Pick of the Decade 1995-2005:
2nd Grade

Easy Readers

Alphin, Elaine. A Bear for Miguel , 1996.

A young girl in El Salvador trades a precious item of her own for supplies her family needs.

Baker, Barbara. Digby and Kate and the Beautiful Day , 1998

In five easy to read stories, Digby, the dog, and Kate, the cat, show that even though they may disagree on some things, they are still the best of friends. (Newest in a series that includes Digby and Kate and Digby and Kate Again .)

Bauer, Marion Dane. Turtle Dreams , 1997.

Turtle talks to different animals to try to find a dream that will prepare her for the long winter season.

Bottner, Barbara. Pish and Posh , 2004.

When Pish and Posh discover fairy magic, they face a series of wacky surprises.

Brown, Marc. Arthur and the School Pet , 2003.

D.W. finds that taking care of the class gerbil over the Christmas vacation is not so easy. (Newest in an ongoing series that began with Arthur's Reading Race . )

Cannon, A. E. On the Go with Pirate Pete and Pirate Joe , 2002.

Pete and Joe, pirates with "stinky feet" discover that they are both afraid of water and decide that what they need is a parrot. (Sequel: Let the Good Times Roll with Pirate Pete and Pirate Joe .)

Cazet, Denys. Minnie and Moo: The Attack of the Easter Bunnies , 2004.

Minnie and Moo convince the other farm animals to dress up like the Easter bunny to surprise the farmer's grandchildren. (Newest in a series that begins with Minnie and Moo Go to the Moon .)

Cazet, Denys. Sam Gets Lost , 2004.

Grandpa helps his favorite grandpup to avoid scratching his chicken pox by telling how he once had to fight off an octopus during a terrible storm.

Chorao, Kay. Here Comes Kate , 2000.

In four stories, Kate, a young elephant, plays in the snow, learns to appreciate her new quilt, worries over a lost toy and stops her baby cousin from crying. (Sequel: Up and Down with Kate .)

Coerr, Eleanor. Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express , 1995.

Sixteen-year-old Bill finds adventure when he joins the Pony Express, although his letters home do not tell about all the danger he is in.

Cushman, Doug. Space Cat , 2004.

When Space Cat and Earl the robot encounter trouble with their space ship, they crash-land on an alien planet to search for more fuel.

Danziger, Paula. Second Grade Rules, Amber Brown , 2004.

Amber Brown loves the second grade but wonders if she will ever receive an award from Deskarina, the desk fairy, for keeping her desk clean. (Part of the A Is for Amber series.)

De Paola, Tomie. T-Rex is Missing , 2002.

Morgie accuses his best friend of taking his favorite dinosaur toy, and then finds out he must apologize. (Newest in a series that includes Hide and Seek and Boss for a Day .)

Driscoll, Laura. The Bravest Cat!: The True Story of Scarlett , 1997.

The true story of a mother cat that rescues her kittens from a burning building in New York in 1996.

Godwin, Laura. Forest , 1998.

A young girl and her mother find a small fawn in the forest near the family's farm in Canada .

Guest, Elissa Haden. Iris and Walter and the Field Trip , 2005.

(Newest in a series that begins with Iris and Walter .)

Holub, Joan. The Garden That We Grew , 2001.

Children enjoy the pumpkins that they planted and watched grow.

Johnston, Tony. Alien and Possum: Friends No Matter What , 2001.

Possum discovers a spaceship and with perseverance discovers that he and Alien can be friends despite their differences. (Sequel: Alien and Possum Hanging Out .)