6 Picture Books for Summer Reading

School’s out. Books are in. And today I’m sharing some of our family’s favorite picture books about summer.

That’s because at our house, summer means reading. Reading one of our family’s favorite things to do all year long. But summer gives us extra free time (and sunshine) to enjoy even more of it, whether we’re lounging by the pool, cuddled on the couch, or lying on a quilt under a shade tree on a sunny afternoon.

Plus, thanks to summer reading reward programs, our kids are more motivated than ever to keep their nose in a book (or in the case of pre-readers, to beg Mom to read “just a few more”).

Our family’s favorite picture books for summer:

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon

We are big Marla Frazee fans at our house, and her soft but detailed illustrations in All the World make Sanlon’s simple, understated verses come to life.

Reading this book always puts me in the mood for working in the garden, climbing trees, shopping farmers’ markets, visiting the beach, and experiencing all the other wonderful joys that summer brings!

Harry by the Sea by Gene Zion

I remember my own mother reading Harry by the Sea to me when I was little, and my children love the story now just as much as I did then.

Harry is a spotted dog who gets separated from his family at the beach.

This tale chronicles the troubles he faces trying to track them down, the joy they all share when he succeeds, and the changes they make to ensure he never gets lost again.

Summertime in the Big Woods

The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder were some of my very favorites as a young girl, so I read the whole set aloud to my own children as soon as their attention span allowed it.

Now with My First Little House books, children can get a taste of these classic tales even earlier, brought to life with beautiful pictures by Renee Graef in a style reminiscent of the series original illustrations by Garth Williams. And Summertime in the Big Woods is a great place to start.

The Summer Visitors by Karel Hayes

Using very descriptive pictures but only a handful of words, The Summer Visitors shares the adventures of a lovable family of bears who try to “vacation” at a lakeside cottage one summer without attracting the attention of a human family visiting the same spot for the same purpose.

My kids love adding to this scant storyline with details they glean from the drawings.

Summertime (from Porgy & Bess)

I sang several songs from Porgy and Bess with my high school choir, including “Summertime,” so when I spotted this Summertime picture book based on that old Gershwin tune, I snatched it up.

“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy. Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high…”

The song is lovely in its own right, but Mike Wimmer’s gorgeous oil paintings pare beautifully with the lyrics to provide a glimpse into the life of a close-knit African-American family from what appears to be the mid-twentieth century.

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever

We first found Best Week Ever on the new acquisitions shelf at our local library. Our children enjoyed it so much that we rechecked and rechecked and rechecked it, until finally my fifteen-year-old used her own money to buy the book, so new we all just read her copy.

Best Week Ever is both written and illustrated by Marla Frazee (again!), who does a marvelous job capturing the sentiments of boyhood. The handwritten text often says one thing, while the pictures tell another story entirely, accounting for many of the book’s most memorable laugh-out-loud moments.

So there you have it: 6 of our favorite books about summer. What are yours?

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