The book list provided below is a good resource for choosing books that are on your grade level.  The books are organized by topic for easy reference.  First grade is listed first, then scroll down for second grade.  Happy reading!

Summer Reading for First Grade

FICTION

All About Friends

Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel

Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows

Margaret and Margarita: Margarita y Margaret by Lynn Reiser

My Best Friend by Pat Hutchins

There Is a Bird on Your Head ! by Mo Willems

Widget by Lyn Rossiter McFarland

Books About the Joy of Reading

Aunt Chip & the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair by Patricia Polacco

The Boy Who Loved Words by Roni Schotter

Carlo and the Really Nice Librarian by Jessica Spanyol

Edward a nd the Pirates by David McPhail

Max's Words by Kate Banks

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman

Books About Nature

The Apple Pie That Papa Baked by Lauren Thompson

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson

The Big Snow by Berta and Elmer Hader

Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French

The Snow Leopard by Jackie Morris

Winter's Eyes by Douglas Florian

Books About School

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker

The Dot by Peter Reynolds

Emily's First 100 Days of School by Rosemary Wells

Little Cliff's First Day of School by Clifton L. Taulbert

Miss Smith's Incredible Story Book by Michael Garland

The New Girl ... and Me by Jacqui Robbins

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary

Books to Calm Anxieties

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

Is a Worry Worrying You by Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz

Oh Brother! by Nikki Grimes

Books with a Positive Message

Big Bug Surprise by Julia Gran

Dad, Jackie and Me by Myron Uhlberg

Elena's Serenade by Campbell Geeslin

The Empty Pot by Demi

Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant

How to Be a Good Dog by Gail Page

I Knew You Could by Craig Dorfman

Raggedy Ann's Wishing Pebble by Johnny Gruelle

What's So Bad About Being An Only Child? by Cari Best

Classic Childhood Favorites

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes

I Wish That I Had Duck Feet by Theo. LeSieg

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

The Stories Julian Tells by Ann Cameron

Fantasy Books

Fairytale News by Colin and Jacqui Hawkins

Fin M’Coul, The Giant of Knockmany Hill by Tomie DePaola

Flotsam by David Wiesner

The Flower by John Light

The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum by Kate Bernheimer

Goldilocks and the Three Martians by Stu Smith

Hot Hot Hot by Neal Layton

How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long

Tuesday by David Wiesner

Mysteries

Aunt Eater Loves a Mystery by Doug Cushman

Minnie and Moo and the Case of the Missing Jelly Donut by Denys Cazet

Young Cam Jansen & The Lost Tooth by David Adler

Private I. Guana: The Case of the Missing Chameleon by Nina Laden

Historical Fiction

Almost to Freedom by Vaunda Nelson

Why Don’t You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? by Jean Fritz

Seasonal Stories

Seasonal Stories by Jean Luc Fromental

Stella, Queen of the Snow by Marie Louise Gay

Silliness and Humor

Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin

Frankie Stein by Lola M. Schaefer

George Washington’s Cows by David Small

The Giant Hug by Sandra Horning

Hi! Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold

I Lost My Bear by Jules Feiffer

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Oops! by Alan Katz

Sally and the Some-Thing by George O’Connor

Smash! Mash! Crash! There Goes the Trash! by Barbara Odanaka

So, What’s It Like to Be a Cat? by Karla Kushkin

Tacky and the Winter Games by Helen Lester

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold

Sports

Out of the Ballpark by Alex Rodriguez

Ballerina Girl by Kirsten Hall

NONFICTION

The Arts

M is for Music by Kathleen Krull

Museum ABC by Brown

The Shape Game by Anthony Browne

Biographies

Mae Jemison by Nancy Polette

Picasso and Minou by P.I. Maltbie

Teammates by Peter Golenbock

Health

A Cool Drink of Water by Barbara Kerley

Looking After Myself by Sarah Levete

History

Aliens Are Coming! The True Account of the 1938 War of the Worlds Radio

Broadcast by Meghan McCarthy

Castle: Medieval Days and Knights by Kyle Olmon

G is for Golden: A California Alphabet by David Domeniconi

The Pilgrim’s First Thanksgiving by Ann McGovern

Thanksgiving is For Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland

Science and Nature

The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle: A Story About Recycling by Alison Inches

The Beetle Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta

Carolina’s Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too! by Donna Rathmell

Chameleon, Chameleon by Joy Cowley

The Icky Bug Counting Book by Jerry Palotta

The Nature Treasury: A First Look at the Natural World  by Lizann Flatt

The Polor Bears’ Home: A Story About Global Warming by Lara Bergen

The Reptiles by Simon Holland

The Three R’s: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle by Nuria Roca

