Comic Relief: 39 Graphic Novels That Kids Can't Resist
School Library Journal
Grades K-2

Welcome to those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. And what better way for kids to while away the hours than with comics? Let's face it, comics are flat-out fun, and with their fabulous stories, colorful characters, and wacky humor, even reluctant readers find them tough to resist...

The following 39 comics are titles that kids will actually want to read—without any well-meaning prompting from parents, educators, and summer reading lists. In other words, these are books that kids will read just for the joy of it.

The Adventures of Ook and Gluk:
Kung-Fu Cavemen From the Future
by George Beard and Harold Hutchins

Patrick in a Teddy Bear's Picnic
by Geoffrey Hayes

Keep New Readers Reading Throughout Summer
LDS Living Magazine
Level 1 and 2 Readers

Benny and Penny Series
by Geoffrey Hayes

The Rainbow Magic Series
by Daisy Meadows

The Big Green Book of Beginner Books
by Dr. Seuss, illustrated by various

Luke on the Loose
by Harry Bliss

Otto's Orange Day
by Jay Lynch and Frank Cammuso

Teeny Tiny Animals
by Lexi Ryals

Butterflies
by Nic Bishop

Junior Buddy
by Juliana, Isabella, and Craig Hatkoff

Continue reading at NewtonsBookNews.com

Illinois School Library Media Association
The Monarch Award: Illinois' K-3 Readers' Choice Award
2012 Master List

Memoirs of a Goldfish
by Devin Scillian

The Mitten
by Jim Aylesworth

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
by Brian Floca

Never Smile at a Monkey: and 17 Other Important Things to Remember
by Steve Jenkins

Otis
by Loren Long

Panda Kindergarten
by Joanne Ryder

Shark vs. Train
by Chris Barton

Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson
by Sharon Robinson

Imagine School at Evening Rose, Tallahassee, Florida
Grades K-2 Summer Reading List

Benny and Penny
in the Big No-No!
by Geoffrey Hayes

A Day in the Life of Murphy
by Alice Provensen

Actual Size
by Steve Jenkins

Frog and Toad Together
by Arnold Lobel

Aunt Flossie’s Hats
by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard

Buffy the Burrowing Owl
by Betty Gilbert

How People Learned to Fly
by Fran Hodgkins and True Kelley

Buster
by Denise Fleming

Daddy & I
by Eloise Greenfield

Continue reading at ImagineSchoolLeon.com

Briarcliff Manor Public Library and Todd School Library Media Center
Entering 2nd Grade
Individual Titles

Luke on the Loose
by Harry Bliss

Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel
by Leslie Connor, illustrated by Mary Azarian

Mouse and Mole: Fine Feathered Friends
by Wong Herbert Yee

My Light
by Molly Bang

Pemba Sherpa
by Olga Cossi

Redwoods
by Jason Chin

Ronald Morgan Goes to Camp
by Patricia Reilly Giff, illustrated by Susanna Natti

Scranimals
by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Peter Sis

Tarra & Bella
by Carol Buckley

Train of States
by Peter Sis

You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together
by Mary Ann Hoberman, illustrated by Michael Emberly

Graphic Novels For Summer Reading
ReadKiddoRead.com
Illustrated Books for Ages 0-8

Graphic novels are comic books published in book format. Some tell one complete story in a volume, some collect several comic book issues, others are translations from Japanese comics called manga. Comics are NOT only about superheroes; they tell stories from many genres meant for different age levels. Some comics are, indeed, GOOD kids' stuff. And most are KID PLEASERS.

Librarian Kat Kan grew up reading comics and has been enjoying them for more than fifty years. They were always part of the mix of reading materials at home. The following are titles she highly recommends for fun summer reading.

Luke on the Loose
by Harry Bliss

The Way Home and the Bitter Sweet Summer (Owly, Vol.1)
by Andy Runton

Zig and Wikki in Something Ate My Homework
by Nadja Spiegelman

The 2010 Core Graphic Novels for Children
Graphic Novel Reporter

Editor's Note: Compiling the list of essential children's graphic novels is particularly difficult. For one thing, many children's books cross over age lines. No children's section would be complete without American Born Chinese, Bone, The Adventures of Tintin, and The Storm in the Barn. Since those books have already been included on our adult and teen lists, we did not put them here. Also, we again have not recommended many superhero books, for space reasons and because we have tried to compile a listing of use to general booksellers, as opposed to comic-book stores. We highly recommend checking for trade collections from DC, Marvel, Boom, Image, and other comics publishers for age-appropriate superhero titles.

The Core Ten

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series
by Jeff Kinney

The Geronimo Stilton Series
by Loren Long

Duck! Rabbit!
by Geronimo Stilton

Laika
by Nick Abadzis

Little Mouse Gets Ready
by Jeff Smith

The Lunch Lady Series
by Jarrett Krosoczka

The Mouse Guard Series
by David Peterson

Rapunzel's Revenge/Calamity Jack
by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, and Nathan Hale

Salt Water Taffy
by Matthew Loux

The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook
by Eleanor Davis

The Simpsons Series
by various

The Next 25

The Amelia Rules Series
by Jimmy Gownley

The Babymouse Series
by Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm

The Complete Peanuts
by Charles M. Schulz

The Moomin Series
by Tove Jansson

The Nancy Drew Series
by Stefan Petrucha and various

The Owly Series
by Andy Runton

Oz: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young

Sardine in Outer Space
by Emmanuel Guibert and Joann Sfar

Thumbelina: The POP Wonderland Series
by Michiyo Hayano

Wolverine: Worst Day Ever
by Barry Lyga

Continue reading at GraphicNovelReporter.com

Alaska Battle of the Books List
Grades K - 2

The Battle of the Books is a statewide Alaskan reading motivation and comprehension program sponsored by the Alaska Association of School Librarians. The goals of the program are to encourage and recognize students who enjoy reading, broaden reading interests, increase reading comprehension, and promote academic excellence.

