Keep Learning All Summer Long: See the Plainfield Public Schools 2024 K-5 Reading List

PLAINFIELD, NJ — The Plainfield Public Schools recently released their summer reading list for 2024 to close out the school year, and TAPinto Plainfield is publishing this list as a resource to the entire community.

"Our goal is to make this summer a time for your child to fall in love with reading!" said the district in a letter to parents. "The Plainfield summer reading list offers a variety of options, including fiction, non-fiction, informational texts, and how-to books. These can be in hard copy or eBook format. While we provide a suggested list, your children are welcome to choose other books with your approval."

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For free access to any of these titles, the Children's Library at the Plainfield Public Library is open from 9am to 8:30pm Monday through Wednesday, 9am through 4:30pm Thursday and Friday, and 11am to 2:30pm on Saturday. Sunday it is closed.

Here are the books that the district recommends for Kindergarten through 5th grade, organized by grade level.

Kindergarten:

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Antony, Steve. Please, Mr. Panda . Mr. Panda wants to share his doughnuts with the other animals, but only if they remember to say “please” and “thank you.”

Barrow, David. Have You Seen Elephant? Subtle humor and irresistible artwork makes this game of hide-and-seek with an elephant big fun.

Bass, Jennifer Vogel. Edible Colors . The many colors found in different fruits and vegetables are explored through simple text and photographs.

Child, Lauren. The New Small Person . In the familiar tale of a less-than-welcome sibling, the author gets to the heart of a child’s evolving emotions about becoming a big brother or sister.

Carle, Eric. What’s Your Favorite Animal? With beautiful illustrations and charming personal stories, 14 children’s book artists share their favorite animals and tell the reader why they love them.

Elya, Susan Middleton. Rubia and the Three Osos. This retelling of the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears uses rhyming text mainly in English but interspersed with Spanish words.

Fenske, Jonathan. Hello Crabby! Crabby is NOT happy. Sun is in Crabby's eyes. Salt is in Crabby's teeth. Sand is in Crabby's shell. Plankton tries, again and again, to cheer Crabby up -- with laugh-out-loud results! Will Crabby ever crack a smile? Or will Crabby always be crabby?

Hudson, Cheryl Willis & Ford, Bernette. Bright Eyes, Brown Skin. In this book designed to build self-esteem, four African-American kindergarteners enjoy their day together.

Lloyd-Jones, Sally. The Ultimate Guide to Grandmas & Grandpas. Hints are offered to grandchildren about how to make grandparents happy, such as singing and dancing for them, sharing naps, and letting them give you special treats and presents.

Numeroff, Laura Joffe. If You Give a Dog a Donut . Simple text and illustrations describe the chaos that might ensue if a dog was given a donut.

Raschka, Christopher. A Ball for Daisy . Daisy the dog is heartbroken when her favorite toy ball is destroyed while she is playing with another dog, but she realizes she has also gained something. Caldecott Medal

Wells, Rosemary. How many? How much? Get Set for Kindergarten series. Timothy and his kindergarten classmates learn about counting, measuring, money, and other math concepts. Includes activities on directionality, spatial relations, and the days of the week.

Wells, Rosemary. Letters and Sounds. Get Set for Kindergarten series. Timothy and his kindergarten classmates learn about the alphabet, sounds, and rhyming. Includes activities on letter recognition, single and multiple syllable words, and words that start with consonants and vowels.

First & Second Grades:

Agee, Jon. The Wall in the Middle of the Book. A foolish knight is certain that his side of the wall is the safe side in this clever, amusingly picture book. There is a wall in the middle of the book, and our hero--a young knight--is sure that the wall protects his side of the book from the dangers of the other side--like an angry tiger and giant rhino, and worst of all, an ogre who would gobble him up in a second!

Brockington, Drew. Hangry . When a young lizard monster gets a hankering for his favorite hot dog spot, he takes the train to the city--only to find that the place is closed for vacation. When this little monster gets too hungry, he starts to get angry. In addition, when he gets hangry, this poor city is at risk of a full-scale monster attack. As his rage swells, so does he, until he is the size of a skyscraper, and it falls to the citizens to find him some food--and fast!

Cabrera, Cozbi A. My Hair is a Garden . After a day of being taunted by classmates about her unruly hair, Mackenzie can't take any more. On her way home from school, she seeks the guidance of her wise and comforting neighbor, Miss Tillie. Using the beautiful garden in her backyard as a metaphor, Miss Tillie shows Mackenzie that maintaining healthy hair is not a chore nor is it something to fear. But most importantly, Mackenzie learns that natural black hair is beautiful

Daywalt, Drew. The Day the Crayons Came Home. One day, Duncan is happily coloring with his crayons when a stack of postcards arrives in the mail from his former crayons, each of which has run away or been left behind, and all of which want to come home.

