June 1 – 8
My Daddy and Me    by Jerry Spinelli
For this child, the best time of the day is when Daddy comes home!  There are so many things to do together—wrestle, play magic, stand on their heads and more! 

June 8 – 15
Papa, Do You Love Me?    by Barbara M. Joosse
A young Maasi boy in Africa wants to know if his papa loves him, how much he loves him and for how long.  But what if he was hot, or thirsty or naughty?  Would he still love him then?

June 15 – 22
A Day with Dad    by Bo R. Holmberg
Tim doesn’t live with his dad, but on this special day his dad is coming in on the train to spend the whole day with him.  They get to eat hot dogs, go to the movies, have dinner and read stories.  Now the day is over and Tim is sad to see his dad go—but he knows he will get to see his dad again soon.

June 22 – 29
A Father Like That    by Charlotte Zolotow
A young boy tells his mother about what his father would be like if he had one.  He’d play with him, talk to him, reassure him when he was afraid or hurt, he’d go to parent-teacher conferences, and no matter what his dad would always be on his side.  When he is finished his mom tells him that if that dad doesn’t come along—he can be a father like that when he grows up.

July: Independence

June 29 – July 6
John Adams Speaks for Freedom    by Deborah Hopkinson
This non-fiction book tells us about John Adams, our second president and a very important person who fought for American independence from England.  It includes the important Continental Congress meeting where they debated American independence from England—and finally voted to pass the Declaration of Independence.  Includes an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence.

July 6 – 13
Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground RR    by Ellen Levine
Henry is a slave, he dreams of a world where his life belongs to him.  When his wife and children are sold, he risks everything for what he knows is right.  He decides to mail himself to freedom!  With the help of some friends Henry mails himself in a big wooden crate to the free city of Philadelphia.

July 13 – 20
Oh, the Places You’ll Go!    by Dr. Seuss
This is Dr. Seuss’s story about being independent and going off into the world alone—facing new challenges, getting into slumps, finding your way, and being alone.  But you’ll also take charge and make your own way in life.

July 20 – 27
Cheyenne Again    by Eve Bunting
A young Cheyenne boy, Young Bull, is taken away from his family, friends and culture and put in a boarding school to learn the white man’s way in the late 1880s.  He tries to run away, but the snow storm stops him.  Back at the school there is a teacher he likes—she tells him “never forget that you are Indian inside.”  Even though he loses his independence on the outside—they can’t take it away on the inside.

July 27 – August 3
Judy Moody Declares Independence (part of a chpt book)    by Megan McDonald
Judy Moody and her family are on a trip to Boston where they are going to walk the Freedom Trail—a path through the city that leads them to Paul Reveres house, the Beaver (the ship where the Boston Tea Party took place), and the Old North Church. Judy is also declaring her own independence from her little brother, Stink.

August: Summer

August 3 – 10
The Relatives Came    by Cynthia Rylant
A families relatives come up from Virginia to visit for a few weeks and they have a wonderful time.

August 10 – 17
Hot Day on Abbott Avenue    by Karen English
It is the hottest day of the summer and two best friends, Kishi and Renée, are having a fight.  The neighbors try and get them to talk and make up, but they won’t.  It isn’t until they hear other friends jumping double dutch that they make up.

August 17 – 24  
A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever    by Marla Frazee
Two friends, James and Eamon, visit Eamon’s grandparents, Bill and Pam, so they can spend a week at Nature Camp together.  Follow them on their adventures and good times with Bill and Pam until it is time to go back home.

August 24 – 31
Time of Wonder    by Robert McCloskey
Join a family for the summer on an island in Maine.  Here they go exploring, nature watching, sailing, and swimming.  At the end of summer a hurricane comes—then we join them for the storm, the clean-up and finally packing up to go home.