I’ve rounded-up the best summer picture books and created a Summer Reading Kit with popsicle story sticks to make reading a blast this summer! How many books on this list have you read? What are your favorite summer picture books? Would you add anything to this list?
Top 10 Best Summer Picture Books
#1: Flotsam by David Wiesner
In this magical wordless story, a young boy finds an underwater camera washed up on the beach. Wordless stories are accessible for all levels of readers even those who aren’t yet reading. They are a great opportunity to show the connection between visual storytelling and creative oral storytelling. Provide your child or summer tutoring students an opportunity to tell the story in their own words.
#2: Magic Beach by Alison Lester
This rhyming story weaves tales about magical, make-believe adventures at the beach in poetic form. The rhyming text makes it easy and fun to read aloud while the magical stories spark imagination.
#3: Summer Days and Nights by Wong Herbert Yee
I absolutely adore this delightful rhyming story of a fun summer day and night! It is full of onomatopoeia, which makes it so much fun to read aloud, and gives young readers so many ideas about how to spend their summer days and nights on adventures.
#4: Blueberry Patch (Meennunyakaa) by Jennifer Leason and Norman Chartrand
In this beautiful book by indigenous authors, a Saulteaux Elder shares his experience picking blueberries as part of a traditional summer gathering. This book is perfect for intermediate readers, particularly those that are curious to learn more about gardening, gathering, and honoring the land. What makes this summer picture book even more special is that it is bilingual – written in both English and Ojibwa.
#5: Swimmy by Leo Lionni
This classic Caldecott award-winning book teaches children that being yourself and working together as a team are integral to overcoming obstacles. Well-loved for its illustrations, this book has a powerful message that is easy-to-read and with its ocean setting, it’s a perfect summer read!
#6: Flashlight by Lizi Boyd
What I love the most about this wordless book is its unexpectedly dark palette! With this wordless picture book, the reader is able to explore nature at night using the illustrator’s flashlight to guide the way. What a fun way to play with visual storytelling!
#7: The Camping Trip by Jennifer K. Mann
Have you ever been camping? Do you remember what it was like as you were preparing for your first camping trip? Exciting but also a little scary? This charming picture book tells the story of a young girl’s first camping trip in relatable first person. Readers get to experience the narrator’s nervous excitement as she explores nature one step at a time.
#8: Grandma Gatewood Hikes the Appalachian Trail by Jennifer Thermes
This picture book tells the amazing true story about Emma Gatewood, a 67-year-old woman who hiked the Appalachian Trail all on her own. Readers get to experience her bravery as she embarks on the trail and discovers the wonders of nature around her.
#9: Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
One of my favorite childhood books was Tar Beach with its beautiful quilted cover, Caldecott award-winning illustrations, and poetic language. This dreamy and powerful book teaches about freedom, equality, and the magic of dreams. I can’t help but savor every single word!
#10: Blackout by John Rocco
Okay I clearly love the Caldecott winners, I admit. But this picture book is a truly one-of-a-kind visual story that tells the tale of a blackout on a hot summer night. Instead of being annoyed or afraid, all the neighbors come together to celebrate the blackout, finding joy and togetherness in the unexpected!
Summer Reading Kit
Want a FREE copy of this round-up that is jam-packed with summer reading goodies? Of course you do! Download the Summer Reading Toolkit for a print copy of the Top 10 Best Summer Picture Books. But that’s not all! I wanted you to have everything you need to spark your children’s or students’ interest in reading this summer so I packed this kit with a few other awesome resources! Here’s what’s included:
- Top 10 Best Summer Picture Books List – With links to interactive read alouds and book trailers!
- Books I Read this Summer Organizer – Give your child a fun way to keep track of the books they’ve read this summer by giving each book a star rating!
- Popsicle Story Sticks (shown below) – Use these fun comprehension question sticks with any fiction book!
I can’t wait to dig into some great books this summer! I don’t know about you but reading by the beach is one of my favorite ways to spend a lazy summer day. What’s on your summer reading list? Have you read any of the summer picture books on this list? What summer picture books would you add to this list?
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