An annotated booklist compiled by the children's librarians at the San Francisco Public Library, June 2007. The books listed are a sampling of the titles available for ages 5 through 8. Ask your Children’s Librarian for further suggestions, and tell us which are your favorites.
Share a Picture Book with a Friend
- Superdog: The Heart of a Hero (also titled Dex: The Heart of a Hero)
-
A dachshund dons cape and spandex suit and comes to the rescue of the other dogs and a bullying cat in his neighborhood.
jPS BUEH - For You Are a Kenyan Child
-
A young village boy is easily distracted from the. job of watching his grandfather’s cows in this story sprinkled with Swahili words.
jPS CUNN - Elena's Serenade
-
A Mexican girl disguises herself as a boy in order to pursue her dream of being a glassblower.
jPS GEES - Tico and the Golden Wings
-
Reissue of the thought-provoking fable about a bird that helps others yet stays true to himself.
jPS LION - Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel
-
A Filipino boy helps organize a protest against the demolition of a hotel in his San Francisco neighborhood. Bilingual English-Tagalog.
jPS ROBL - My Best Friend
-
Lily is six and longs to be best friends with Tamika who is seven and has other ideas.
jPS RODM - Rotten Teeth
-
Shy Melissa wows her class with the best show-and-tell item of the year.
jPS SIMM - Mrs. Crump's Cat
-
One "sneaky finicky troublesome WET yellow cat with FLEAS" somehow finds a happy home.
jPS SMIT - The Amazing Bone
-
While dawdling on the way home from school, Pearl, a pig, discovers a talking bone, and life is never quite the same again. (also available in Japanese, Korean and Spanish)
jPS STEI - Hannah Is My Name
-
Based on her own childhood, the author tells about coming to San Francisco from Taiwan and anxiously awaiting the green cards that would make it legal for her parents to work.
jPS YANG - The Judge: An Untrue Tale
-
A tall tale about a judge gets his comeuppance when he refuses to believe the words of those brought before him.
jPS ZEMA - Polo: The Runaway Book
-
This wordless adventure follows a smart little dog named Polo as he tries to retrieve his stolen book from a mischievous glowing alien.
jGN FALL
Listen and Imagine: Folktales and Tall Tales
- You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together
-
Eight familiar tales are clearly set up to be read by pairs—two beginners or an adult and a child.
j398.2 HOBE - Merlin and the Making of the King
-
Ornate borders and dramatic paintings enhance this retelling of three Arthurian legends.
j398.2 HODG - The McElderry Book of Aesop's Fables
-
Twenty-one well-known stories, complete with morals, spaciously designed for read-aloud or read-alone.
j398.2 MORP - Jack and the Beanstalk
-
A young boy outwits a frightening giant in this witty retelling of the classic fairy tale.
j398.2 NESB - Can You Guess My Name?: Traditional Tales Around the World
-
Here are fifteen variations, from many cultures, of five familiar tales: The Three Pigs; The Bremen Town Musicians; Rumpelstiltskin; The Frog Prince; and Hansel and Gretel.
j398.2 SIER - Tales Our Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic Folktale Collection
-
Twelve lively stories, handsomely illustrated by four Latino artists, with notes on their worldwide origins. (also available in Spanish)
j398.2094 CAMP - Goha the Wise Fool
-
The Egyptian variant of a Middle Eastern folk hero is featured in fifteen humorous tales.
j398.2095 JOHN - Swamp Angel
-
In this original tall tale about a tall girl, Angelica Longrider wrestles a huge bear whose enormous appetite has threatened the settlers.
jF ISAA
Listen to the Sound: Poetry, Music, Dance
- Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs
-
A hilarious collection of fourteen takeoffs on traditional children’s songs. Also: I’m Still Here in the Bathtub and Are You Quite Polite?: Silly Dilly Manners Songs
j782.4216 KATZ - Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings
-
Twenty short poems celebrate our universe. Also: Handsprings and Zoo’s Who
j811.54 FLOR - Fold Me a Poem
-
In 32 haiku-like poems, a boy spends the day folding origami animals, imaginatively engaging them in play. Also: Origami for Beginners (j736.982 TEMK 2002)
j811.54 GEOR - The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders
-
People and animals appear from coast to coast in this delightful collection of 28 poems by the prolific Children’s Poet Laureate. Also: Awful Ogre’s Awful Day and If Not for the Cat
j811.54 PREL - Rap a Tap Tap: Here's Bojangles - Think of That!
-
Bill Robinson, "the greatest tap dancer of all time," moves across crisp white pages bringing joy to all he meets. Also: Jazz on a Saturday Night
jPS DILL - A Pet for Me: Poems
-
This collection introduces pets from cat and dog to snake and tarantula in an attractive beginning-to-read format.
jR PET
Wondering: Non-Fiction
- Dianna Hutts Aston.
