1. READ ALOUD BOOKLIST
ND RD
2 ­3 GRADES
Updated: by Jennifer Fay 6/1/07
nd rd
Your 2 or 3 grader is becoming an independent reader, but it is still important to read aloud to him or
her. Reading out loud to older children encourages the development of comprehension, imagination, and
other literacy skills, and it is a fun way to spend time together. Looking for something to read that you
will both like? Try one these new favorites or beloved classics!
Summer School! What Genius Thought That Up?
By Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Call #: JF Winkler
Hank is stuck in summer school while all of his friends are out having fun.
Place hold If you like this book, try another hilarious book in the Hank Zipzer series.
The Legend of Spud Murphy
By Eoin Colfer
Call #: JF Colfer
William and Marty dread spending afternoons at the library, until they start
to learn the truth behind the legend of a bad­tempered librarian.
Place hold
Murder, My Tweet
By Bruce Hale
Call #: JF Hale
Natalie Attired is accused of blackmail, and Detective Chet Gecko will do
Place hold anything to clear her name (even face evil robots) in this comical mystery.
Going North
By Janice N. Harrington
Call #: JP Harrington
In the 1960’s, Jessie and her family move from Alabama to Nebraska in
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search of a life without segregation in this powerfully illustrated book.
Unwitting Wisdom: an Anthology of Aesop’s Fables
By Helen Ward
Call #: J398.2 War
12 animal fables originally told by the Greek slave Aesop are spun into
Place hold delightful stories with sumptuous illustrations.
Salt Lake County Library Services 2197 Fort Union Blvd, Salt Lake City, Utah 84121 Phone: 801­943­4636

2. 7 x 9 = Trouble!
By Claudia Mills
Call #: JF Mills
Third­grader Wilson Williams needs to pass off all his times tables and
Place hold convince his mother to let him have a pet hamster in this tender, funny story.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
By Kate DiCamillo
Call #: JF DiCamillo
When a selfish china rabbit loses his adoring owner, he begins a journey that
Place hold will take him places he never imagined and teach him what it means to love.
Togo
By Robert J. Blake
Call #: JP Blake
Togo is a small and spirited Siberian Husky, but he is a record­breaking
Place hold musher. Can he lead his team to bring diphtheria antitoxin to Nome in time?
Talkin’ about Bessie: the Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman
By Nikki Grimes
Call #: J92 Coleman
The life of Elizabeth Coleman, the first black female licensed pilot in the
Place hold world, is revealed through snapshots, free verse poetry, and watercolors.
John, Paul, George and Ben
By Lane Smith
Call #: JF Smith
Ever wondered what the founding fathers were like as boys? Adults and kids
Place hold will both love this off­the­wall book.
Sequoyah: the Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing
By James Rumford
Call #: J970.004 Rum
This beautifully illustrated read­aloud biography tells the true story of
Place hold Sequoyah, the creator of the Cherokee alphabet. (2005 Sibert Honor Award)
Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp
By Philip Pullman
Call #: J398.22 Pullman
Gorgeous illustrations and witty writing make this retelling of the classic
story well worth another visit.
Place hold
Salt Lake County Library Services 2197 Fort Union Blvd, Salt Lake City, Utah 84121 Phone: 801­943­4636

3. Bruh Rabbit and the Tar Baby Girl
By Virginia Hamilton
Call #: J398.208 Ham
In this Gullah version of the beloved Tar Baby story, Bruh Rabbit tricks
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Bruh Wolf once again. Vibrantly illustrated, this is a pleasure to read aloud.
Ida B: and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster…
By Katherine Hannigan
Call #: JF Hannigan
th
4 ­grader Ida B loves her life as a home­schooled only child, until her
Place hold mother’s cancer treatments force her family to send her to public school.
Apples to Oregon
By Deborah Hopkinson
Call #: JP Hopkinson
Daddy wants to go west, but he can’t leave his apple trees behind, so he
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packs them up with the rest of the family and heads for the new frontier.
The Big House
By Carolyn Coman
Call #: JF Coman
When their parents are sent to jail and Ivy and Ray are sentenced to live with
Place hold the woman who put them there, the kids decide to “spring” them.
George Washington’s Teeth
By Deborah Chandra
Call #: JP Chandra
This lighthearted tale recounts George Washington’s lifelong struggle with
Place hold bad teeth through engaging rhyme and hilarious illustrations.
Gooney Bird Greene
By Lois Lowry
Call #: JF Lowry
Gooney Bird, a silly second­grader who loves to tell “absolutely true”
stories, loves to be the center of attention.
Place hold
Salt Lake County Library Services 2197 Fort Union Blvd, Salt Lake City, Utah 84121 Phone: 801­943­4636

4. Whales on Stilts
By M.T. Anderson
Call #: JF Anderson
Larry, an evil whale­human hybrid, plots to take over the world with an
Place hold army of mind­controlled whales, and only Lily and her friends can stop him!
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
By Beverly Cleary
Call #: JF Cleary
A reckless young mouse named Ralph makes friends with a boy who helps
Place hold him discover the joys of riding a toy motorcycle.
Mrs. Piggle­Wiggle
By Betty Bard MacDonald
Call #: JF MacDonald
From her upside­down house, the eccentric Mrs. Piggle­Wiggle issues her
Place hold marvelous and silly cures for unruly children.
Frindle
By Andrew Clements
Call #: JF Clements
Nick invents a new word as a joke, and accidentally begins a chain of events
Place hold that quickly moves beyond his control in this smart and witty book.
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
By Bruce Coville
Call #: JF Coville
When Jeremy buys a dragon’s egg at the magic shop, he doesn’t believe it
Place hold will hatch. Now he has to find a way to raise a baby dragon only he can see!
The Tail of Emily Windsnap
By Liz Kessler
Call #: JF Kessler
Emily finally gets to take swimming lessons, only to discover a terrible and
Place hold wonderful secret about herself that opens up a whole new world.
Squids Will Be Squids
By Jon Scieszka
Call #: JP Scieszka
Side­splitting contemporary fables with tongue­in­cheek morals address
Place hold such topics as homework, curfews, and television commercials.
Salt Lake County Library Services 2197 Fort Union Blvd, Salt Lake City, Utah 84121 Phone: 801­943­4636