to the West. Because of her size she is often expected to take responsibility for the other children and hide her own fears about traveling and her future.

Small Steps by Louis Sachar

Three years after being released from Camp Green Lake, Armpit is trying hard to keep his life on track, but when his old pal X-Ray shows up with a tempting plan to make some easy money scalping concert tickets, Armpit reluctantly goes along. (For more mature readers.)

Surviving the Applewhites, by Stephanie S. Tolan

Jake, a budding juvenile delinquent, is sent for home schooling to the arty and eccentric Applewhite family's Creative Academy, where he discovers talents and interests he never knew he had.

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

While vacationing with their widowed father in the Berkshire Mountains, four lovable sisters, ages four through twelve, share adventures with a local boy, much to the dismay of his snobbish mother.

Wait Till Helen Comes : a Ghost Story, by Mary Downing Hahn

Molly and Michael dislike their spooky new stepsister Heather but realize that they must try to save her when she seems ready to follow a ghost child to her doom.

Wackiest White House Pets , by Gibbs Davis

Describes the various kinds of pets, including grizzly bears and alligators, kept at the White House by various presidents from George Washington to George W. Bush.

Whittington by Alan Armstrong

Whittington, a feline descendant of Dick Whittington's famous cat of English folklore, appears at a rundown barnyard plagued by rats and restores harmony while telling his ancestor's story.

(these books are recommended to go together)

The Butterfly by Patricia Polacco

During the Nazi occupation of France, Monique's mother hides a Jewish family in her basement and tries to help them escape to freedom.

Six Million Paper Clips by Peter W. Schroeder & Dagmar Schroeder-Hildebrand

Presents the story of a group of middle school students from Whitwell, Tennessee who began a project of collecting six million paper clips and building a memorial to the Jews who were victims of the Nazi Holocaust of World War Two.

*This list has been adapted from the Shenendehowa Central School Summer Reading lists.