Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters By Lenore Look, Illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Camping is fun, right? Not when you’re Alvin Ho, the kid who is afraid of everything! Will night-vision goggles and a super-duper heavy-duty flashlight be enough to help him survive the terrors of the great outdoors?

Baby Monkey, Private Eye By Brian Selznick & David Serlin, Illustrated by Brian Selznick

Got a mystery? Baby Monkey will solve your case! Just give him a second to eat a snack and put on some pants before he starts looking for clues in this series of adorable bite-sized puzzles.

Bob, Not Bob! By Liz Garton Scanlon & Audrey Vernick, Illustrated by Matthew Cordell

Louie has a terrible cold, and he really, really wants his mom. But every time he calls for her, slobbery Bob the dog comes running instead. (Tip: read this book as if you have the worst cold ever.)

The Book of Mistakes By Corinna Luyken

Everyone knows mistakes are bad… or are they? An artist takes readers on a journey of blobs, spots and splotches to show how mistakes can lead to unexpected and beautiful things.

Captain Pug By Laura James, Illustrated by Églantine Ceulemans

Heave ho, mateys! It’s time to hit the waves with the most adorable captain on the high seas. The only problem? “Captain Pug” is terrified of water and would rather sit around and eat jam tarts. What’s a pug to do?

2018 RECOMMENDED BOOks fOR sTuDENTs iN gRADEs k – 2

Cinnamon By Neil Gaiman, Illustrated by Divya Srinivasan

Born with pearl eyes, the princess cannot see and will not speak. No tutor can unlock her voice until a mysterious tiger shows her the world in all its ferocious beauty.

Crown: An Ode to the fresh Cut By Derrick Barnes, Illustrated by Gordon C. James

The barbershop is where the magic happens. Boys go in as lumps of clay and, with princely robes draped around their shoulders, a dab of cool shaving cream on their foreheads, and a slow, steady cut, they become royalty. Everyone notices.

Danza! By Duncan Tonatiuh

Ami studied ballet and modern dance with great teachers, but she also loved the folk dances she saw in town squares all over her native Mexico. This is the story of Amalia Hernández, founder of El Ballet Folklórico de México, who brought all of her worlds together on the stage of dance.

The itchy Book! By LeUyen Pham

Dinosaurs do not scratch. It’s a rule! Even if they have an itch. Even if the itch is very, very itchy. So very itchy. Soooooo very, very itchy…

Jabari Jumps By Gaia Cornwall

Jabari feels both fear and excitement as he gets ready to make his first dive from the diving board. It’s time to make a splash!

Leonardo the Terrible Monster By Mo Willems Leonardo is really not great at being a scary monster; he just can’t frighten anyone… until, he finds the most scaredy-cat kid in the whole wide world. But is being scary really what Leonardo wants most of all?

Lola Levine Meets Jelly and Bean By Monica Brown, Illustrated by Angela Dominguez Lola Levine is super excited to bring home her new cat, Jelly! But unfortunately, Lola’s brother, Ben, turns out to be allergic to cats, so Jelly will be headed back to the shelter unless Lola can find a new home for her furry friend.

Narwhal: unicorn of the sea By Ben Clanton It’s a pointy manatee... a fishy unicorn... no, it’s Narwhal, Unicorn of the Sea! Best friend to Jelly, lover of waffles, and one half of the Narwhal & Jellyfish Pod of Awesomeness, this bubbly sea mammal just wants to party. Get ready to fall in love with this positively positive guy.

A Pig, a fox, and stinky socks By Jonathan Fenske It all starts when Fox gives his friend Pig a pair of stinky socks as a prank. Then he finds out that even the best plans can go awry. What happens next? Even more shenanigans!

La Princesa and the Pea By Susan Middleton Elya, Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

A Peruvian prince wants to marry a beautiful princess, but his mother is determined to get in the way. Fortunately, the prince also has a trick or two up his sleeve in this retelling of the classic tale.

The Rat: The Disgusting Critters series By Elise Gravel This is a science book, but not one of those boring ones. Yes, you will learn interesting facts about rats, but you’ll also laugh. A lot. (If you like it, check out some others in the series, such as T he Slug and The Worm.)

Tap the Magic Tree By Christie Matheson As seasons change, so does the tree — but only with your help!

There’s A Pest in The garden! By Jan Thomas Can Duck save the garden from whatever pest has been eating all the vegetables?

Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Emily Sutton There are millions upon millions of tiny creatures living all around us. They are even in your body! A few of them can make you sick, but most of them are busy working as “the invisible transformers of our world.”

They say Blue By Jillian Tamaki This is a book about colors, but also about perspective. It’s a book about the things we can see, but also about the truth that is invisible.