BOOKS! A Reading List for PreK to 3rd Grade Readers

     Once your kids begin reading, sometimes the challenge is finding books for them to read!  Here is a list of the Mullin household's favorites. Although girls will like these books, this list has the Boy Seal of Approval.  In fact, almost all of these books have been read by my oldest, and my youngest is following in his brother's footsteps.  Maybe this list will keep your readers busy for a while!  Most of these we checked out at our local library.

     I have included the title, author, and reading level for most of the books.  Reading levels vary depending on the criteria used to assign the level, so please forgive me if the reading level doesn't match up with something you've seen somewhere else.  Also, most of these books are a series.  Some have 4 books, and some have over 30 in the series.  
     Check back later for a book list for 4th grade to middle school.

• Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems – early readers, (Pigeon, from Don’t Let Pigeon Drive the Bus is hidden on the inside back cover of each Elephant and Piggie book.) I LOVE these books!  Funny for all ages!

• 1 Today I Will Fly! (Mar 2007)
• 2 My Friend is Sad (Mar 2007)
• 3 There is a Bird on Your Head! (Jul 2007)
• 4 I Am Invited to a Party! (Jul 2007)
• 5 I Love My New Toy! (Jun 2008)
• 6 I Will Surprise My Friend! (Jun 2008)
• 7 Are You Ready To Play Outside? (Oct 2008)
• 8 Watch Me Throw The Ball! (Mar 2009)
• 9 Elephants Cannot Dance! (Jun 2009)
• 10 Pigs Make Me Sneeze! (Oct 2009)
• 11 I am Going! (Jan 2010)
• 12 Can I Play Too? (Jun 2010)
• 13 We Are In A Book! (Sept 2010)
• 14 I Broke My Trunk! (Feb 2011)
• 15 Should I Share My Ice Cream? (June 2011)
• 16 Happy Pig Day! (Oct 2011)
• 17 Listen To My Trumpet (Feb 2012)

• Also by Mo Willems:   Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! — Caldecott Honor 2004, Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!, The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!, The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!, The Pigeon Loves Things That Go! ,The Pigeon Wants a Puppy, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale — Caldecott Honor 2005,  Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity — Caldecott Honor 2008 ,   Knuffle Bunny Free: an Unexpected Diversion

• Adventures of Otto by David Milgrim – early readers (See Pip Point -- very funny, Ride Otto Ride!, Swing Otto Swing!, See Otto, See Santa Nap)

•  Minerva Louise by Janet Morgan Stoeke – a quirky, funny chicken,  RL 1.5  (Minerva Louise on Halloween, A Hat for Minerva Louise, Minerva Louise at School, Minerva Louise on Christmas Eve, Minerva Louise at the Fair, Minerva Louise, Minerva Louise and the Colorful Eggs, Minerva Louise and the Red Truck, and A Friend for Minerva Louise)
•   Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester RL 2  -- (Three Cheers for Tacky, Tacky in Trouble, Tacky and the Emperor, Tackylocks and the Three Bears, Tacky and the Winter Games)
• Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell RL 1.5-2.7
• Absolutely Lucy by Ilene Cooper RL 2.0 (Lucy on the Loose, Look at Lucy!, Lucy on the Ball)
• Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant     RL 2-2.7
• Mr. Putter and Tabby  by Cynthia Rylant RL 2-3  (Very fun!  Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears is a favorite!)
• Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish and Herman Parish RL 2.0
• Nate the Great  by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, a pancake-loving detective RL 2.1-2.9
• Berenstain Bears  by Stan and Jan Berenstain, RL 1.8-3.5
• Franklin by Paulette Bourgeois RL 2.1-2.9
• Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel RL 2
• Curious George by Margret and H.A. Rey RL 2-2.6
• Magic School Bus by Joanna Cole RL 2.5-3.7
• Jigsaw Jones by James Preller RL 2.0
• Secret Agent Dingledorf by Bill Myers, Christian author, very funny (a few at the library)
• The Box Car Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner RL 3 (Darius loved the first one.  The others, not so much.)
• Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne RL 2.1-2.3, history and science (We stopped at the Merlin Missions.)
• Horrible Harry by Suzy Kline RL 3
• Cam Jansen Mysteries by David A. Adler RL 2.6 (only read a few of these)
• Magic School Bus: A Science Chapter Book by a variety of authors, RL 3
• Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey RL 3 (My kids love them, but only use if desperate to get your boys to read...full of burping, gas, and boogers).
• The Cul-De-Sac Kids by Beverly Lewis RL 3.0, Christian author, none at library
• Three Cousins Detective Club by Elspeth Campbell Murphy, Christian author, character named Titus, 30 in the series, 64 pages each, first chapter books, a few at library
• Third Grade Detectives by George E. Stanley RL 3.0
• Andrew Lost by J.C. Greenburg  RL 3.0, great science books, skip Andrew Lost in Time #9 (They get sent back to three minutes after the Big Bang.)
• A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy  RL 2.8-3.5
• Katie Kazoo by Nancy Krulik RL 3.4
• Geronimo Stilton by Geronimo Stilton RL 2.0-4.0, Average about RL 3.5
• Chet Gecko by Bruce Hale RL 3.7-4.1
• The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catlin RL 3.0, not a series
• Author  Shel Silverstein –Books of Poetry:   Where the Sidewalk Ends, Falling Up, A Light in the Attic RL 3.5-3.9
• How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell RL 3.5, not a series
•  Flat Stanley and Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventures by Jeff Brown RL 3.4-4.4 (For ages 7-10, but  vocabulary is a tad tougher with words like anatomical, simultaneous, application, osteal, and vulnerable)
• The Hardy Boys: Secret Files by Franklin W. Dixon RL 3.7 (Joe and Frank are younger in this series.)

Do you know of others?  Let me know.  I'm sure I've left out a good book or two!