Green Eggs and Ham
by Dr. Seuss

Snow Globe Family
by Jane O'Connor

Best Seat in Second Grade
by Katharine Kenah

Fox on the Job
by James Marshall

Johnny Appleseed
by Steven Kellogg

Mountain of Mittens
by Lynn Plourde

Scaredy Squirrel
by Melanie Watt

Reading for a Summer of Fun
St. Louis Today
Picture Books and Read Alouds

Believe it or not, summer is almost here! And kids across the United States will have lots of free time to fill. Reading is usually my first choice. But summer reading in particular doesn’t have to be great literature. I’ve put together a list of great reads kids can enjoy - just for fun. And, I’ve also included grade levels, but they are always just approximate guidelines. You see, when a child is interested in a topic, it is always surprising what higher reading level he or she will attempt to conquer.

Katie Loves the Kittens
by John Himmelman

Otis
by Loren Long

Duck! Rabbit!
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Tom Lichtenheld

Robot Zot
by Jon Sciezka

Dog and Bear: Three to Get Ready
by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Dinosaur vs. Bedtime
by Bob Shea

Little Mouse Gets Ready
by Jeff Smith

Watch Me Throw the Ball!
Pigs Make Me Sneeze!
Elephants Cannot Dance!
by Mo Willems

Roscoe Riley Rules series
by Katherine Applegate

NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society
by Michael Buckley

Al Capone Shines My Shoes
by Gennifer Choldenko

How to Train Your Dragon
by Cressida Cowell

Diary of a Wimpy Kid
by Jeff Kinney

Swindle
Zoobreak
by Gordon Korman

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things
by Lenore Look

Goosebumps
by R.L Stine

Dinosaur Cove
by Rex Stone

Orangutan Tongs: Poems to Tangle Your Tongue
by John Agee

Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings
by Douglas Florian

Messing Around on the Monkey Bars and other School Poems for Two Voices
by Betsy Franco

Incredible Inventions
by Lee Bennett Hopkins

A Foot in the Mouth: Poems to Speak, Sing, and Shout
by Paul B. Janeczo

My Dog May Be a Genius
by Jack Prelutsky

A Whiff of Pine, A Hint of Skunk: a Forest of Poems
by Deborah Ruddell

Button Up: Wrinkled Rhymes
by Alice Schertle

Truckery Rhymes
by Jon Scieszka

What’s the Weather Inside?
by Karma Wilson

Good Reads for Kids from the Naperville Public Library
TribLocal Naperville
Grades 1 - 3

What a great way to start the New Year with a little humor! All of these children's titles are great for a chuckle or even a gaffaw!

Multnomah County Library
Picks for Kids
Grades K - 3

How to Be a Pirate
by Cressida Cowell

The Magic Thief
by Sarah Prineas

Stinky
by Eleanor Davis

Jellaby
by Kean Soo

Knucklehead: Tall Tales & Mostly True Stories of Growing up Scieszka
by Jon Scieszka

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
by Kadir Nelson

You Wouldn't Want to Be a Skyscraper Builder!:
A Hazardous Job You'd Rather Not Take
by John Malam

You're a Bad Man, Mr. Gum
by Andy Stanton

Lionboy
by Zizou Corder

A Crooked Kind of Perfect
by Linda Urban

World of Goo [CD-ROM]

Mount Tamalpais School
Summer 2009 - 2010 Reading List
Easy Reads

Bethel Public Schools E-Newsletter
Elementary suggestions from Mrs. Robinson and Mrs. Bomberger

Each year at this time we get inquiries from people in town who want to know what
books we recommend for the holidays for children. We happen to have a number of experts in
this field. We asked out librarians to provide their picks. Books are a great gift!

The House in the Night
by Beth Krommes

Are You Ready to Play Outside?
by Mo Willems

Stinky
by Eleanor Davis

One Boy
written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator
by Sarah C. Campbell

Chicken Said, ‘Cluck!’
by Judyann Ackerman Grant, illustrated by Sue Truesdell

The Sandman
by Ralph Fletcher

Smart Books for Early Reading
Where the Best Books Are! Blog
Ages 4 - 8

Learning to read can be an exhausting affair for little ones. There are so many new words to stretch out and recognize that it's easy to get burned out after a page or two.

That's why it's so great to find beginner books that explore ideas they can relate to, and make them feel happy and accomplished.

This spring, I've highlighted five beginner series that are certain to reduce wiggles at reading time. Some are silly, others sweet, and all are fast-paced and irresistible to look at.

Max Spaniel
by David Catrow

Elephant and Piggie
by Mo Willems

Benny and Penny
by Geoffrey Hayes

Cork & Fuzz
by Dori Chaconas

Astroblast #1: Code Blue
by Bob Kolar