2014 summer reading ( K-G2 )

Acclaimed picture book biographer Jeanette Winter has found her perfect subject: Jane Goodall, the great observer of chimpanzees. Follow Jane from her childhood in London watching a robin on her windowsill, to her years in the African forests of Gombe, Tanzania, invited by brilliant scientist Louis Leakey to observe chimps, to her worldwide crusade to save these primates who are now in danger of extinction, and their habitat. Young animal lovers and Winter's many fans will welcome this fascinating and moving portrait of an extraordinary person and the animals to whom she has dedicated her life. The Watcher was named a Best Book of the Year by the Boston Globe, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, and the Bank Street College of Education.

Ever since Unicorn moved into the neighborhood, Goat has been feeling out of sorts. Goat thought his bike was cool-until he saw that Unicorn could fly to school! Goat made marshmallow squares that almost came out right, but Unicorn made it rain cupcakes! Unicorn is such a show-off, how can Goat compete? When Goat and Unicorn share a piece of pizza, Goat learns that being a unicorn might not be all it's cracked up to be. And when Unicorn shows his admiration for Goat, it looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Practice makes perfect in this kick-butt fractured fairy tale. Why does this wolf think he can come to town and blow all the houses down? These three little pigs just aren't going to take it from that bully anymore! The first starts aikido lessons---he'll make mincemeat out of that wolf! His brother learns a little jujitsu--he'll chop that guy to pieces! But when the wolf actually appears, it turs out these two pigs aren't quite ready after all. Good thing their sister has been training every day to master some serious karate moves that save the day. KIYA!

A young boy learns that moose do not always follow the rules of proper pet behavior.

The first book in the Scaredy Squirrel series is a comical story of an endearing squirrel who learns what can happen when he’s brave enough to take a risk.

The boy in his green frog hat splashes in puddles Hoppy, hoppy, hoppy! while the old man curses the dang puddles. Can the boy s natural exuberance (and perhaps a cookie) cheer up the grouchy gentleman and turn the day around?

Ahoy me hearties! Join the Pants Pirates on a special treasure hunt. Grab your cutlass and sail on the Pirate Ship Black Bloomer past angry crocs, sharks in fancy pants and through gurgling swamps on a quest to find...the Pants of Gold! This hilarious new addition to the phenomenally successful Underpants series will not disappoint. You'll be yo-ho-ho-ing until the sails come down!

Illustrations and simple text explore the quiet moments of Christmas, such as searching for hidden presents, forgetting a line during a Christmas pageant, and listing for Santa's sleigh bells.

School is in session! But this is no ordinary kindergarten class. Meet sixteen young giant panda cubs at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda at the Wolong Nature Preserve. The cubs are raised together from infancy in a protected setting, where they grow strong. Under the watchful eyes of the scientists and workers, the cubs learn skills that will help prepare some of them to be released into the wild.

Ol' Mama Squirrel has raised many babies and kept them all safe from predators, but she may have met her match when a determined grizzly bear threatens to eat her entire family tree.

The inhabitants of Old Makimba's farm in Africa, including a baboon, an elephant, and a lion, are described, verse by verse. Includes facts about African animals.

Lucha Libre champion Niño has no trouble fending off monstrous opponents, but when his little sisters awaken from their naps, he is in for a no-holds-barred wrestling match that will truly test his skills.

Are you bored with being so proper? Do you want to have more fun? Mr. Tiger knows exactly how you feel. So he decides to go wild. But does he go too far? Bored with city life and the proper behavior it requires, Mr. Tiger has a wild idea that leads him to discover his true nature. From Caldecott Honor artist Peter Brown comes a story that shows there's a time and place for everything...even going wild. - Publisher.

Ling and Ting are identical twins that people think are exactly the same, but time and again they prove to be different.

A lonely girl draws a magic door on her bedroom wall and through it escapes into a world where wonder, adventure, and danger abound. Red marker in hand, she creates a boat, a balloon, and a flying carpet that carry her on a spectacular journey toward an uncertain destiny. When she is captured by a sinister emperor, only an act of tremendous courage and kindness can set her free. Can it also lead her home and to her heart's desire? With supple line, luminous color, and nimble flights of fancy, author-illustrator Aaron Becker launches an ordinary child on an extraordinary journey toward her greatest and most exciting adventure of all. - Jacket flap.

The bear's hat is gone, and he wants it back. Patiently and politely, he asks the animals he comes across, one by one, whether they have seen it. Each animal says no, some more elaborately than others. But just as the bear begins to despair, a deer comes by and asks a simple question that sparks the bear's memory and renews his search with a vengeance. A picture-book morality play about dishonesty.

"Dinosaurs and modern life collide in a very young picture book that clearly illustrates how big dinosaurs really were"-- Dinosaurs and modern life collide in a picture book that clearly illustrates how big dinosaurs really were.

Profiles a series of animals with unusual eyes and explains how such animals use their uniquely evolved eyes to gain essential information about the biological world. This book explain how, for most animals, eyes are the most important source of information about the world in a biological sense. The simplest eyes, clusters of light-sensitive cells, appeared about 600 million years ago.

The carrots that grow in Crackenhopper Field are the fattest and crispiest around and Jasper Rabbit cannot resist pulling some to eat each time he passes by, until he begins hearing and seeing creepy carrots wherever he goes.

The reader is invited to count the animals that have frightened the monkeys off the pages.

Korean American fourth-grader Clara Lee longs to be Little Miss Apple Pie, and when her luck seems suddenly to change for the better, she overcomes her fear of public speaking and enters the competition.

Having to take her younger sister along the first time she is invited to a birthday party spoils Rubina's fun, and later when that sister is asked to a party and baby sister wants to come, Rubina must decide whether to help.

Gerald the elephant and Snake fear that Piggie and Brian Bat will have so much fun together they will no longer need their best friends.

When a kitty discovers there is no cat food in the house, she decides to become very, very bad.