# 2nd grade Children's books

**96** children's books commonly assigned to 2nd grade students in US schools. Every title's grade range covers 2nd grade, so each is grade-appropriate by curriculum placement. Sourced from Common Core exemplars, AP, IB, Cambridge, and 50 state ELA curricula.

**Grade:** 2nd grade  ·  **Genre:** Children's
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/genre/childrens/grade/2
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.
**Primary source — Common Core ELA exemplars:** https://achievethecore.org/page/2699

## 2nd grade Children's reading list

- ["Let's Get a Pup!", Said Kate](https://readinglist.school/book/lets-get-a-pup-said-kate) by Bob Graham _(Grades K–5 · pub 2003)_
- [A Band of Angels](https://readinglist.school/book/a-band-of-angels) by Deborah Hopkinson _(Grades K–5 · pub 2013)_
- [A Chair for My Mother](https://readinglist.school/book/a-chair-for-my-mother) by Vera B. Williams _(Grades K–5 · pub 1982)_
- [A Dance Like Starlight](https://readinglist.school/book/a-dance-like-starlight-one-ballerinas-dream) by Kristy Dempsey _(Grades K–5 · pub 2014)_
- [A Green Place to be](https://readinglist.school/book/a-green-place-to-be-the-creation-of-central-park) by Ashley Benham Yazdani _(Grades K–5 · pub 2019)_
- [A Visit to William Blake's Inn](https://readinglist.school/book/a-visit-to-william-blakes-inn) by Nancy Willard _(Grades K–5 · pub 1981)_
- [A Visitor for Bear](https://readinglist.school/book/a-visitor-for-bear) by Bonny Becker _(Grades K–5 · pub 2015)_
- [All Because You Matter (An All Because You Matter Book)](https://readinglist.school/book/all-because-you-matter) by Tami Charles _(Grades K–5 · pub 2020)_
- [Alphabatics](https://readinglist.school/book/alphabetics) by Suse MacDonald _(Grades K–5 · pub 1986)_
- [And If the Moon Could Talk](https://readinglist.school/book/and-if-the-moon-could-talk) by Kate Banks _(Grades K–5 · pub 2005)_
- [Anno's Counting Book](https://readinglist.school/book/annos-alphabet) by Mitsumasa Anno _(Grades K–5 · pub 1977)_
- [Anno's Medieval World](https://readinglist.school/book/annos-journey) by Mitsumasa Anno _(Grades K–5 · pub 1980)_
- [Apples to Oregon](https://readinglist.school/book/apples-to-oregon) by Deborah Hopkinson _(Grades K–5 · pub 2005)_
- [At Night](https://readinglist.school/book/at-night) by Jonathan Bean _(Grades K–5 · pub 2016)_
- [Big Mama Makes the World](https://readinglist.school/book/big-momma-makes-the-world) by Phyllis Root _(Grades K–5 · pub 2004)_
- [Big Red Lollipop](https://readinglist.school/book/big-red-lollipop) by Rukhsana Khan _(Grades K–5 · pub 2010)_
- [Boats for Papa](https://readinglist.school/book/boats-for-papa) by Jessixa Bagley _(Grades K–5 · pub 2015)_
- [Bubble Trouble](https://readinglist.school/book/bubble-trouble) by Margaret Mahy _(Grades K–5 · pub 2020)_
- [Building Our House](https://readinglist.school/book/building-our-house) by Jonathan Bean _(Grades K–5 · pub 2013)_
- [By the Light of the Halloween Moon](https://readinglist.school/book/by-the-light-of-the-halloween-moon) by Caroline Stutson _(Grades K–5 · pub 2009)_
- [Chicken Sunday](https://readinglist.school/book/chicken-sunday) by Patricia Polacco _(Grades K–5 · pub 1992)_
