Instructor's 88 Great Reads

Instructor, May, 2000 by Judy Freeman

Bushels of book titles--how many can you read this summer? Check off a box for each book you read, then share the list with your new teacher in the fall!

Easy Fiction

* Amelia Bedelia 4 Mayor

* Bark, George

The world's wackiest maid decides to run for office. By Herman Parish (HarperCollins, 1999) (S) Grades 1-4.

Dog George's mother wants him to bark, but he meows, quacks, oinks, or moos instead. By Jules Feiffer (HarperCollins, 1999) Grades Pre-K-1.

* A Beasty Story

Four mice find a scary creature as they creep though a dark, dark wood. By Bill Martin, Jr. and Steven Kellogg (Harcourt, 1999) Grades Pre-K-1.

* Benjamin McFadden and the Robot Babysitter

A young boy reprograms his robot, Babysitter, for fun--but the machine runs amok. By Timothy Bush (Crown, 1998) Grades K-3.

* Big Anthony: His Story

The biography of klutzy Big Anthony, Strega Nona's assistant, who never pays attention. By Tomie dePaola (Putnam, 1998) (S) Grades K-4.

* Blue-Ribbon Henry

Henry, the clever hind-leg-walking Siamese cat, becomes a hero at the county fair. By Mary Calhoun (Morrow, 1999) (S) Grades Pre-K-3.

* Chocalatina

A chocolate-loving girl finds out the meaning of the saying "You are what you eat." By Erik Kraft (BridgeWater, 1998) Grades K-2.

* Cook-a-Doodle-Doo!

With the help of Turtle, Pig, and Iguana, Big Brown Rooster bakes a strawberry shortcake. By Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel (Harcourt, 1999) Grades Pre-K-2.

* Cosmo Zooms

Cosmo, a little dog, takes a surprise trip on a skateboard. By Arthur Howard (Harcourt, 1999) Grades Pre-K-1.

* David Goes to School

David's teacher wants him to stop yelling, pushing, and causing trouble. By David Shannon (Scholastic, 1999) (S) Grades Pre-K-1.

* Ding Dong Ding Dong

A big ape gets a job washing windows at the Empire State Building to work his way to the top. By Margie Palatini (Disney Press, 1999) Grades 1-8.

* Five Little Piggies

A new look at the familiar piggies who went to market, stayed home, had roast beef, had none, and went wee wee wee, all the way home. By David Martin (Candlewick, 2000) Grades Pre-K-1.

* The Gruffalo

A mouse talks a fox, an owl, and a snake out of eating him by describing the fierce monster he is planning to meet. By Julia Donaldson (Penguin, 1999) Grades Pre-K-1.

* Heat Wave!

When the heat wave hits a Kansas family's farm, it pops the corn and turns the cows' milk to butter. By Helen Ketteman (Walker, 1998) Grades 1-4.

* Henry and Mudge and Annie's Perfect Pet

In their 20th adventure together, Henry and his big dog, Mudge, help Cousin Annie pick out the perfect pet. By Cynthia Rylant (Simon & Schuster, 2000) (S) Grades Pre-K-2.

* Honk!: The Story of a Prima Swanerina

Ballet fan Mimi the swan sneaks into the Paris Opera House to see Swan Lake. By Pamela Duncan Edwards (Hyperion, 1998) Grades K-2.

* Horace and Morris but Mostly Dolores

Two mouse boys leave best friend Dolores behind to join an all-boys clubhouse. By James Howe (Simon & Schuster, 1999) Grades Pre-K-2.

* How Are You Peeling?: Foods With Moods

Real fruits and veggies, with faces carved into them, show moods from amused to angry. By Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers (Scholastic, 1999) Grades K-3.

* Hush, Little Baby

Even when the family brings him presents, the baby cries. By Maria Frazee (Harcourt, 1999) Grades Pre-K-1.

* I, Crocodile

A Nile crocodile is captured by the Emperor Napoleon, who brings him to Paris. By Fred Marcellino (Harper San Francisco, 1999) Grades K-4.

* Isaac the Ice Cream Truck

Isaac admires the bigger trucks, but on the day that a fire happens he discovers that he is important, too. Scott Santoro (Henry Holt, 1999) Grades Pre-K-1.

* Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Joseph turns his old and worn overcoat into a jacket, a vest, a scarf, a necktie, and more. By Harriet Ziefert (Viking, 1999) Grades Pre-K-1.

* The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza

The duck, the dog, and the cat are too busy to help the hen construct her magnificent pizza. By Philemon Sturges (Penguin, 1999) Grades Pre-K-1.

* Look-Alikes, Jr.

The pictures in this eye-popping book are made up of more than 700 everyday objects. By Joan Steiner (Little, Brown, 1999) [S] Grades K-3.

* Lottie's New Friend

Herbie the duck is jealous of best friend Lottie the chicken's glamorous new friend, Dodo the bird. By Petra Mathers (Atheneum, 1999) [S] Grades Pre-K-1.

* Mouse Practice

A young mouse named Monk is no good on the baseball field, so he begins practicing his skills at home. By Emily Arnold McCully (Scholastic, 1999) [S]Grades Pre-K-1.

* My Friend Bear

A lonely bear thinks his giant teddy bear is able to talk, but there's really a little boy hiding behind it. By Jez Alborough (Candlewick, 1998) [S] Grades Pre-K-1.

* My Rows and Piles of Coins

Dreaming of his own bicycle, Saruni counts the coins he earns helping his mother sell food at the open-air market. By Tololwa M. Mollel (Houghton Mifflin, 1999) Grades K-3.

* Nadia's Hands

In preparation for her aunt's traditional Pakistani wedding, flower girl Nadia has her hands decorated with mehndi, a decorative body paint, in beautiful flowers and swirls. By Karen English (Boyds Mills Press, 1999) Grades 1-4.