Favorite Picture Books for Summer
One of our traditions as a homeschool family is ushering in each new season with some reads. Today I’m sharing some of the books my kids enjoyed throughout the years that we read at the beginning of summer.
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PRESCHOOLERS
Sun…sand…the bright blue ocean! There is so much for a young girl to do on a visit to the beach: sand castles to build, seashells to gather, sandpipers to run with, and a picnic lunch to enjoy.
Get your little ones excited for the summer season with At the Beach!
The Anne Rockwell books were a fave of each of my kids when they were littles. The illustrations and simple text help young readers imagine the sights and sounds of each season. This is the one we would read every summer, but there are also ones for fall, winter, and spring:
Blueberries for Sal is one of those timeless classics that you want in your library.
The expressive line drawings and charming story will win your young readers’ hearts.
ELEMENTARY (AND OLDER READERS WITH A YOUNG HEART!)
While there are so many version of this Hans Christian Andersen classic, we really loved this rendition (by Lilian Moore), plus its illustrations (by Daniel San Souci).
This story The Ugly Duckling is one you could read any time of year, but we enjoyed reading it during the summer because that is when his story begins.
Cultivate imagination in your kids with Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran.
The first time I read this to my kids, they headed out the door to and spent hours creating their own special place!
Upon realizing the junk-filled dirt pit he would pass while hiking was once a pond, Matt rallies his sister and best friend to help him bring it back to life.
Pond by Jim LaMarche beautifully illustrated picture book not only about nature and seasons, but about the power of vision, hard work, and enjoying the fruit of your labor.
We are always inspired to get outside and discover the natural world around us whenever we read this book!
We loved Pond so much, that we also acquired Jim LaMarche’s The Raft!
Nicky isn’t super stoked about spending his summer with his grandma … until he discovers a raft that changes everything.
Not only does he become a river rat, but he ends up sharing special memories with his grandma and discovers the artist within him.
DOCUMENT YOUR SUMMER READING AND SUMMER ADVENTURES!
I share our favorite picture books for summer to not only to keep a love of reading alive during the season, but to inspire you to create your own adventures with your family.
Head to the beach, go blueberry picking (don’t run into bears, though!), spend some time at a pond or lake, use your imagination to create a special place right in your own backyard … these are just some ideas inspired by these books.
Not everyone can head off on grand vacations or month-long road trips, but with a little imagination and creativity, you can curate some pretty memorable summer adventures right where you are.
To help spark that adventurous spirit, snag a copy of this downloadable PDF packet. In this 25-page printable journal, you will get:
- a summer reading log page, to document your children’s reading adventures
- a summer bucket list page, to dream up your summer adventures
- a summer adventure map page (to mark off eight summer adventures)
- eight “today’s adventure” pages, to document each of your eight summer adventures (whether that be on an epic vacation or right in your own home)
- eight “journaling page” pages, to use for your children’s writing adventures (from freewriting, to creating stories or poems, to copywork, and more!)
- five summer-themed coloring pages