10 Children's Books for Summer

"Us kids were free as air. Free as sun. Free as summer." - Jacqueline Woodson

Photo by MI PHAM on Unsplash

What’s your favorite thing about summer? Mine is simple: it’s community. Like hibernating bears, my neighborhood wakes up in the spring and comes to life in the summer. At any hour of the day, you will come across someone smiling as they walk their dog (or their kids) and offer up a warm hello.

The hellos come in the colder months too, but they’re tight-lipped and perfunctory, eager to go back inside to warmth rather than pursue niceties. So to me, summer is about basking in all the sunlight and community joy. Is there anything more delightful than the peal of laughter from a playground or seeing families and friends picnicking?

Scroll down and you’ll find some of my favorite books for the season and some links I hope you find interesting.

Additionally, here are a few book lists I’ve shared in the past that are perfect for summer that you may want to read as well:

Happy reading and stay cool!

Summer is for babies and toddlers…

1. Summertime

Written and Illustrated by Jane Foster

Recommended Ages: 0-2 years old

If you ever want to get into the mood for summer, this one is for you. This book is as simple as it gets, making it perfect for the under-2 crowd. As you flip through the book, each spread has an image of an object and its name. And that’s it! But each object is so symbolic of the summer season that I’d be shocked if you aren’t tempted to grab an ice cream cone or lounge by the pool. It’s a perfect introduction to the words that are a common refrain during the summer months.

Buy now*

2. Mouse’s First Summer

Written by Lauren Thompson and Illustrated by Buket Erdogan

Recommended Ages: 1-3 years old

Mouse and Minka are experiencing summer for the first time and we get to follow along as they discover things that make this season so spectacular. The gorgeous oil paint illustrations are dreamy, dripping with the colors of summer. Each experience is first introduced by using descriptive words before being revealed for what it is. For example, “drippy, sweet, wet, red” is used before revealing a watermelon. This is perfect for the first summer a toddler will truly remember or toddlers who love to shout out answers to questions (as most toddlers do).

Buy now*

3. Leo at the Park

Written by Anna McQuinn and Illustrated by Ruth Hearson

Recommended Ages: 2-4 years old

I love stories that reflect toddlers’ experiences back to them. Why? Because toddlers love to see their day mirrored in the pages they read. In this sweet board book, Leo and his mom go to the park on a hot summer day. There they meet up with Leo’s friend, Yu. What follows are scenes depicting the fun Leo and Yu have at the playground—on the swings, in the sand pits, and at the splash pad. They end their day out with a picnic. It’s a simple story that reflects the joys of summer.

Buy now*

Summer is for summery things…

4. Picnic Farm

Written by Christine Morton and Illustrated by Sarah Barringer

Recommended Ages: 3-7 years old

The delightfully bright, saturated-with-hues-so-hot-it-feels-like-a-heat-map, painted illustrations, and the simple narrative of this book make it a delicious read. We start at the farm and follow two kids as they observe things they see around them—a miscellany of farm animals, tools, and nature. When they all join in for a picnic lunch the kids realize that everything they’re enjoying is directly attributable to the farm. It’s a wonderful view into where our food comes from and brings the notion of farm-to-table alive. The alliterative text is catchy and has a fun, rhythmic beat that will captivate the kids. Perfect reading material for farm visits or picnics!

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5. Owen at the Park

Written and Illustrated by Scot Ritchie

Recommended Ages: 4-8 years old

Owen “works” with his dad at the park and when his injured dad can’t do one of Owen’s favorite tasks, it’s up to him to do it instead. For a shy kid, this means engaging with the park’s visitors which is an intimidating undertaking. After a few botched tries conversing with the various groups of visitors, we see Owen’s confidence grow as he becomes used to his script. After all his hard work, Owen finally gets to complete the best task of all! The two aspects of this story I love: Owen’s bravery and the obvious tribute this book is to the splendid Tiergarten in Berlin (definitely one of the best city parks I have ever seen!).

