New Books for Growing Readers, Ages 6 to 8 (April 2022)

It makes me so happy to find new books for your growing readers who need good, engaging reading material.

If you teach or parent kids who are learning to read, check out what’s new…

Easy Readers (Beginning Readers Ages 5 – 7)

Your Friend Parker by Parker Curry, Jessica Curry, illustrated by Brittany Jackson and Tajae Keith
Parker goes on vacation and writes one big letter (this book) about her trip to her best friend. This simple story introduces letter writing as well as how to summarize important events.

That Egg is Mine by Liz Goulet Dubois
Duck chases and claims the spotty egg that looks like Cluck who thinks the egg is hers. But they both are surprised when a creature emerges that doesn’t belong to either of them! Pay attention to the shadow on the last page — and you’ll figure out what the egg really is. Kids will love this funny easy reader graphic novel with a surprising and hilarious ending.

I Really Want a Bigger Piece by Harriet Zeifert, illustrations by Travis Foster
Really Bird and his friends, Cat and Pup, are having a pie picnic but need to slice up the pie into fair shares. Pup thinks that he should cut pie pieces by the size of the animals which means that Really Bird would get the smallest piece of the pie. Really Bird does NOT like this idea. The friends eventually decide to the pie into cut equal pieces instead.

Emily’s Big Discovery by Liz Kessler, illustrated by Joanie Stone
Emily learns she’s a mermaid by accident when she takes swimming lessons at school. When she tests out her tail in the ocean, she meets a new friend who helps her figure out how to be a mermaid. A fun, imaginative story for mermaid-loving kids.

Bling! 100 Fun Facts About Rocks and Gems
National Geographic Level 3
This level 3 reader shares interesting, readable information about rocks and gems that will fascinate readers along with the full-color photos and appealing graphic design. These level 3 readers are difficult so you might save them for when you’re child is able to read beginning chapter books.

Mythical Beasts: 100 Fun Facts About Real Animals and the Myths They Inspire by Stephanie Warren Drimmer
Learn about unique real creatures like giant squids who were mistaken for mythical creatures, such as a kracken. Some creatures have weird abilities like the axolotl who can regrow his tail, brain, and an organ which could be compared with the mythical hydra whose head gets cut off and two more grows. Fascinating facts and photographs plus imaginative stories and illustrations will keep readers enthralled.

EARLY CHAPTER BOOKS

Frank and Bean Food Truck Fiasco by Jamie Michalak, illustrated by Bob Kolar
A laugh-out-loud, sweet story about good friends, Frank and Bean, who enter a food truck contest. Bean’s truck is donuts and Frank’s is oatmeal. Their biggest competition is Mad Dog’s Cupcakes. They become each other’s customers and invent a new food to sell — Friendship Bowls. Darling!

Look What We Can Do! by Candy James
Two best friends visit the library and wish they had a wagon for all their books. Then, they notice is the prize for the talent show is a wagon. Now they need to think of a perfect act. They start with the dance but worry it’s not good enough. So they keep adding to their routine and they add so much that it’s a disaster.

The Flower Garden by Renee Kurilla
I love this flowery, magical graphic novel about friends Anna and Tessa’s small-sized adventure with a gnome friend who leads them around a garden world filled with tiny animals and gnome cities. During the exploration, one friend learns how to speak up for herself and one learns how to listen better. This book explodes with colorful, vibrant art.

Frank and the Bad Surprise by Martha Brockenbrough, illustrated by Jon Lau
The humans forget all about Frank the cat when they add a new puppy to the family. It takes running away and (writing many angry letters) for Frank to appreciate his home and the new puppy. In fact, back at home, Frank gives the puppy a name — which he writes in a letter to his humans.

David Dixon’s Day as a Dachshund by Kathryn Holmes
David is a boy full of ideas that often cause chaos like bringing his new puppy to school for show and tell. When the puppy escapes, David turns into a dog, too. The two dogs race in and out of the school with playful joy until David’s best friend catches Bandit the puppy and brings them back inside. The class guinea pig Bagel helps David learn how to think through ideas before he acts– and that’s when he turns back into a boy. Delightful!

Marco Polo Brave Explorer by Cynthia Lord, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin
Brave explorer Marco Polo is a former Christmas ornament who has become a book buddy at the library. A boy named Seth chooses Marco because of his small size so he can be a secret buddy for a sleepover birthday that he’s worried about. At the sleepover, Marco is stolen by the family cat — and he has to figure out how to rescue himself in an ingenious way! Marco learns that friends make adventures better. Relatable and entertaining.

Harriet Tubman (She Persisted) by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Well-written with the most important facts of Minty’s entire life — from childhood to adulthood — this biography for growing readers gives a strong narrative arc and context for Harriet Tubman’s achievements as a fierce advocate and courageous rescuer of enslaved people. Excellent.