by John YoungA lot of studies have shown that kids can lose a lot of ground over the summer if their minds are not engaged.Reading is important, and the content of that reading is equally important. Here are some suitable titles for European-American children to be reading over the summer.[u]Grade 1[/u]First graders are seldom self-sufficient readers. So, parents should read to them in addition to assisting them with reading. Stories suitable for parents to read to first graders include: Aesop’s FablesJust So StoriesA WonderbookBooks suitable for first graders to read themselves, with or without assistance, include:James Baldwin’s Fifty Famous Stories RetoldPollard’s First Book for Little FolksMcGuffy’s First Eclectic ReaderAll of the foregoing are included in our homeschool materials or can be found via various sources online and in bookstores.[u]Grade 2[/u]Heidi by Joanna SpyriThe Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret SidneyRebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate WigginFive Children and It by Edith NesbitOtto of the Silver Hand by Howard PyleLittle House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls WilderFarmer Boy by Laura Ingalls WilderThe Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh LoftingMary Poppins by P.L. Travers[u]Grade 3[/u]On the Banks of Plum Creek and Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls WilderAt the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonaldFive Litte Peppers Midway by Margaret SidneyThe Enchanted Castle by E. NesbitThe Little Lame Prince by Dinah Maria Mulock CraikHoward Pyle’s Book of Pirates by Howard PyleLittle Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett[u]Grade 4[/u]Black BeautyPollyannaThe Secret GardenMerry Adventures of Robin HoodTreasure IslandFlower FablesKidnapped followed by the sequel, CatrionaCall of the WildDavid Crocket, His Life and Adventures[u]Grade 5[/u]The story of King Arthur and his KnightsChampions of the Round TableOliver TwistStruggling UpwardTarzan of the ApesLittle Women and Little MenThe Story of the Treasure SeekersAnne of Green Gables[u]Grade 6[/u]The Hobbit Animal FarmTales of Troy (The Iliad & Odyssey translated for elementary school)Mysterious IslandRob Roy Jack and Jill (This isn’t the popular nursery rhyme despite the notable resemblance of the title!)The Cricket on the HearthThe Swiss Family Robinson Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea