Pick of the Decade 1995-2005:
1st Grade

Easy Readers

Armstrong, Jennifer. Sunshine, Moonshine , 1997.

Beginning readers can follow the summertime adventures of a little boy from the early morning until "moon shines on my pillow."

Bauer, Marion Dane. Snow , 2003.

The delights of snow, and information about it, are both well covered as a child and dog energetically explore the wonders of winter.

Capucilli, Alyssa. Biscuit , 1996.

It's bedtime, but Biscuit, a little yellow puppy, wants just one more thing - a snack, a story, a hug, before he'll settle down (first in an ongoing series).

Godwin, Laura. Happy and Honey , 2000.

Honey, a frisky kitten, is determined to wake up Happy, the dog, so that they can play. (Sequels: Honey Helps ; The Best Fall of All ; and Happy Christmas, Honey .)

McPhail, David. Jack and Rick , 2002.

Jack and Rick, a rabbit and a bear, work together to find a way to cross the stream that is separating them. With just one sentence per page, this is perfect for just beginning readers. (Sequel: Rick Is Sick .)

McPhail, David. Big Pig and Little Pig , 2001.

McPhail's wonderful illustrations bring to life this very simple story of two pigs who celebrate that they are friends even though they are very different.

Meister, Cari. Tiny the Snow Dog , 2001.

Tiny, the large but lovable dog, spends an afternoon playing in the snow with his owner. (Newest in a series that begins with When Tiny Was Tiny .)

Milgrim, David. Ride, Otto, Ride , 2002.

Otto, a small robot, takes a ride on Peanuts the Elephant's back. He is joined, one by one, by a number of animals, until the arrival of Spec the bug causes Peanuts to collapse. (Sequels: See Otto , See Pip Point and See Santa Nap .)

Moran, Alex. Boots for Beth , 2002.

Beth has outgrown her red cowgirl boots and each of her friends tries to help the pig find a new pair.

Rylant, Cynthia. Puppy Mudge Has a Snack , 2003.

Mudge does everything he can to get Henry to share his favorite snack, crackers. (Sequels: Puppy Mudge Takes a Bath ; Puppy Mudge Loves His Blanket ; Puppy Mudge Finds a Friend ; and Puppy Mudge Wants to Play .)

Shaw, Nancy . Sheep Trick or Treat , 1997.

When the sheep go trick or treating to the farm, their costumes scare some wolves hiding in the nearby forest. (Newest in the series which begins with Sheep in a Jeep.)

Weeks, Sarah. Splish, Splash , 1999.

Goldfish Chub is joined in the tub by an every growing assortment of animals. The illustrations add humor to the familiar story.