Dear Lower School Parents,

Lower School girls are enjoying a wonderful year of reading and learning which we know will continue during the summer. To help you in planning, we are delighted to share with you this collection of recommended summer reading books for all students in Lower School. They are selected in part because the wonderful literature available to your daughters can never be covered within the nine months of the academic year. Our hope is that you will set aside time to read with your daughter this summer; it is impossible to overestimate the importance of books as she develops reading habits and interests which will last her a lifetime. Many thanks to Mrs. Margo Hastings, Lower School Librarian, Mrs. Geri Pelliccio, Language Arts Specialist, and all the LS teachers who contributed their wisdom and experience to help compile these titles!

We hope these lists will help you to select books that are most appropriate to your daughter’s age and interests. You may be interested, too, to see the authors and titles suggested for other Lower School grades. Many of these are award-winning books and/or are on booklists of notable children’s literature. Although many are available in paperback, don’t forget your local library as a wonderful source of children’s reading.

We all know that reading and listening to stories boost children’s vocabulary, concept understanding, and syntax; books increase children’s knowledge of story grammar, activate their lively imaginations, and are wonderful family fun. Please consider this compilation to be not only lists of titles but of authors as well. Should your daughter select another work by a recommended author, that is fine.

This summer, each student should select five books (or authors) from her grade’s list. Depending on her age, your daughter may be able to read these books herself or may enjoy hearing you read them aloud to her. As the summer progresses, we ask that each student entering grades 1-4 select one of her chosen books and respond to it formally, in the form of a project of some kind which will be shared with her classmates in the fall. She might, for example, decide to draw a picture, write a character summary, prepare a diorama, or design a book cover. Her work should be labeled with her own name as well as with the title and author of the book. Please send this project to school with her on our first day, September 4th. All of the book projects will be displayed for Lower School students to enjoy.

In addition, your daughter should remember to read the book awarded to her at Prize Day. She must bring it in on the first day of school, as follow-up activities have been planned at each grade level.

Participation in the Lower School’s Summer Reading Program is a requirement for all of our students in grades PreK - 4. Thank you in advance for helping your daughter to find the books she would like to read or hear this summer.

Happy reading!

Ann Marr

Head of Lower School