Elya, Susan Middleton. Little Roja Riding Hood. A rhyming twist on the classic fairy tale in which a little girl saves her grandmother from a wolf. Includes a glossary of Spanish words.

Numeroff, Laura. The Jellybeans and the Big Art Adventure. Four friends who like to do different things such as paint, play soccer, read and dance --- paint a mural on an outside wall of Mrs. Petunia Dinkley-Sneezer’s candy shop that depicts them each doing what they love best. Series

Rosensteihl, Agnes. Silly Lilly In What Will I Be Today? Each day of the week, Silly Lilly tries out a new career through play in this fun graphic novel for beginning readers.

Rylant, Cynthia. Henry, Mudge, and the Big Sleepover. Henry and his dog Mudge are invited to a sleepover in Patrick's attic, where they watch monster movies, eat pizza, and enjoy a contest to determine whose dog is the best popcorn catcher. Series

Woodson, Jacqueline. Each Kindness. It is only after Maya, the new girl, moves away that Chloe regretfully realizes that she and her friends have been unkind by excluding her from their games.

Third & Fourth Grades:

Blabey, Aaron. The Bad Guys. Graphic novel format. The Bad Guys, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Shark, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Piranha, want to be heroes, and they decide that the way to do it is free the 200 dogs in the city dog pound–but their plan soon goes awry.

Brown, Jeff. Flat Stanley. After being flattened by a bulletin board, Stanley wakes up to discover he is FLAT! While this predicament has its downsides, the positive is he can be rolled up, easily mailed anywhere, and even used as a kite on a windy day. His situation also makes him a hero when he thwarts some art thieves.

Cannon, Janell. Stellaluna. Stellaluna, becomes separated from her mother and finds her way to a nest of birds. She is adopted by them and learns bird-like behavior.

DiCamillo, Kate. Flora & Ulysses. Flora Belle Buckman, a self-proclaimed cynic, spends her time reading comic books and struggling to understand her parents' recent divorce. She is jolted into action when the neighbor runs over a squirrel with a vacuum cleaner. Flora then names the squirrel Ulysses after the vacuum cleaner accident.

Pilkey, Dav. Dog Man. George and Harold have created a new hero who digs into deception, claws after crooks, and rolls over robbers. When Greg the police dog and his cop companion are injured on the job, a life-saving surgery changes the course of history, and Dog Man is born. With the head of a dog and the body of a human, this heroic hound has a real nose for justice. But can he resist the call of the wild to answer the call of duty?

Rissi, Anica Mrose. Anna, Banana, and the Friendship Split. Anna and Sadie have always been best friends so when Sadie suddenly starts being mean, Anna is very sad and seeks support from her dog Banana and classmate Isabel, as well as advice from her brother Chuck and her parents. Series

Scieszka, John. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! In the story The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, the wolf sets out to tell his version of what really happened the day he blew all the houses down. The wolf claims that he is completely misunderstood.

Steig, William. When Everybody Wore a Hat. This is the story of a boy almost 100 years ago when fire engines were pulled by horses, boys did not play with girls, kids went to libraries for books, there was no TV, you could see a movie for a nickel, and everybody wore a hat.

Yolen, Jane. Animal Stories: Heartwarming True Tales from the Animal Kingdom. National Geographic presents a collection of true animal stories from different historical periods, including the tales of Balto the Alaskan sled dog, Smoky the Bear, and internet sensation Christian the lion.

Fifth Grade:

Applegate, Katherine. The One and Only Ivan. When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.

Brown, Peter. The Wild Robot. A graphic novel about a robot who becomes one with nature after she washes up on a seemingly uninhabited island. Except Roz soon finds that the island is inhabited — just not by humans.

Bell, Cece. El Deafo. This empowering graphic novel memoir of the author/illustrator’s childhood struggle being accepted and finding friends with her severe deafness received a 2015 Newbery Honor.

Brallier, Max. The Last Kids on Earth. Described as Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets The Walking Dead; this post-apocalyptic graphic novel is sure to delight summer readers as Jack Sullivan holes up in his treehouse for as long as he can.

Davies, Jacqueline. The Lemonade War. Evan and his younger sister, Jesse, react very differently to the news that they will be in the same class for fourth grade and as the end of summer approaches, they battle it out through lemonade stands, each trying to be the first to earn 100 dollars.

Medina, Meg. Merci Suárez Changes Gears. Using humor and grace, Merci, a charming and plucky protagonist, cycles through life’s challenges with the support of her intergenerational family. This richly nuanced novel tackles the complexity of navigating a multicultural identity amidst changing family dynamics.

Palacio, R.J. Wonder. Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, where he endures the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.

Shurtliff, Liesl. Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin. Alfred A. Knopf, 2013. Twelve-year-old Rump goes on a quest to discover his true identity and to break a magical curse in this humorous take on the classic fairy tale.

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