2nd Grade (Age 7)

Little Cherie is the cutest kitten in the litter, by she certainly isn’t the best behaved one. After she is sent to the corner to calm down, she finds a small crack that leads to a place called Little Friends Kindercare, filled wit friendly baby animals. But after being on the receiving end these rambunctious babies naughty behavior, Little Cherie returns home finally understanding that being cute can’t excuse thoughtless actions. This purrrrfect bedtime tale from a master storyteller addresses a problem that’s in the news and on parents’ minds. This lovable tale from Joyce Carol Oates and Mark Graham …

For the first to third grade set, spiders are fascinating and suitably gruesome, especially when looked at in EXTREME close-up. Amazing images show the beauty and otherworldliness of spiders. Simple, engaging text conveys basic information about spiders as well as cool and quirky facts. One stop-action montage shows a spider leaping twenty times its body length!

A girl. An iguana. An island. And e-mail. Meet Nim–a modern-day Robinson Crusoe! She can chop down bananas with a machete, climb tall palm trees, and start a fire with a piece of glass. So she’s not afraid when her scientist dad sails off to study plankton for three days, leaving her alone on their island. Besides, it’s not as if no one’s looking after her–she’s got a sea lion to mother her and an iguana for comic relief. She also has an interesting new e-mail pal. But when her father’s cell-phone calls stop coming and disaster seems near, Nim …

In this exciting volume there are 13 “folktales about heroes — regular sword-wielding, spear-throwing, villain-stomping, rescuing-type heroes who also happen to be female.” Feisty and fearless females, ranging from the Greek Atalanta to the Nigerian Nana Miriam, are all represented as strong and resourceful.

Otis has an antique shop crammed to the gills with stuff. So he’s delighted when someone comes in and buys it all. Next day, Suzie Gump arrives, the shop is empty, full of nothing, and Suzy loves it” and takes it all. Suzie has set a trend, and soon everybody is craving nothing” the stores are full of it. It’s only when there’s not even a towel for drying off after a bath that Suzie realizes she may have gone a bit too far. Funny and silly, this is another solid entry by Agee.

Officer Buckle knows more about safety than anyone else in Napville, but his dull presentations put his audiences to sleep. Enter Gloria, Napville’s new police dog. Gloria knows just how to liven up the safety speeches–as long as Officer Buckle’s back is turned!

Don’t be fooled by the title of this seriocomic ode to success; it’s not ‘Climb Every Mountain,’ kid version. All journeys face perils, whether from indecision, from loneliness, or worst of all, from too much waiting. Seuss’ familiar pajama-clad hero is up to the challenge, and his odyssey is captured vividly in busy two-page spreads evoking both the good times (grinning purple elephants, floating golden castles) and the bad (deep blue wells of confusion). Seuss’ message is simple but never sappy: life may be a ‘Great Balancing Act,’ but through it all ‘There’s fun to be done.’

Readers will laugh out loud as a pesky fly annoys family members, contaminates food, and is altogether a bother around the house. “He ate on the crust of the Apple pie. He bothered the Baby and made her cry. Shoo fly! Shoo fly! Shooo.” Aylesworth’s catchy, rhythmic refrain encourages kids to chant along, and Gammell’s wacky pictures with rainbow-colored splatters will keep their eyes dancing.