Summer 2010 Reading List for Grade 2

FICTION

 

Barrows, Annie.  Ivy and Bean Doomed to Dance.

Second-graders Ivy and Bean beg for ballet lessons, then, when they are cast as squids in their first recital, they want out.

 

Brisson, Pat.  Hot Fudge Hero.

In each of three episodes, which involve an unfriendly neighbor, his sister, or his mom, Bertie succeeds in being rewarded with his favorite, a hot fudge sundae.

 

Brown, Marc and Krensky, Stephen.  Arthur and the Double Dare. 

Unhappy about how much homework they have to do, Arthur and his friends dare each other to skip school.  If you enjoy this book, look for others in the Marc Brown Arthur Chapter Book series.       

 

Byars, Betsy.  Tornado.

As they wait out a tornado in their storm cellar, a family listens to their farmhand tell stories about the dog that was blown into his life by another tornado when he was a boy.

 

Cazet, Denys.  Minnie and Moo:  The Case of the Missing Jelly Donut.

Cow friends Minnie and Moo search for a jelly donut thief who may have left behind a blue feather.

 

Child, Lauren.  Clarice Bean, Guess Who’s Babysitting?

When her Uncle Ted, the fireman, comes to stay with Clarice and her brothers and sister while her mother is away, things get somewhat hectic.

 

Christopher, Matt.  The Dog That Stole Football Plays.

A boy and his psychic dog are able to steal plays from the opposing football team.

 

DiCamillo, Kate.  Mercy Watson: Something Wonky This Way Comes.

The beguiling pig created by Newbery Medalist DiCamillo ("The Tale of Despereaux") is back in a tale full of treats, tricky turns, hijinks, and high humor, in which she creates some Halloween havoc.

 

Fleming, Candace.  Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!

After planting the garden he has dreamed of for years, Mr. McGreely tries to find a way to keep some persistent bunnies from eating all his vegetable.

 

Grey, Mini.  Traction Man Meets Turbodog

Traction Man, an action figure, teams up with the high-tech but not-so-bright Turbodog to rescue Scrubbing Brush, his missing sidekick, from the terrible underworld of the bin.

 

Henkes, Kevin.  Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse.

Lilly loves everything about school, especially her teacher, but when he asks her to wait a while before showing her new purse, she does something for which she is very sorry later.

 

Himmelman, John.  Chickens to the Rescue.

Farmer Greenstalk’s family is plagued by minor mishaps, but, never fear, his unflappable fowl are ready to rush in and save the day.  Himmelman’s uproarious artwork abounds with laugh-out-loud details as the plucky pullets perform each task with efficiency and elan.

 

Howe, James.  Pinky and Rex and the Perfect Pumpkin.

When Rex accompanies Pinky and his relatives on their trip to pick pumpkins, she feels left out because of the behavior of Pinky's cousin Abby.

 

Hurwitz, Joanna.  Elisa in the Middle.

Five-year-old Elisa has an older brother and a new baby brother, but her elderly neighbor says the middle is the best, just like the filling in a sandwich.

 

Hurwitz, Joanna. Russell Sprouts.

Home and school adventures of Russell, age six and growing up fast.

 

Juster, Norman.  The Hello, Goodbye Window.

The first picture book by the author of the classic "The Phantom Tollbooth" tells the story of a little girl who finds a magic gateway in the kitchen window of her grandparents' house, and the voyage of discovery she takes.  The 2006 Caldecott Medal Winner.

 

Kline, Suzy.  Song Lee in Room 2B.

Spring becomes a memorable time for Miss Mackle's second-grade classroom because of the antics of Horrible Harry and the special insights of shy Song Lee.

 

Krensky, Stephan.  Lionel and His Friends.

Lionel and his friends have dinner, trade sandwiches at school, eavesdrop on Louise and Emily, and play baseball.

 

Lowry, Lois.  Gooney Bird Is So Absurd.

The fourth hilarious title in Lowry's popular Gooney Bird series. Mrs. Pidgeon is teaching her class about poetry. Who knew there could be so many different ways to write a poem? Haikus, couplets, limericks--Gooney Bird Greene and the rest of the class soon find that writing good poetry takes a lot of hard work and creative thinking.

 

Muth, Jon J.  Zen Shorts.

In Muth’s story of inquisitive siblings who befriend a wise panda and learn three lessons, luminous watercolors and starkly contrasting Asian-inspired brush paintings elegantly convey gentle, timeless messages about self-knowledge and acceptance.  A 2006 Caldecott Honor Book.

 

O’Malley, Kevin.

Captain Raptor and the Space Pirates.

Planet Jurassica is under siege. The sinister space pirates have raided the Imperial palace and stolen the famous Jewels of Jurassica. This looks like a job for . . . Captain Raptor!. . . hero of a thousand space missions; champion of truth, justice, and dinosaurs in space throughout the galaxy. If anyone can track down those marauding space pirates, it’s Captain Raptor.

Once Upon A Cool Motorcycle Dude.

