500 Books Before Middle School: July 2026Like this list

20 items

• The Pool Is Cool

  Reed, Dwayne,

  Add The Pool Is Cool to your for later shelf

  A young boy who loves to swim wants his father to join him, but his father always seems to have an excuse.

• Last Day Pool Party

  Steinkellner, Emma,

  Add Last Day Pool Party to your for later shelf

  So much drama at the swimming pool!

• Water

  Discovering the Precious Resource All Around Us

  Fadeeva, Olʹga (Olga Alekseevna),

  Add Water to your for later shelf

  Provides facts about the Earth's water, exploring where it resides, the science behind precipitation, its importance to humans, how humans travel on and harness its energy, and what happens when there's too much or too little water.

• All I Want to Do Is Swim

  Singer, Marilyn,

  Add All I Want to Do Is Swim to your for later shelf

  A child who longs to swim watches animals glide, paddle, splash and float through the water with ease.

• A Fish Like Me

  Sumner, Jamie,

  Add A Fish Like Me to your for later shelf

  A boy who uses a wheelchair describes his experiences swimming in a pool, where his body freely moves and he imagines himself as various sea creatures.

• Swimming Season

  MacGibbon, Jaimie,

  Add Swimming Season to your for later shelf

  Rhyming text and colorful illustrations celebrate summertime as three siblings head to the beach on a summer day, splashing in the water, playing along the shore, and sharing time together under the sun.

• El Niño

  Ryan, Pam Muñoz,

  Add El Niño to your for later shelf

  Two years after his sister Cali disappeared while swimming in the San Diego ocean, eighth grader Kai Sosa is recruited to join Cali's old swim team.

• Rain

  Usher, Sam,

  Add Rain to your for later shelf

  A young boy waits patiently for the rain to stop so he can go on an adventure with his grandfather.

• Kingdom of Water

  Kibuishi, Amy Kim, 1980-

  Add Kingdom of Water to your for later shelf

  Still trapped in the land of Rema, Tabby learns about the fall of the royal family of Cerey, and the family's lost history, which is tied to her own.

• Flushed Away Water Park

  Nonamus, Andy,

  Add Flushed Away Water Park to your for later shelf

  A student who wishes to remain anonymous describes what happens when their class takes a field trip to a gigantic water park and the students see a mermaid.

• Don't Splash Grandpa!

  Gonzalez, Julie, 1972-

  Add Don't Splash Grandpa! to your for later shelf

  When summer arrives, and Grandpa takes a group of children to the community swimming pool, the only rule is not to splash him.

• River's Journey

  Walker, Sally M.,

  Add River's Journey to your for later shelf

  A simple nonfiction book taking a beginner's look at rivers and water.

• Rivers

  Chapman, Simon, 1965-

  Add Rivers to your for later shelf

  An illustrated nonfiction book that explores the importance of rivers to civilizations, natural landscapes and wildlife around the world.

• A Place for Rain

  Schaub, Michelle,

  Add A Place for Rain to your for later shelf

  Follows the children of one classroom, clad in different colored raincoats and boots, as they design and build a rain garden with a barrel, a stone path and a place for native flowers and grasses that help pollinators.

• Water Day

  Engle, Margarita,

  Add Water Day to your for later shelf

  Water is scarce where a young girl lives, and her community waits for water day each week when they receive fresh, clean water.

• Where the Water Takes Us

  Barillaro, Alan,

  Add Where the Water Takes Us to your for later shelf

  When medical complications threaten the life of 11-year-old Ava's mother during her pregnancy with twins, Ava is sent to stay with her grandparents.

• I Will Swim Next Time

  Joof, Emily,

  Add I Will Swim Next Time to your for later shelf

  Simple text and colorful illustrations follow a young boy as he visits a lake, a river and the ocean for the first time with his mama.

• The Blue Umbrella

  Davison, Emily Ann,

  Add The Blue Umbrella to your for later shelf

  One day a girl finds a small blue umbrella on her doorstep and takes it on a walk with her mother. When it starts to rain, the girl and her mother invite others to share the magical blue umbrella that seems to grow larger with each person that takes…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hello, Puddle!

  Sanchez, Anita, 1956-

  Add Hello, Puddle! to your for later shelf

  After a girl observes an ordinary puddle, readers get an opportunity to take a closer look and study what happens there throughout the seasons.

• 500 Books Before Middle School

  View on jeffcolibrary.org

  Inspire a deep and lifelong love of reading with JCPL's 500 Books Before Middle School, a literacy program for elementary-aged students.