New Books for Beginning Readers, August 2022

Are your growing readers finding good books? Here is a new batch of recently published titles to give your beginning readers more reading options.

New Books for Beginning Readers

Pig Makes Art by Laura Gehl, illustrated by Fred Blunt
A hilarious story about a pig who creates art for an unappreciative cat friend. Soon, Pig creates art ON the sleeping cat– and that inspires a fun chase and a new artist, Cat. Darling.

It’s a Sign by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey
New readers will enjoy this clever story about animals who make signs and start a sign-making club. It’s part of the Mo Willems Elephant and Piggie I Like Reading book series.

Can Clam Go? by Adam Lehrhuapt, illustrated by Pauline Gregory (Pre-Level 1)
Shark can move his body, but Clam can’t– he just sits there. Will shark eat Clam? No, he’ll help Clam move, too.

Croc and Ally A Lot to Like! by Derek Anderson
Croc and Ally are friends with different personalities who like different things and yet always have fun together.

Lemon Bird by Paulina Ganucheau (graphic novel)
How cute are these fruit and veggie animals! Lemon Bird and Pupkin get lost but they find their way home in a big adventure.

Peach and Plum Here We Come! by Tim McCanna (graphic novel)
Excellent. I really like how the rhyming supports the decoding of the text. In this book, two good fruit friends experience tasty adventures such as riding bikes and going to the beach.

Bug Scouts Out in the Wild by Mike Lowery (graphic novel)
Beginning readers will love this exciting and hilarious friendship adventure graphic novel–with incredible art from author/illustrator Mike Lowery! Three bug friends have a super secret headquarters where they get to earn bug badges. The friends start on their first badge–foraging but then they spy a frog!! And frogs EAT bugs! These bug scouts find a great solution– they use the spider’s hammock web to trap the frog. Hmmm…what badge can you earn for that?

New Kids in the Flock by Elise Gravel (graphic novel)
Both a story and informational, Arlo becomes a dad and Pip learns all about baby crows while he helps Arlo take care of the babies. Dense with information, this is an important story that shows dads taking care of kids.

Waffles and Pancake Planetary-Yum by Drew Brockington (graphic novel)
On their day together, Dad-Cat takes brother and sister Waffles and Pancake to the science museum. It’s a fun adventure even though the kittens get lost. But they know how to ask for help, find their dad, and enjoy their day. When they drive to Mom-Cat’s house (the parents don’t live together), the kittens tell dad their favorite part of the day– LUNCH! Don’t miss the next book in the series: Flight or Fright.

Leave It To Plum! by Matt Phelan
Itch is a ningbing who hates the zoo’s peacock so he frames them for a string of thefts. Plum is a kind and friendly peacock who avoids the peacock detention area and uses his freedom to solve the mystery– along with his reluctant new cat friend. LEAVE IT TO PLUM will charm readers with its sweet with themes of friendship and community.

Gigi and Ojiji by Melissa Iwai (Level 3)
Gigi is excited to play with her grandfather Ojiisan who is visiting from Japan. Onc they meet, she feels concerned that he’s too old to play tag and feels hurt that he was laughing at her. Gigi’s mom helps her understand their cultural differences, and they find a way to connect.

Beginning Chapter Books

Rica Baptista Llamas, Iguanas, and My Very Best Friend by Janet Costa Bates, illustrated by Gladys Jose
Rica wants a pet and writes sweet letters to God all about it. She tries to be more responsible and earn money — and is helped by her best friend who she thinks will be moving away. A quiet younger girl inspires Rica to be brave and enter a poetry contest to earn the contest money. Warm-hearte, this is a sweet story about family, friends, growing up, and community.

The Under Dogs Catch a Cat Burglar by Kate and Jol Temple, illustrated by Shiloh Gordon
Fang cat joins the Underdogs Detective Agency and he helps them find a cat burglar. They follow clues, try to beat the fancy detectives for once, playful and cute. I thought it was unnecessary and a bit crude to use the word whizzed for going to the bathroom.

Sugar Plum Ballerinas: Plum Fantastic by Whoopi Goldberg
Al’s overbearing mother pushes her into ballet dancing which Al doesn’t like. In their new home of NYC, Alexandra gives ballet a try to please her costume-making mother and finds friends in class who help her learn the recital choreography.

Knights and Bikes by Gabrielle Kent
On the island of Penfurzy, two friends and their sidekick goose embark on an exciting adventure. With teamwork, they search for the legendary Penfurzy Knight’s treasure. They’ll travel by bike and use frisbees, water balloons, and a toilet plunger.

Madison Morris is Not a Mouse (Class Critters #3) by Kathryn Holmes
I love this darling series — and this third book might be my favorite yet! Madison hears the critical voice of her great aunt in her head telling her she can’t do anything and will never succeed. When she listens to this voice and believes it, losing all confidence, she turns into… a mouse! During her day as a mouse, Madison meets another mouse in the library who shows her that she doesn’t have to listen and believe the critical voice in her head– she can tell it to be quiet. It’s a stunning revelation — and helps Madison turn back into a kid again.

Too Small Tola and the Three Fine Girls (#2) by Atinuke, illustrated by Onyinye Iwu
Tola is a small girl who lives with her siblings and Grandmommy in a poor area of Nigeria. When her Grandmommy gets sick, she stops going to school to work so they have enough food to eat, but gets to go back to school when her Grandmommy gets better. In another story, Tola compares herself to a rich girl and learns the value and joy she has in her own life. Filled with family, love, and a vibrant community, Tola’s stories are filled with energy and strong character development.

Pizza My Heart by Mika Song (graphic novel)
This graphic novel narrates the adventures of two friends who want to steal a pizza. But, they end up helping a little girl escape the evil cat named Tomato. In the end, they inadvertently help an artist — and get to eat the pizza.

Mighty Meg and the Magical Ring by Sammy Griffin, illustrated by Michah Player
Meg gets a ring for her 8th birthday–that gives her superpowers–speed, strength, super senses, and invisibility! At first, she doesn’t want to use her powers, but she sees a dog drowning in a river and feels like she must help, so he doesn’t die. This changes her mind about her using powers — and sets us up for more books in the series.

Cornbread & Poppy at the Carnival by Matthew Cordell
Cornbread and Poppy go to the Carnival, even though Cornbread doesn’t like scary things and Poppy does. They have a fun day until the end when they argue about a peanut — then work it out. It’s a gentle story of friends who are different but love spending time with each other.