Summer Reading 2021: Lower School

Tie on your apron! Roll up your sleeves! Pans are out, oven is hot, the kitchen's all ready! Where do we start? In this lively, rousing picture book from Caldecott Honoree Jillian Tamaki, a crew of resourceful neighbors comes together to prepare a meal for their community. With a garden full of produce, a joyfully chaotic kitchen, and a friendly meal shared at the table, Our Little Kitchen is a celebration of full bellies and looking out for one another. Bonus materials include a recipe and an author's note about the volunteering experience that inspired the book.

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When a weary stranger arrives one day, with only a suitcase, everyone is full of questions: Why is he here? Where has he come from? And just what is in that suitcase? To learn the answers, they can either trust the newcomer or discover what they risk by not believing him. A story about hope and kindness, truth and perception--and most importantly, about how we treat those in need.

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Sy Montgomery has had many teachers in her life: some with two legs, others with four, or even eight! Some have had fur, feathers, or hooves. But they've all had one thing in common: a lesson to share. The animals Sy has met on her many world travels have taught her how to seek understanding in the most surprising ways, from being patient to finding forgiveness and respecting others. Gorillas, dogs, octopuses, tigers, and more all have shown Sy that there are no limits to the empathy and joy we can find in each other if only we take the time to connect.

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In the city of Bogata, in the barrio of La Nueva Gloria, there live two Joses. One is a boy who dreams of Saturdays-- that's the day he gets to visit Paradise, the library. The second Jose is a garbage collector. From dusk until dawn, he scans the sidewalks as he drives, squinting in the dim light, searching household trash for hidden treasure . . . books! Some are stacked in neat piles, as if waiting for Jose. Others take a bit more digging. Ever since he found his first book, Anna Karenina, years earlier, he's been collecting books--thick ones and thin ones, worn ones and almost new ones-- to add to the collection in his home. And on Saturdays, kids like little Jose run to the steps of Paradise to discover a world filled with books and wonder.

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Effie lost her mom, lost her home, and now she has to live with two strange aunts who she's never met before. Life in Brooklyn takes a strange twist for Effie as she learns more about her family and herself. With new friends who will do whatever they can to be there for her, a cursed pop-star, and her new magically-inclined family -- Effie's life is about to get interesting.

Harlem Grown tells the inspiring true story of how one man made a big difference in a neighborhood. After seeing how restless they were and their lack of healthy food options, Tony Hillery invited students from an underfunded school to turn a vacant lot into a beautiful and functional farm. By getting their hands dirty, these kids turned an abandoned space into something beautiful and useful while learning about healthy, sustainable eating and collaboration. Five years later, the kids and their parents, with the support of the Harlem Grown staff, grow thousands of pounds of fruits and vegetables a year. All of it is given to the kids and their families.

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Brand-new kicks, ripped denim shorts, Supreme tee-- Wes Henderson has the best style in sixth grade. That--and hanging out with his crew (his best friends since little-kid days) and playing video games--is what he wants to be thinking about at the start of the school year, not the protests his parents are always dragging him to. But when a real estate developer makes an offer to buy Kensington Oaks, the neighborhood Wes has lived his whole life, everything changes. The grownups are supposed to have all the answers, but all they're doing is arguing. Even Wes's best friends are fighting. And some of them may be moving. Wes has always been good at puzzles, and he knows there has to be a missing piece that will solve this puzzle and save the Oaks. But can he find it before it's too late?

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As the son of the world's most famous tech billionaire, spoiled Jett Baranov has always gotten what he wanted. So when his father's private jet drops him in the middle of the Arkansas wilderness, at a place called the Oasis, Jett can't believe it. He's forced to hand over his cell phone, eat grainy veggie patties, and participate in wholesome activities with the other kids, who he has absolutely no interest in hanging out with. As the weeks go on, Jett starts to get used to the unplugged life and even bonds with the other kids over their discovery of a baby-lizard-turned-pet, Needles. But he can't help noticing that the adults at the Oasis are acting really strange. Jett is determined to get to the bottom of things, but can he convince everybody that he is no longer just a spoiled brat who is making trouble?

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Twins Hue and Hoa are excited for the May Day parade! While waiting at the park for the parade to begin, they spot a little duck who seems new to the neighborhood--and looks confused by the crowd and commotion. How can the twins help the duck get to the pond? Many friends from the neighborhood stop to say hello and offer suggestions. Teamwork, collective brainstorming, and the duck's own inspiration finally help it reach its new home--with an entire community welcoming it with a parade!

Inspired by the thousands of children she has met in travels around the word for Save the Children and UNICEF, two-time Caldecott winner Sophie Blackall has crafted an ambitious yet child-accessible book of ... well ... everything. Simultaneously funny and touching, it is a call to each of us to take care of both the Earth and each other.

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We are all like trees: our spines, trunks; our skin, bark; our hearts giving us strength and support, like heartwood. We are fueled by air and sun. And, like humans, trees are social. They "talk" to spread information; they share food and resources. They shelter and take care of one another. They are stronger together.

Anne-France Dautheville dreamed of going Elsewhere. And so in 1973, she left Paris behind and became the first woman to a ride a motorcycle around the world alone. From Canada to India, from Afghanistan to Turkey, Anne-France persisted with little more than two small saddlebags filled with a modest tool kit, first aid, a sleeping bag, and a notebook. Despite flat tires and many rough falls, she always got back on her bike and kept riding, committed to her goal of seeing and experiencing the world. Instead of being fearful of new people and places or closed off to cultures or traditions, she found humanity at every turn, discovering that the world is beautiful and people are good.

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Neighbors are everywhere: next door, above, and even below. More often than not, they are a mystery, a presence suggested by low hums, footfalls, or perhaps a slammed door. This book explores the waysthat we think about those we exist among, but who remain strangers until we make the brave--and affirming--decision to connect.

8 and 6-year-old sisters named Twig and Turtle are excited and curious about their new small town in Colorado, and for their cool new tiny house. Their family is united in living more simply and not stressing out the earth's resources. And enjoying nature. But for Twig, that means leaving her BIG adopted Great Dane with her grandma. In the tiny house, there's barely enough room for a few books and games! Friendly and outgoing Turtle rolls with the move, and new life. But Twig struggles without her beloved dog. At school, Twig has to write about an opinion. And that gets her mind cooking. Twig is going to use her writing project to get her big dog back!

This time, it's Jordan's friend Drew who takes center stage in another laugh-out-loud funny, powerful, and important story about being one of the few kids of color in a prestigious private school. Eighth grader Drew Ellis is no stranger to the saying "You have to work twice as hard to be just as good." His grandmother has reminded him his entire life. But what if he works ten times as hard and still isn't afforded the same opportunities that his privileged classmates at the Riverdale Academy Day School take for granted? To make matters worse, Drew begins to feel as if his good friend Liam might be one of those privileged kids. He wants to pretend like everything is fine, but it's hard not to withdraw, and even their mutual friend Jordan doesn't know how to keep the group together. As the pressures mount, will Drew find a way to bridge the divide so he and his friends can truly accept each other? And most important, will he finally be able to accept himself?

A small village on a Jamaican island; A girl who doesn't remember the previous summer; A best friend who is no longer acting like one and a new girl who fills that hole in her heart; A summer of finding fallen mangos, creating made games and dancing in the rain: Secrets she keeps from others...and herself. The courage of a community to work together to face the truth even in the toughest of storms.