EL MONTECITO EARLY SCHOOL

SUGGESTED BOOK LIST FOR FAMILY LIBRARY GIFT GIVING GUIDE FOR CHILDREN 2 - 5 YEARS OLD

*Bonus Section from Miss Lauri (ELMO Assistant Pastor to Families) for Elementary Age Readers! *

Books are an investment and should be chosen carefully and specifically to suit your family values and interests.

This is not an exhaustive list, but does offer solid suggestions of books that have been tested, tried and true.

“Our collections need not be huge. We should be investing in books that are worth reading many times. It only makes

sense to encourage re-reading by ensuring that our children aren’t overwhelmed by the distraction of

excessive quantity. What matters is that the books we choose are morally, artistically, emotionally and

factually, good.” How To Build A Family Library Of Awesome Picture Books

Happy Memory Making and Reading Adventures!

Gift Giving Guide Suggested Book List for Family Library

Bibles, Devotionals and Good Reads:

My Favorite Bible Stories By Matt Mitter

One Year Children’s Bible By Rhona Davies

God’s Little Princess Devotional Bible By Sheila Walsh

Questions from Little

Hearts By Kathleen Long Bostrom

Friends Around the World Activity Book Compassion International

All of the God Gave us books are great. Here

are a couple of our favorites:

God Gave Us You By Lisa Tawn Bergren And Laura J. Bryant

God Gave Us Heaven By Lisa Tawn Bergren And Laura J. Bryant

All God’s Creatures By Karen Hill

God's Very Good Idea (Tales That Tell the Truth) By Trillia Newbell Illustrated by Catalina Echeverri

The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross By Carl Laferton Illustrated by Catalina Echeverri

`

Author Recommendations: Jan Brett

Home For Christmas By Jan Brett

The Hat By Jan Brett

Daisy Comes Home By Jan Brett

Margaret Wise Brown

Christmas in the Barn By Margaret Wise Brown

Margaret Wise Brown

Treasury Eric Carle

Dream Snow By Eric Carle

The Mixed-up Chameleon by Eric Carle

The Tiny Seed By Eric Carle

From Head to Toe By Eric Carle

Tomie De Paola

The Legend of the Poinsettia By Tomie de Paola

Merry Christmas Strega Nona By Tomie De Paola

The Popcorn Book By Tomie De Paola

Don Freeman

Corduroy By Don Freeman

A Pocket for Corduroy By Don Freeman

Corduroy Goes to the Beach By Don Freeman

Max Lucado

You are Special By Max Lucado

The Oak Inside the

Acorn By Max Lucado

Laura Numeroff

All books in the “If You Give a Mouse” series are great.

If You Give A Mouse A

Cookie By Laura Numeroff

Dolly Parton Imagination Library

Dolly Parton Book Series Little People, Big

Dreams

Coat of Many Colors By Dolly Parton

I Am a Rainbow By Dolly Parton

Dr Seuss

The Lorax By Dr Seuss

Oh the Places You’ll Go By Dr. Suess

Laura Ingalls Wilder The Little House Book Series is a must!

Christmas in the Big

Woods By Laura Ingalls Wilder

Praire Day By Laura Ingalls Wilder

Jane Yolen All the Dinosaur Series are great.

How Do Dinosaurs Go To School? By Jane Yolen

All books in the Best Behavior Book Series are excellent.

Germs Are Not For

Sharing By Elizabeth Verdick Illustrated by Marieka Heilen

Hands Are Not For

Hitting By Martine Agassi

Illustrated by Marieka Heilen

Sharing Time By Elizabeth Verdick

Just Ask Book Series

Thanksgiving

If You Sailed on The Mayflower in 1620 By Ann McGovern

Bear Says Thanks By Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman

A Turkey for Thanksgiving By Eve Bunting Illustrated by Diane de Groat

Christmas

Silent Night (The Christmas Choir) By Laura Hawthorne

The Legend of the Candy Cane By Lori Walburg Illustrated by Richard Cowdrey

The Small One By Alex Walsh

Books that Celebrate

Diversity

Amazing Grace By Mary Hoffman Illustrated by Caroline Binch

I Smell Honey Andrea and Brain Pinkey

Jabari Tries By Gaia Cornwall

Daniel's Good Day Micha Archer

One Big Heart: A

Celebration of Being

More Alike than Different By Linsey Davis

When God Made You By Matthew Paul Turner Illustrated by David Catrow

The World is Awake By Linsey Davis

Music Books

My First Songs Tomie De Paola

Charlie Parker Played BeBop By Chris Raschka

Sing With Me / Canta

Conmigo: Six Classic Songs in English and Spanish By Jose Luis Orozco

Ella Fitzgerald By Andrea Davis Pinkney

Dancing Hands By Margarita Engle

Illustrated by Rafael Lopez

Duke Ellington By Andrea Pinkney

Illustrated by Brian Pinkney

More Favorites:

The Monkey and The Crocodile By Paul Galdone

Love You Forever By Robert Munsch Illustrated by Sheila McGraw

The Rainbow Fish By Markus Pfister

Mama Do You Love Me?

By Barbara Joosse Illustrated by Barbara Lavallee

Papa Do you Love Me? By Barbara M. Joosse Illustrated by Barbara Lavallee

The Snowy Day By Jack Ezra Keats

Make Way for Ducklings By Robert McCloskey

The Little Engine that Could By Watty Piper

The Little Mouse, the

Red Ripe Strawberry By Audrey Wood Illustrated by Don Wood

I Love You Through and Through By Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak

Last Stop on Market

Street By Matt de la Pena

Bonus Section from Miss Lauri

Christmas Book Ideas for Elementary Age Readers

Fun Fiction

1. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (Narnia Series) 2. Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Books I-V by Mary Rose Wood

3. The Hobbit by JR Tolkien

4. Green Ember by SD Smith 5. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser

6. Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier 7. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

8. The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton

9. The Penderwicks by Jeanie Birdsall 10. Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

11. Wonder by R.J. Palacio

12. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

13. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine 14. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

15.Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls 16. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

17. Artemis Fowl Series by Eoin Colfer

18. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness #1 by Andrew Peterson

19. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

20. Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Series by Chris Grabenstein

21. Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

22. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery 23. Nancy and Plum by Betty MacDonald

24. Imagination Station Series by: Marianne Hering, Paul McCusker, Brock Eastman

25. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Bibles, Devotional Books, Christian Biographies

1. Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus Family Devotional by Marty

Mackowski 2. Jesus Storybook Bible (age 3-7)

3. Indescribable by Louie Giglio 4. How Great is Our God by Louie Giglio

5. The Gospel Story Bible by Marty Machowski

6. Exploring the Roots and Shoots of Faith: The Radical Book for Kids by Champ

Thornton 7. Cold-Case Christianity for Kids by Wallace & Wallace

8. Case for Christ for Kids by Lee Strobel 9. Christian Heroes Then and Now (series) by Janet and George Benge

10. Love Does for Kids by Bob Goff

11. Brave Heroes and Bold Defenders: 50 True Stories of Daring Men of God by Shirley Raye Redmond

12. Courageous World Changers: 50 True Stories of Daring Women of God by Shirley

Raye Redmond