- [Clever Little Witch](https://readinglist.school/book/clever-little-witch) by Muon Thi Van _(Grades K–5 · pub 2019)_
- [Cold Feet](https://readinglist.school/book/cold-feet) by Cynthia C. DeFelice _(Grades K–5 · pub 2000)_
- [Dog and Bear: Two Friends, Three Stories](https://readinglist.school/book/dog-and-bear-two-friends-three-stories) by Laura Vaccaro Seeger _(Grades K–5 · pub 2012)_
- [Doña Flor](https://readinglist.school/book/do-a-flor) by Pat Mora _(Grades K–5 · pub 2014)_
- [Extra Yarn](https://readinglist.school/book/extra-yarn) by Mac Barnett _(Grades K–5 · pub 2013)_
- [Fairy Wings](https://readinglist.school/book/fairy-wings) by Lauren Mills _(Grades K–5 · pub 2009)_
- [Freedom Over Me](https://readinglist.school/book/freedom-over-me-eleven-slaves-their-lives-and-dreams-brought-to-life) by Ashley Bryan _(Grades K–5 · pub 2016)_
- [Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter](https://readinglist.school/book/goodbye-autumn-hello-winter) by Kenard Pak _(Grades K–5 · pub 2017)_
- [Grandfather's Journey (Read-aloud)](https://readinglist.school/book/grandfathers-journey) by Allen Say _(Grades K–5 · pub 2013)_
- [Henry Hikes to Fitchburg](https://readinglist.school/book/henry-hikes-to-fitchburg) by D.B. Johnson _(Grades K–5 · pub 2006)_
- [Home Place](https://readinglist.school/book/home-place) by Crescent Dragonwagon _(Grades K–5 · pub 1997)_
- [I Dream of Trains](https://readinglist.school/book/i-dream-of-trains) by Angela Johnson _(Grades K–5 · pub 2003)_
- [I Know Here](https://readinglist.school/book/i-know-here) by Laurel Croza _(Grades K–5 · pub 2010)_
- [I Know How to Draw an Owl](https://readinglist.school/book/i-know-how-to-draw-an-owl) by Hilary Horder Hippely _(Grades K–5 · pub 2024)_
- [I Talk Like a River](https://readinglist.school/book/i-talk-like-a-river) by Jordan Scott _(Grades K–5 · pub 2020)_
- [Jambo Means Hello](https://readinglist.school/book/jambo-means-hello) by Muriel Feelings _(Grades K–5 · pub 1992)_
- [Jazz Day](https://readinglist.school/book/jazz-day-the-making-of-a-famous-photograph) by Roxane Orgill _(Grades K–5 · pub 2016)_
- [John Henry](https://readinglist.school/book/john-henry) by Julius Lester _(Grades K–5 · pub 1994)_
- [King of Ragtime](https://readinglist.school/book/king-of-ragtime-the-story-of-scott-joplin) by Stephen Costanza _(Grades K–5 · pub 2021)_
- [Last Night](https://readinglist.school/book/last-night) by Hyewon Yum _(Grades K–5 · pub 2008)_
- [Leaf Man Board Book](https://readinglist.school/book/leaf-man) by Lois Ehlert _(Grades K–5 · pub 2023)_
- [Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters](https://readinglist.school/book/lesters-dreadful-sweaters) by K. G. Campbell _(Grades K–5 · pub 2012)_
- [Little Red Riding Hood (40th Anniversary Edition)](https://readinglist.school/book/little-red-riding-hood) by Trina Schart Hyman _(Grades K–5 · pub 2023)_
- [Lon Po Po](https://readinglist.school/book/lon-po-po-a-red-riding-hood-story-from-china) by Ed Young _(Grades K–5 · pub 2016)_
- [Mama Don't Allow 25th Anniversary Edition](https://readinglist.school/book/mama-dont-allow) by Thacher Hurd _(Grades K–5 · pub 1985)_
- [Mama, Do You Love Me? & Papa, Do You Love Me? Bundle](https://readinglist.school/book/mama-do-you-love-me) by Barbara M. Joosse _(Grades K–5 · pub 2018)_