Buy now*

Summer is for community…

6. The World Belonged to Us

Written by Jacqueline Woodson and Illustrated by Leo Espinosa

Recommended Ages: 5-8 years old

This book brought tears to my eyes. It reminded me of summers long gone where I, and a pack of other feral summer kids, ruled the world (well, at least our neighborhood). I remember barely stopping to eat lunches and going home only when the frustration in my mom’s voice was crystal clear that it was time for dinner, NOW. As you read this, you’ll be hit with the nostalgia of your own childhood. Espinosa’s pencil and digital illustrations perfectly capture the sensation of that immense, boundless sense of freedom kids have during the summer and all the shenanigans that ensue. Please read this to your kids.

Buy now*

7. Summer Moonlight Concert

Written and Illustrated by Han Han

Recommended Ages: 6-9 years old

The late summer sun has blinked out and gone to sleep and we spy Xiaomi’s family having dinner. Suddenly, the power goes out and the entire building is as dark as the night sky. A musical family, Xiaomi’s parents grab their instruments and decide to hold a moonlit concert in the apartment complex’s garden. The strains of music make their way up into the sky and we see scenes of neighbors stopping to listen. A crowd soon gathers as everyone is mesmerized by the music and then, as the tempo and beat picks up, the neighbors begin dancing until the power returns. There’s not a single thing about this story I don’t love. From the delicately, soft, muted illustrations perfectly capturing the etherealness of this moment to the music accompanying this picture book, it’s like peeking into one of those rare instances where you feel in your bones that everything about this moment is perfect.

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8. Uncle Chente’s Picnic

Written by Diane Gonzales Bertrand and Illustrated by Pauline Rodriguez Howard

Recommended Ages: 7-10 years old

Uncle Chente is coming for a visit! This sets the entire family into motion as they prepare for a family gathering to celebrate his arrival. In this bilingual book (English text is at the top of the page with Spanish at the bottom) the story showcases a family that blends their American present with their Mexican heritage. Each family member takes up a task in preparation for their favorite uncle’s visit. But alas, just as Uncle Chente arrives, plans slowly fall apart due to unexpected weather. It’s a lesson in making the best of changed plans but, more importantly, a heartwarming reminder that being with the people you love and care about is all you really need.

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Summer is for cooling down…

9. Vanilla Ice Cream

Written and Illustrated by Bob Graham

Recommended Ages: 2-6 years old

A sweet tale about the life-changing moment when Edie Irvine tastes ice cream for the first time. The star of this book is an unassuming sparrow. How is a sparrow the cause of a pivotal moment in a toddler’s life? I won’t tell you but the gorgeous pencil and watercolor artwork illustrates how deeply interconnected we are—the ripple effect of actions worlds away culminating in a perfect, delicious, drippy moment of a vanilla ice cream. If you find your kids intrigued about this story’s premise, I highly recommend also checking out the action-packed, fast-paced fictional series A Lost Pigeon in New York City by

story whale bedtime stories

.

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10. To the Beach!

Written by Linda Ashman and Illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott

Recommended Ages: 2-6 years old

Oh, the joyful, tumultuous rhyme of this book will have your kids giggling (and you cringing—not because it’s bad but because it’s all too familiar). A family courageously ventures to pack all 8 members of their family into their van for a day at the beach. With great ambition they depart, until someone remembers they’ve left something behind. Quickly turning around the car, they hustle back to their home to retrieve the object. Only to remember something else forgotten. In a hilarious (slightly panic/rage-inducing if you’re an adult) one step forward / three steps back, we’re reminded it’s not about the beach or the car or the never-ending amount of stuff you need for a family trip: it’s about spending time together.

Buy now

Summer links and tips…

• Let Grow (one of the founders of this movement is the very same

  Jonathan Haidt
  whose book The Anxious Generation* was published recently) is a wonderful resource to let kids roam and wander freely

• I would like this delicious, cooling Indian lemonade on tap all summer

• Cornstarch is GREAT for getting sand off your body; highly recommend packing it for beach trips

• If you hate applying SPF on your kids as much as I do—at this stage in life, it’s easier to wrestle an alligator—I’ve found these light-weight hoodies to be a skin-saver (not an affiliate link)

• In case you need this in your area, this tick kit might be handy to have! (not an affiliate link)

Let’s talk…

• What are you most (or least!) excited about this summer?

• What’s your go-to summer recipe (link please!)?

• I’m always on the hunt for good sunscreen. Which one is your favorite? Bonus points if there’s no white cast!

  *Thank you for using (at no additional cost to you) the affiliate links in this post! :-)