For Other Professionals
Summer Reading
2011 Big Summer Read
Recommended Books for 3-6 Year Olds
Take a look at these books and decide which ones would resonate with the children in your life. Remember that you know the children in your life best. Older and younger children may enjoy these books, too!.
Browse through the recommended books below or download the guide as a one-page handout you can easily take to the library or store.
- Download the 2011 guide for 3-6 year olds (419K PDF)*
Baseball is America's pastime — even for nocturnal animals like bats! As in the other books about these engaging creatures, the fun is seeing them wear baseball togs as they prepare for and play the game. Rhyming text and realistic illustrations highlight spectators and players.
Changing perspectives, beginning with an up-close view of a bee, challenges readers to tell the story in this wordless book again and again. The flat forms and colors gradually reveal an unusual friendship and unique journey to be visited many times.
Stunning yet accurate illustrations accompany a gently rhyming, rhythmic text to introduce the behavior of a variety of birds. Brief information about the birds shown encourages young readers to want to learn more about these handsome creatures.
Clink is a robot that used to be state of the art; now he's outdated and missing parts. Nobody wants Clink until he meets Milton, a boy who brings out the best in Clink and gives him a new home. The satisfying story is illustrated with full color illustrations.
Cloudette, a small cumulus, has a crisis of confidence when she compares herself to the more dramatic clouds. One day, however, Cloudette finds herself far from the others and learns that even the smallest can make a big difference. Cartoon illustrations effectively convey emotions.
The narrator (always within her mother's sight) independently picks berries for jam. When she encounters a bee she remembers to stand still until it leaves. The same encounter is told again from the bee's perspective for a satisfying story told in rhyme with expressive illustrations.
Folks often resist change, even when it came to improving roads and modes of transportation in a growing United States. An informal text and informative but relaxed illustrations capture the essence of this history, suggesting what may be next. Additional resources are included.
Max, Ruby, and friends are back for a series of short everyday adventures. They cook and open a restaurant, learn to swim and save a special buddy, and more. Humorous, textured illustrations in a large format are just right for bedtime (or anytime) sharing.
Who would have thought that a child's stuffed toy, interest in the outdoors and animals, and childhood dreams would predict her future work and life? This picture book biography of Jane Goodall's early life does just that, effectively placing actual photographs of young Jane and her toy chimpanzee at the opening and conclusion of this simple but effective sketch.
Having a wildly imaginative big sister is great — except when she goes off with a friend. Comic illustrations combine with a child-like narration to reveal the ups and downs of being the youngest of a sibling pair. Readers are sure to recognize the emotions in this inventive tale.
Tom rides his new red bike to his friend's house but the bike disappears when he knocks at Sam's door. Sam has taken it for a spin, much to Tom's irritation. Expressive illustrations and minimal text depict the friendship, chagrin, and ultimate resolution in a satisfying saga.
At the start, the square was perfect and red but things change and so does the square. In a series of images accompanied by playful language, the red square changes into different forms and colors, challenging the reader to think literally outside of the box — that perhaps change isn't such a bad thing after all.
When Bad Bart who was the "biggest, burliest pirate this side of the Atlantic" meets Mean Mo, "maddest, mightiest pirate this side of the Pacific," an unwinnable competition ensues that ends in romance. The rollicking pirate adventures are told with verve and humor.
From Monday through Sunday, Silly Lilly tries on a new role each day — from vampire to teacher, ending the week as candy taster. Simplified comic book panels are sure to help new readers comprehend the story as they make meaning from word and image.
Norris was a wise bear who appreciated that "plorringes were the best fruit of all." A mouse and raccoon also admired, and wanted the tasty treat — and so wise Norris shared it with them. Relaxed watercolors and simple language effectively convey the pain of waiting and the joy of friendship.
In the playful cadence of "The House that Jack Built, "a pot stirred by a maiden and her farm animals is used to create a tasty arroz con leche. Spanish words are used throughout but will be easily understood by all. A recipe and glossary complete this cheery, rhythmic tale.
Even though chickens Midge, Pip, and Dot discover that Rooster Sam cannot fly, they still admire and love him. Short vignettes in easy language about silly chickens on a farm combine with uncluttered illustrations to convey a range of silly and cocky fowl behaviors.
Stylized illustrations place readers in the 1920s and 1930s, a time when baseball was played on the streets, listened to on radio, and enjoyed in stadiums. A rhythmic text introduces some of the period's heroes while capturing its spirit.
"Things were quiet on the Tuckers' farm..." but really took off once a peacock came to live with them. The chickens become jealous and so trade places with the peacock with very funny results. Cartoon illustrations add humor and charm to the understated, appealing text.
A sly walrus evades the zookeeper, all the while hiding in plain sight: at a lunch counter, in a window display, and many equally obvious (and silly) places. After taking a swimming prize, the walrus returns to the zoo. Flat forms augment the understated comedy of this wordless tale.
While children in one part of the world doze, wash, or pick fruit, readers can lift a flap to see others singing, climbing a tree, or sleeping. Carefully formatted illustrations and brief text introduce maps, time zones, and different cultures with varying levels of complexity.
Proceeds from the sale of books purchased at Amazon.com help support the Reading Rockets project. Thank you!