- [Mario and the Hole in the Sky](https://readinglist.school/book/mario-and-the-hole-in-the-sky-how-a-chemist-saved-our-planet) by Elizabeth Rusch _(Grades K–5 · pub 2019)_
- [Marvelous Cornelius](https://readinglist.school/book/marvelous-cornelius) by Phil Bildner _(Grades K–5 · pub 2015)_
- [Me and Momma and Big John](https://readinglist.school/book/me-and-momma-and-big-john) by Mara Rockliff _(Grades K–5 · pub 2012)_
- [Mr Gumpy's Outing](https://readinglist.school/book/mr-gumpys-outing) by John Burningham _(Grades K–5 · pub 2010)_
- [Mr Tiger Goes Wild](https://readinglist.school/book/mr-tiger-goes-wild) by Peter Brown _(Grades K–5 · pub 2014)_
- [Mrs. Crump's Cat](https://readinglist.school/book/mrs-biddlebox) by Linda Smith _(Grades K–5 · pub 2006)_
- [Navigating Night](https://readinglist.school/book/navigating-night) by Julie Leung _(Grades K–5 · pub 2026)_
- [Not Afraid of Dogs](https://readinglist.school/book/not-afraid-of-dogs) by Susanna Pitzer _(Grades K–5 · pub 2006)_
- [Off to School, Baby Duck!](https://readinglist.school/book/in-the-rain-with-baby-duck) by Amy Hest _(Grades K–5 · pub 1999)_
- [Old Elm Speaks](https://readinglist.school/book/old-elm-speaks-tree-poems) by Kristine O'Connell George _(Grades K–5 · pub 1998)_
- [On the Ball](https://readinglist.school/book/the-adventures-of-sparrowboy) by Brian Pinkney _(Grades K–5 · pub 2017)_
- [Open This Little Book](https://readinglist.school/book/open-this-little-book) by Jesse Klausmeier _(Grades K–5 · pub 2013)_
- [Otis and Will Discover the Deep](https://readinglist.school/book/otis-and-will-discover-the-deep) by Barb Rosenstock _(Grades K–5 · pub 2018)_
- [Outside Over There](https://readinglist.school/book/outside-over-there) by Maurice Sendak _(Grades K–5 · pub 1981)_
- [Over and Under the Rainforest](https://readinglist.school/book/over-and-under-the-snow) by Kate Messner _(Grades K–5 · pub 2020)_
- [Pocketful of Posies](https://readinglist.school/book/pocketful-of-posies-a-treasury-of-nursery-rhymes) by Salley Mavor _(Grades K–5 · pub 2010)_
- [Red-eyed Tree Frog](https://readinglist.school/book/red-eyed-tree-frog) by Joy Cowley _(Grades K–5 · pub 1999)_
- [River Friendly, River Wild](https://readinglist.school/book/river-friendly-river-wild) by Jane Kurtz _(Grades K–5 · pub 2007)_
- [Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library](https://readinglist.school/book/schomburg-the-man-who-built-a-library) by Carole Boston Weatherford _(Grades K–5 · pub 2020)_
- [Seven Blind Mice](https://readinglist.school/book/seven-blind-mice) by Ed Young _(Grades K–5 · pub 2012)_
- [Shy Charles](https://readinglist.school/book/shy-charles) by Rosemary Wells _(Grades K–5 · pub 1988)_
- [Snow (Book & CD Set)](https://readinglist.school/book/snow) by Uri Shulevitz _(Grades K–5 · pub 2009)_
- [Sophie's Squash](https://readinglist.school/book/sophies-squash) by Pat Zietlow Miller _(Grades K–5 · pub 2013)_
- [The Adventures of Paddy Pork](https://readinglist.school/book/the-adventures-of-paddy-pork) by John S. Goodall _(Grades K–5 · pub 1968)_
- [The Bear and the Moon](https://readinglist.school/book/the-bear-and-the-moon) by Matthew Burgess _(Grades K–5 · pub 2020)_
- [The Black Cauldron](https://readinglist.school/book/the-fortune-tellers) by Lloyd Alexander _(Grades K–5 · pub 1997)_