-
A beautifully designed and illustrated book that examines the wonder and variety of seeds. Also: An Egg Is Quiet
j581.467 ASTO -
Body parts, where babies come from, and more, all explained with clarity and candor.
j649.65 HARR
- Fantastic! Wow! and Unreal!
-
Bright art helps introduce interjections and conjunctions in this eighth and final title in a lively series on the parts of speech.
j425 HELL - Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs!
-
Scientists don’t know everything as this book proves! See how we have learned all sorts of fascinating facts about dinosaurs.
j567.9 KUDL - Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution
-
Stunning, realistic cut-paper collages bring to life the history of living things…a history that goes back four billion years. Also: Actual Size and Almost Gone: The World’s Rarest Animals
j576.8 JENK - A Seed Is Sleepy
- Snapshots: The Wonders of Monterey Bay
-
Sharp color photographs and brief text introduce this beautiful, Northern California locale.
j591.7743 MANN - The Edible Pyramid: Good Eating Every Day
-
This entertaining guide to nutrition has been revised to reflect the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new food pyramid. Also: Follow the Money, Measuring Penny and Messages from Mars
j613.2 LEED - My Light
-
A lucid explanation of how the sun’s rays are harnessed to make light and energy for our use. Also: Common Ground: The Water, Earth, and Air We Share
j621.47 BANG - It’s Not the Stork!: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families, and Friends
- 3-D ABC: A Sculptural Alphabet
-
Provocative, informative introduction to sculpture, showing a wide variety of styles and materials, with appealing color photos.
j730 RACZ - I'm Still Scared
-
The noted author-illustrator’s autobiographical series continues with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and Christmas 1941 as seen through Tomie’s second grader eyes.
jB DEPA
Read it to Yourself: Books for Beginning Readers
- Hi! Fly Guy
-
You’ll never think of flies in quite the same way after reading about this budding friendship between a boy and his pet fly. Also: Shoo, Fly Guy! and Super Fly Guy
jR ARNO - Ribbit Riddles
-
Funny riddles, jokes and puns relating to frogs are presented in beginning reader format. Also: Dino Riddles and Piggy Riddles
jR HALL - Days with Frog and Toad
-
Five more stories about two best friends and their happy adventures. (also available in Chinese, Japanese and Spanish)
jR LOBE - Gus and Grandpa and the Two-Wheeled Bike
-
Gus feels comfortable with his training wheels, so his new two-wheeler is not a welcome sight.
jR MILL - I Am Rosa Parks
-
Mrs. Parks explains why she refused to give up her seat on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama and her role in the Civil Rights Movement.
jR PARK - Tae Kwon Do!
-
A brother and sister take a Tae Kwon Do class in this very first ready-to-read story.
jR PIER - Happy Birthday, Good Knight
-
A knight helps three small dragons make a special, but messy, birthday present for their good friend, that very same Good Knight.
jR THOM
Recommended series: Amelia Bedelia (Parish); Biscuit (Capucilli); Commander Toad (Yolen); Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa (Silverman); Fox (Marshall); Henry and Mudge (Rylant); Iris and Walter (Guest); Little Bear (Minarik); Minnie and Moo (Cazet); Mr. Putter & Tabby (Rylant); Nate the Great (Sharmat); Oliver/Amanda Pig (Van Leeuwen); Young Cam Jansen (Adler); Zelda and Ivy (Kvasnosky).
Curl Up with a Book: Fiction
- Ivy + Bean
-
Bean is slow to acknowledge her new neighbor, but when she does the two become best friends and allies.
jF BARR - Mercy Watson Fights Crime
-
A beloved pet pig’s fondness for buttered toast leads to the discovery and capture of a robber in the family home.
jF DICA - My Father's Dragon
-
Elmer Elevator uses each of the unusual supplies he has brought with him during his adventures on Wild Island (also available in Japanese)
jF GANN - Toys Go Out: Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, a Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic
-
Six delightful, secret escapades of three toy friends. For read aloud or read alone.
jF JENK - Ruby Lu, Brave and True
-
A cape-wearing Chinese American girl with a zest for life reluctantly prepares for the arrival of her cousin from China. Also: Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything
jF LOOK - Stink and the World's Worst Super-Stinky Sneakers
-
Judy Moody’s younger brother is inspired by a class field trip to a Gross-Me-Out museum exhibit to create the most terrible smelling sneakers possible.
jF MCDO - 7 x 9 = Trouble
-
Wilson struggles with his third grade multiplication tables and the fact that his beloved kindergartner brother can do them with ease.
jF MILL
Recommended series: Bunnicula (Howe); Cam Jansen (Adler); Captain Underpants (Pilkey); Catwings (Le Guin); Henry Huggins/Ramona (Cleary); Horrible Harry (Kline); Judy Moody (McDonald); Julian/Huey (Cameron); Junie B. Jones (Park); ); Magic Tree House (Osborne); Martin Bridge (Kerrin); Marvin Redpost (Sachar); Owen Foote (Greene); Pinky and Rex (Howe); Time Warp Trio (Scieszka).
