StudyDog Presents… The Best Summer Reading List of ALL Time

Yes! Summer is almost here. It’s a chance for your child to explore the world without the pressure of school. You might even be taking them somewhere for vacation!

But summer can be dangerous for your child’s learning. If your kids don’t use what they learned in school over the summer, they will lose it.

Summer learning loss affects 100% of students who do not engage in educational activities over the break. That is why summer reading is so important.

So we’ve scoured the Internet. Consulted thousands of experts. Tallied the results. And now, StudyDog brings you The Best Summer Reading List of All Time.  

This is the one time StudyDog's
allowing a cat in his blog.

If your child is entering…

Kindergarten:

1.     Anything by Dr. Seuss. Almost 2 million of teachers put him first on their list. For good reason! If you haven’t already, check him out.

2.     Cinderella, by Marcia Brown

3.     The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

4.     I Like to be Little by Charlotte Zolotow

5.     Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathman

6.     Biscuit by Alyssa Capucili

7.     Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett

8.     The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon by Mini Grey

9.     I Like Me! by Nancy Carlson

10.  A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni

11. My Five Senses by Aliki

12. Uncle Peter’s Amazing Chinese Wedding by Lenore Look

Honorable mentions: Chicken Little by Steven Kellogg; Owen by Kevin Henkes; Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert; Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

First Grade:

Wild things -- they make

teachers' hearts sing.

1.     Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Over 2 million teachers recommend this book for first-graders.

2.     The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. A close second, 1 million teachers made this their top pick.

3.     The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

4.     12 Dancing Princesses by Brigette Barrager

5.     The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

6.     The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

7.     Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies

8.     First Grade, Here I Come! By Nancy Carlson

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

10. A Birthday for Bear by Bonny Becker

11. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

12. Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

Honorable mentions: How to Clean a Hippopotamus by Robin Page; The Night Before Summer Camp by Natasha Wing; Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle; Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Second Grade:

Give your child the gift of reading.

1.     The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. 1.6 million teachers make this their top pick.

2.     The Summer of Riley by Eve Bunting

3.     Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

4.     The Pigeon Presents! books by Mo Willems

5.     Ragweed by Avi

6.     The Adventures of Taxi Dog by Debra and Sal Barracca

7.     The Magic School Bus books by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen

8.     The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

9.     Chicken Soup With Rice, A Book of Months by Maurice Sendak

10.  Jumanji by Van Allsburg

11. Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman

12. The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Scieszka

Honorable mentions: The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden; Tut’s Mummy, Lost… and Found by Judy Donnelly; Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary; Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

Third Grade:

1.     Summer Reading is Killing Me by Jon Scieszka. 2.4 million teachers recommend this for rising 3^rd-graders.

Don't let this happen
to your child!

2.     The Doll People by Ann M. Martin

3.     The Invisible Dog by Dick King-Smith

4.     The Best School Year Ever by Barbara Robinson

5.     Surprising Sharks by Nicola Davies

6.     Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater

7.     Peanut-Butter Pilgrims by Judy Delton and Alan Tiegreen

8.     How to be Cool in Third Grade by Betsy Duffey

9.     The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

10. The Boxcar Children by Gertude Chandler Warner

11.  Goldilocks and the Three Martians by Stu Smith

12. Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald Sobol

Honorable mentions: Tiger Tales and Big Cat Stories by Deborah Chancellor; Baseball Pals by Matt Christopher; The Gadget War by Betsey Duffey; Poppy by Avi

We love these lists. And not just because experts recommend them. We love them because your child will love them!

But if your child is reluctant to read, make sure their books are the right level for them. Then learn how to motivate them and help them set goals.

We hope these lists will help make this summer the best one yet!

Parents: You’re an expert at raising your child! What books would you add to the list?