- [The Christmas Boot](https://readinglist.school/book/the-christmas-boot) by Lisa Wheeler _(Grades K–5 · pub 2016)_
- [The Dirty Cowboy](https://readinglist.school/book/the-dirty-cowboy) by Amy Timberlake _(Grades K–5 · pub 2003)_
- [The Farmer and the Clown](https://readinglist.school/book/the-farmer-and-the-clown) by Marla Frazee _(Grades K–5 · pub 2014)_
- [The Full Moon at the Napping House](https://readinglist.school/book/the-napping-house) by Audrey Wood _(Grades K–5 · pub 2015)_
- [The Garden of Abdul Gasazi](https://readinglist.school/book/the-garden-of-abdul-gasazi) by Chris Van Allsburg _(Grades K–5 · pub 2025)_
- [The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza)](https://readinglist.school/book/the-little-red-hen-makes-a-pizza) by Philemon Sturges _(Grades K–5 · pub 2006)_
- [The Longest Night](https://readinglist.school/book/the-longest-night) by Marion Dane Bauer _(Grades K–5 · pub 2009)_
- [The Man Who Walked Between the Towers](https://readinglist.school/book/the-man-who-walked-between-the-towers) by Mordicai Gerstein _(Grades K–5 · pub 2007)_
- [The Mysterious Collection of Dr. David Harleyson](https://readinglist.school/book/the-mysterious-collection-of-dr-david-harleyson) by Jean Cassels _(Grades K–5 · pub 2004)_
- [The Patchwork Bike](https://readinglist.school/book/the-patchwork-bike) by Maxine Beneba Clarke _(Grades K–5 · pub 2016)_
- [The Rain Came Down](https://readinglist.school/book/the-rain-came-down) by David Shannon _(Grades K–5 · pub 2016)_
- [The Remember Balloons](https://readinglist.school/book/the-remember-balloons) by Jessie Oliveros _(Grades K–5 · pub 2018)_
- [The Shoe Tree of Chagrin](https://readinglist.school/book/the-shoe-tree-of-chagrin) by J. Patrick Lewis _(Grades K–5 · pub 2001)_
- [The Snowman: The Book of the Classic Film](https://readinglist.school/book/the-snowman) by Raymond Briggs _(Grades K–5 · pub 2015)_
- [The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks](https://readinglist.school/book/the-tale-of-the-mandarin-ducks) by Katherine Paterson _(Grades K–5 · pub 1990)_
- [There Might Be Lobsters](https://readinglist.school/book/there-might-be-lobsters) by Carolyn Crimi _(Grades K–5 · pub 2022)_
- [They Say Blue](https://readinglist.school/book/they-say-blue) by Jillian Tamaki _(Grades K–5 · pub 2018)_
- [Tikki Tikki Tembo](https://readinglist.school/book/tikki-tikki-tembo) by Arlene Mosel _(Grades K–5 · pub 2007)_
- [Time of the Month!](https://readinglist.school/book/the-devil-and-mother-crump) by Valerie Scho Carey _(Grades K–5 · pub 2010)_
- [Traction Man Is Here!](https://readinglist.school/book/traction-man-is-here) by Mini Grey _(Grades K–5 · pub 2012)_
- [When Alexander Graced the Table](https://readinglist.school/book/when-alexander-graced-the-table) by Alexander Smalls _(Grades K–5 · pub 2025)_
- [When You Can Swim](https://readinglist.school/book/when-you-can-swim) by Jack Wong _(Grades K–5 · pub 2023)_
- [William Still and His Freedom Stories](https://readinglist.school/book/william-still-and-his-freedom-stories) by Don Tate _(Grades K–5 · pub 2023)_

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_Generated from primary-source citations indexed on ReadingList.school. HTML view: https://readinglist.school/genre/childrens/grade/2._