A girl and a boy cooperatively write a fairy tale for school involving a princess, her ponies, a giant, and a biker.

 

Palatini, Margie.  Lousy Rotten Stinkin’ Grapes.

Retells the fable of a frustrated fox that, after many tries to reach a high bunch of grapes, decides they must be sour anyway.

 

Park, Barbara.  Junie B. Jones and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake.

Junie, a spunky, sometimes exasperating, kindergartener, looks forward to winning lots of prizes at the school carnival, but a fruit cake was not exactly what she had in mind.

 

Pilkey, Dav.  Dragon’s Fat Cat.

Dragon finds a fat cat in the snow outside his house, brings it inside, and soon has a family.

 

Porte, Barbara Ann.  Harry’s Mom.

Even though Harry's mother died when he was one, he still has loving family members who can tell him how brave and wonderful she was.

 

Rylant, Cynthia.  Henry and Mudge.

Henry, feeling lonely on a street without any other children, finds companionship and love in a big dog named Mudge.

 

Salley, Coleen.  Epossumondas Plays Possum.

Forgetting his mother's warnings, Epossumondas goes into the swamp alone then must play dead as he hears frightening sounds he thinks is the dreaded loup garou.

 

Shannon, David.  Duck on a Bike.

A duck decides to ride a bike and soon influences all the other animals on the farm to ride bikes too.

 

Sharmat, Marjorie.  Nate the Great Goes Undercover.

Nate the Great takes on his first night case and tries to solve the mystery of the garbage snatcher.

 

NONFICTION

 

Aliki.  Digging Up Dinosaurs.

Briefly introduces various types of dinosaurs whose skeletons and reconstructions are seen in museums and explains how scientists uncover, preserve, and study fossilized dinosaur bones.

 

Branley, Franklin.  The Big Dipper.

Explains basic facts about the Big Dipper, including which stars make up the constellation, how its position changes in the sky, and how it points to the North Star.

 

Brighton, Catherine.  The Fossil Girl: Mary Anning’s Dinosaur Discovery.

In simple cartoon style, tells the story of a twelve-year-old English girl's discovery of an ichthyosaurus skeleton.

 

Cole, Joanna.  The Magic School Bus series.

 

Gibbons, Gail.  The Planets.

Discusses the movements, location, and characteristics of the nine known planets of our solar system.

 

Gibbons, Gail. Monarch Butterfly.

Describes the life cycle, body parts, and behavior of the monarch butterfly. Includes instructions on how to raise a monarch.

 

Hopkins, Lee Bennett.  Good Books, Good Times!

An anthology of poems about the joys of books and reading.

 

Jenkins, Steve. 

Dogs and Cats.

It’s two paws up for this unique look into the worlds of cats and dogs.  Spectacular, colorful torn paper illustrations of everyone’s favorite pets reveals their history, traits and amazing facts.  Find out all about dogs and then flip the book over to explore the lives of cats.

Living Color.

Red, purple, green, yellow … discover how animals use colors to say “Look at me!” or “Don’t touch.”  Over sixty animals are realistically and strikingly illustrated in paper collage.  Exciting and informative.

 

King, Martin Luther, Jr.  I Have A Dream.

Contains the complete text of the civil rights leader's speech, accompanied by illustrations of African American artists who have been the recipients of the Coretta Scott King Award or Honor.

 

Markle, Sandra.  Little Lost Bat.

A veteran science writer shares the story of an orphaned Mexican free-tailed bat as he is adopted and nurtured by a surrogate mother bat.  Part of a 20,000 --- member Texan cave community, the realistic illustrations give an accurate view of an amazing chiropteran ecosystem.  A must for budding bat enthusiasts.

 

Pinkney, Andrea Davis.  Sojourner Truth’s Step-Stomp Stride.

A celebrated author-illustrator team tells the story of one of the most unique and courageous women in American history, Sojourner Truth, who worked relentlessly to end slavery and ensure freedom for all.

 

Pringle, Laurence.  Bats!:  Strange and Wonderful.

A look at Earth's only flying mammal describes the various kinds of bats and how they live, and demonstrates how bats help the environment by eating mosquitoes and aiding in plant reproduction.

 

Schachner, Judith Byron.  Knock, Knock!.

Knock, Knock!  Who’s there?  Noah.  Noah who?  Noah great book of hilarious knock knock jokes, written by 14 well-known and talented children’s book artists?  The jokes may be familiar, but it’s the rollicking illustrations that make this one of the funniest books around!  Share the laughs with someone you love.

 

Wheeler, Lisa.  Mammoths on the Move.

“Stepping, stomping, marching, tromping.  Watch out, wooly mammoths!”  The rhyming text sings as the dramatic scatchboard-and-watercolor paintings portray the migratory journey of these fascinating prehistoric creatures.

 

Also try Seymour Simon’s books about planets, weather, animals or seasons.  Mr. Simon’s books are great to read aloud to nonfiction-loving second graders.

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