The Ultimate 2nd Grade Reading List

Choosing Books for Independent Reading

          Second grade is a wonderful time for your child to begin independent reading. Most children by this grade have had a fair amount of reading instruction. It is very important to choose books at the appropriate level of difficulty. Choosing books at the correct level allows your child to achieve fluency and gain confidence. Gaining confidence is a very important step at this age because it will help develop a lifelong love of reading. Tutti Frutti loves to reread books…is this ok? Yes! Because this is another step in learning to read that builds confidence.

My Child Makes Mistakes

Tutti Frutti gets so frustrated when she makes a mistake! But, I have to reassure her it’s OK!  Mistakes are all part of a normal learning to read process. Here are some steps to take when your child makes mistakes during oral reading:

·         You shouldn’t stop to correct every mistake your child makes.

·         If a word is misread that is imperative to the story and your child gets confused, step in and give the word. Otherwise let it go, often times children will realize their mistake and come back to correct it.

·         If your child struggles to read a word, don’t jump in to help immediately; give her a chance to figure it out herself.

During the reading process, sometimes Tutti Frutti loses confidence or enjoyment if she makes too many mistakes. When I see this happening it is my cue to step in and give her praise and encouragement. We will finish the book but, I always make a mental note to choose an easier level next time.

The Ultimate List of 2nd Grade Reading Books by Level of Difficulty:

Easy Readers 1 – written for children learning to read. They have simple words and sentences with lots of pictures.

·        The Ugly Duckling - Harriet Ziefert

·        The Magic Porridge Pot - Harriet Ziefert

·        The Cat in the Hat – Dr. Seuss

·        Green Eggs and Ham - Dr. Seuss

·        One Fish, Two Fish, Three Fish - Dr. Seuss

·        Mrs. Brice’s Mice – Syd Hoff

·        Stanley - Syd Hoff

·        Danny and the Dinosaur Go to Camp - Syd Hoff

·        Are You My Mother – P.D. Eastman

·        Joe and Betsy the Dinosaur – Lillan Hobman

·        Ducks in a Row – Jackie Urbanovic

·        Little Bears Friend – Else Holmelund Minarik

·        Baa-Choo! – Sarah Weeks

·        Pip Squeak – Sarah Weeks

 

Easy Readers 2 – written a little more advanced that Easy Readers 1. They have more difficult vocabulary along with more text per page but still have lots of pictures.

·        Fox Be Nibble – James Marshall

·        Breakout at the Bug Lab – Ruth Horowitz

·        Detective Dinosaur – James Skofield

·        The Case of the Troublesome Turtle – Cynthia Rylant

·        Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping – Peggy Parish

·        The Best Seat in Second Grade – Katherine Kenah

·        Arthur’s Birthday Party – Lillian Hoban

·        Arthur’s Honey Bear – Lillian Hoban

·        Here Comes the Strikeout – Leonard Kessler

·        The Giant Jelly Bean Jar – Marci Aboff

·        Buzby – Julia Hoban

·        Big Max – Kin Platt

·        Big Max and the Mystery of the Missing Giraffe – Kin Platt

·        No Fighting, No Biting! – Else Holmelund Minarik

·        Zack’s Alligator Goes to School – Shirley Mozelle

·        Grasshopper on the Road – Arnold Lobel

·        Frog and Toad All Year – Arnold Lobel

·        Frog and Toad Are Friends – Arnold Lobel

Transition to Chapter Books

          The next list of books bridges the gap between easy readers and chapter books. This often seems to be a struggle point for homeschooling parents of exactly when and how to begin chapter books. Most children begin reading transition books between mid-second grade and early third. But, a good indicator is when they read easy readers with little to no difficulty. Ideally, your child should read eight to ten transition books before moving on to chapter books.

Chapter Books 1: These books are a step up in difficulty to transition books. The sentences are longer and more complex, the story itself is richer – with more complex plots and characters. The page range of chapter books 1 is fifty-five to one hundred.

·        Pioneer Cat – William Hooks

·        A Toad for Tuesday – Russell E. Erickson

·        Julian’s Glorious Summer – Ann Cameron

·        Invisible Stanley – Jeff Brown

·        Bears on Hemlock Mountain – Alice Dagliesh

·        Stone Fox – John Reynolds Gardiner

·        A Hare Raising Tail – Elizabeth Levy

·        Sarah, Plain and Tall – Patricia MacLachlan

·        The Time Warp Trio: Knights of the Kitchen Table – Jon Scieszka (First Book in the Time Warp Trio Series)

·        McBroom’s Wonderful One-Acre Farm – Sid Fleischman

·        Shoeshine Girl – Clyde Robert Bulla

·        The Silver Balloon – Susan Bonners

·        Cam Jansen: The Mystery of Dinosaur Bones - David Adler

Chapter Books 2: To really be ready for this next set of books, your child should read ten to fifteen books from chapter books 1. These books are longer and more difficult than chapter books 1. The paragraphs are longer and with more dialogue. The page range of chapter books 2 is eighty to one hundred forty. A good readiness indicator for chapter books 2 is that your child can read silently and accurately for longer periods of time.

·        Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret Pitch – Donald J. Sobol (There is many books available in this series)

·        A Mouse Called Wolf – Dick King-Smith

·        The Hoboken Chicken Emergency – Daniel Pinkwater

·        Lady Lollipop – Dick King Smith

·        The New Kid at School – Kate McMullen ( #1 in the Dragon Slayers Academy Series)

·        Gooseberry Park – Cynthia Rylant

·        The Talented Clementine – Sara Pennypacker ( #2 in the Clementine Series)

·        Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery – James and Deborah Howe

·        Max and Maddy and the Chocolate Money Mystery – Alexander McCall Smith ( one other book available)

·        Help! I’m a Prisoner in the Library! Eth Clifford

·        Sable – Karen Hesse

                               ·        A Lion to Guard us. – Clyde Robert Bulla

This is the ultimate reading list I have for second grade. Tutti Frutti is working hard on her list but, there is absolutely no pressure to complete it all. What fun would it be if we were a slave to our list?  

Do you have a favorite book for second grade? If so, please share! 

Have a child who doesn’t want to read? Stay tuned for

next week. I will be sharing how to encourage a child

that doesn’t want to read!

Where to Buy:

Amazon

Christianbook. com

Rainbow Resource Center

Don't Want to Purchase:

*Your local library is a great resource

*Borrow from other friends :)