Uneversaurus by Aidan Potts

Water Boy by David McPhail

Why Do Leaves Change Color by Betsy Maestro

Summer Reading for Second Grade

 FICTION

Adventure

 Adventures of Taxi Dog by Debra & Sal Barracca

Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr

Sneakers, the Seaside Cat by Margaret Wise Brown

 All About Friends

 Dear Max by Sally Grindley

Dogku by Andrew Clements

 Fox and His Friends by Edward Marshall

 We Are Best Friends by Aliki

 Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel

Books About Art

 Painted Dreams by Karen Lynn Williams

 Books About the Joy of Reading

 Clara and the Bookwagon by Nancy Smiler Levinson

 Could You? Would You? By Trudy White

 Evangeline Mudd and the Golden-Haired Apes of the Ikkinasti Jungle by David Elliott

 Mom and Dad Are Palindromes by Mark Shulman

 Mr. George Baker by Amy Hest

 My Dad’s a Birdman by David Almond

 Once Upon a Time by Niki Daly

 The Random House Book of Poetry for Children by Jack Prelutsky

Books About School

 A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech

 It’s Test Day, Tiger Turcotte by Turcotte

 Maltilda by Roald Dahl

 Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard

Books with Positive Messages

  Brundibar by Tony Kushner

 Building with Dad by Carol Nevius

 Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog by Pamela S. Turner

 Lassie Come-Home by Rosemary Wells

Mr. Peabody’s Apples by Madonna and Loren Long

Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan

Sam and the Lucky Money Karen Chinn

Velma Gratch & the Way Cool Butterfly by Alan Madison

 Classic Childhood Favorites

 The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

 Little Toot by Hardie Gramatky

 Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

 The Puppy Sister by S. E. Hinton

Fantasy Books

 Atomic Ace (He’s Just My Dad) by Jeff Weigel

The Bee-Man of Orn by Frank R. Stockton

 Dinosaurs Before Dark, Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne

 Duck for President by Doreen Cronin

 Dude, Where’s My Spaceship?  by Dan Greenburg

 Hansel and Gretel by Rika Lesser

 The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

Roger the Jolly Pirate by Brett Helquist

 Space Station Mars by Daniel San Souci

 Tales Our Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic Folktale Collection by F. Isabel Campoy

 The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith

 Why the Sky is Far Away: A Nigerian Folktale by Mary-Joan Gerson

 Traction Man Is Here! By Mini Grey

 The Worst Witch at School by Jill Murphy

 Winter of the Ice Wizard, Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope

Historical Fiction

Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki

 Chig and the Second Spread by Gwenyth Swain

 The Enchanted Dolls’ House by Robyn Johnson

Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson

Mysteries

 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Babe Ruth Baseball by David Adler

 Julian, Secret Agent by Ann Cameron

 The Seven Treasure Hunts Besty Byars

 Tuff Fluff: The Case of Duckie’s Missing Brain by Scott Nash

Seasonal Stories

 Babymouse: Skater Girl by Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm

 Come on, Rain by Karen Hesse

 Marja’s Skis by Jean E. Pendziwol

 Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

Poppleton in Winter by Cynthia Rylant

 The Race of the Birkebeiners by Lise Lunge-Larsen

 Snow Wonder by Charles Ghigna

 Silliness and Humor

 Chester by Melanie Watt

 Down Girl and Sit: Smarter than Squirrels by Lucy Nolan

 Drooling and Dangerous: The Riot Brothers Return by Mary Amato

 Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry

 How to Save Your Tail by Mary Hansen

 Ira Sleeps Over  by Bernard Waber

 Its Raining Pigs & Noodles by Jack Prelutsky

 Ready Freddy: Don’t Sit on My Lunch (Series) by Abby Klein

 Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford

 Science Verse by Jon Scieszka

 Tacky in Trouble by Helen Lester

 Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One by Judy Blume

 Three Stories You Can Rea dto Your Dog by Sara Swan Miller

 Sports

 Mama Played Baseball

NONFICTION

 Animals

 Emperor Penguins by Roberta Edwards

Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Dinosaurs by Matthew Reinhart

 Look What Tails Can Do by Dorothy Souza

Water Hole by Zahavit Shalev

Biographies

The Flyer Flew! The Invention of the Airplane Frida by  Jonah Winter

 Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates

Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story

What Presidents Are Made Of by Hanoch Piven

Smart About–George Washington Carver,The Peanut Wizard  by Laura Driscol

History

George Crum and the Saratoga Chip by Gaylia Taylor

 On the Mayflower by Kate Waters

 It’s Disgusting and We Ate It!: True Food Facts From Around the World and

Throughout History by James Solheim

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of

Shackleton and the Endkurance by Jennifer Armstrong

 The Story of the Pilgrims by Katherine Ross

How Things Work

How to Be a Baby, by Me the Big Sister by Sally Lloyd-Jones

 My Librarian Is a Camel: How Books Are Brought to Children Around the World by Margriet Ruurs

 My Senator and Me by Edward M. Kennedy

Science and Nature

Compost, by Gosh! An Adventure With Vermicomposting by Michelle Eva Portman

Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel

Dear Children of the Earth by Schim Schimmel

 Recycle! A Handbook for Kids by Gail Gibbons