Summer Books for Preschoolers
Do you focus on reading in the summer? We love to read as a family, and reading in summer is something special. It is a time where we choose what we want to read based on attraction, if the cover looks great or the blurb in the back of the book calls our name, we will read it. Sometimes we will choose books based on others recommendations or just things that grab our interest. Whatever it is you are never too young or too old to enjoy summer reading. We love to snuggle together no matter what time of year it is and read a really good book or a stack of really good books for that matter. Whether you are working on a summer theme in your homeschool or you are just looking for summer reading for preschoolers these books are going to be the perfect match for you and your family. Before we continue please take a moment to pin this post to your reading board.
Preschool Summer Reading
Are you looking for the perfect books to read with your preschoolers this summer? Well, we have a list of some amazing books that are about summer, the sea, camping, vacation, and more! Books that are certain to delight the whole family.
Summer Reading for Preschoolers Book Picks:
I Don’t Want to Read This Book
This hilarious story is perfect for reluctant readers and book lovers alike! Actor Max Greenfield (New Girl) and New York Times bestselling illustrator Mike Lowery bring the energy and laugh-out-loud fun out for every child (and parent) who thinks they don’t want to read a book. Many children will find a kindred spirit in the unseen narrator, who comically describes his reading challenges. With its engaging illustrations and side-splitting text, this book is irresistible.
Hot Dog
This feel-good book opens up on a stifling day in a city. An adorable dachshund can’t take the heat for one more minute and demands a vacation. Several joyful spreads feature the dog’s ears blowing in the wind as he and his owner take a ferry to an island where he can roam the beaches. With simple but descriptive language, this carefree story encapsulates the necessity and pleasure of summer vacation.
And Then Comes Summer
When the days stretch out like a slow yawn, and the cheerful faces of Johnny-jump-ups jump up . . . then it’s time to get ready for summer! From flip-flops and hide-and-seek to fireworks and ice-cream trucks, from lemonade stands and late bedtimes to swimming in the lake and toasting marshmallows, there’s something for everyone in this bright and buoyant celebration of the sunny season. Tom Brenner’s lovely, lyrical ode to summers spent outdoors will strike a chord with anyone who’s ever counted down the days until school gets out, and Jaime Kim’s jubilant, nostalgia-soaked illustrations leave little doubt that summer is indeed a time unlike any other.
Anansi and the Golden Pot
Award-winning author of Ghana Must Go, Taiye Selasi, reimagines the story of Anansi, the much-loved trickster, for a new generation. Kweku has grown up hearing stories about the mischievous spider Anansi. He is given the nickname Anansi by his father because of his similarly cheeky ways. On a holiday to visit his beloved Grandma in Ghana, Anansi the spider and Anansi the boy meet and discover a magical pot that can be filled with whatever they want. Anansi fills it again and again with his favorite red-red stew and eats so much that he feels sick. Will he learn to share this wonderful gift?
This charming retelling of a West African story teaches readers about the dangers of greed and the importance of being kind. Tinuke Fagborun’s colorful illustrations bring the magic and wonder of the tale to life. When you’ve finished sharing the story, you can also find out more about the origins of Anansi folktales. This is a beautiful storybook that little ones will treasure forever.
The Night Before Summer Vacation
A little girl and her family are getting ready to go on vacation . . . or at least they are trying to. In the effort to pack everything that will be needed, there’s bound to be something overlooked, and that provides a funny ending to this meter-perfect “twist” on Clement Moore’s classic
Summer Days and Nights
On a hot summer day, a little girl finds ways to entertain herself and stay cool. She catches a butterfly, sips lemonade, jumps in a pool, and goes on a picnic. At night, she sees an owl in a tree and a frog in a pond, and hears leaves rustling. Before long, she’s fast asleep, dreaming about more summer days and summer nights.
Millions of Maxes
Max’s room has his name all over it–on his blanket and night light and wall. His parents call him The One and Only Max. And so, he is in for a big surprise at the playground one day, when he hears “Max, time to go home!” and two other kids come running. He’s not the one and only after all! How many Maxes are in the world?! Millions of Maxes?
But when he decides to help one of the other Maxes find her missing toy, he discovers that there are other ways to be special and that he can appreciate the specialness of his new Max friends just as much as his own. That night he dreams of the future adventures he’ll have with all of the Maxes he has yet to meet.
Ice Cream Summer
Peter Sís’s delicious tongue-in-cheek vision of summer dishes up the whole scoop on everyone’s favorite frozen treat–and proves that ice cream is every bit as enriching for the mind as it is for the taste buds. Readers everywhere will be begging for seconds and thirds!
Mama, Is It Summer Yet?
In this charming book, one little boy can’t wait for summer to arrive. He keeps asking, “Mama, is it summer yet?” Mama responds, saying, ”Not yet,” but there are plenty of signs that indicate spring is changing into summer: The earth is soft, and there are seeds to plant, birds singing, ducklings in the pond, and pink blossoms blooming. The young boy even wears his bathing suit and carries a beach pail in preparation, but will it ever be summer?
Jabari Jumps
Jabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He’s finished his swimming lessons and passed his swim test, and he’s a great jumper, so he’s not scared at all. “Looks easy,” says Jabari, watching the other kids take their turns. But when his dad squeezes his hand, Jabari squeezes back. He needs to figure out what kind of special jump to do anyway, and he should probably do some stretches before climbing up onto the diving board. In a sweetly appealing tale of overcoming your fears, newcomer Gaia Cornwall captures a moment between a patient and encouraging father and a determined little boy you can’t help but root for.
The World Belonged to Us
Remember those magical childhood days when you ran free with your friends, playing endless games of hide-and-go-seek? This joyous celebration of summer and youth embodies those quintessential days. The cheerful tale follows a group of neighborhood friends who spend carefree moments playing on their Brooklyn block, feeling like they rule the world.
BLACKOUT
One hot summer night in the city, all the power goes out. The TV shuts off and a boy wails, “Mommm!” His sister can no longer use the phone, Mom can’t work on her computer, and Dad can’t finish cooking dinner. What’s a family to do? When they go up to the roof to escape the heat, they find the lights–in stars that can be seen for a change–and so many neighbors it’s like a block party in the sky! On the street below, people are having just as much fun–talking, rollerblading, and eating ice cream before it melts. The boy and his family enjoy being not so busy for once. They even have time to play a board game together. When the electricity is restored, everything can go back to normal . . . but not everyone likes normal. The boy switches off the lights, and outcomes the board game again. Using a combination of panels and full bleed illustrations that move from color to black-and-white and back to color, John Rocco shows that if we are willing to put our cares aside for a while, there is party potential in a summer blackout.
Summer is Summer
What is summer? Summer is lemonade and salty air, baseball and ice cream, fireflies and starry nights, and much, much more for so many children. Join four friends as they explore the outdoor world of summer and all its sensory pleasures.
The Summer Visitors
This follow-up to the successful The Winter Visitors traces the interactions between a family of bears and a human family during their summer stay at a lake cottage. Told primarily through illustration, with only a few dozen words in the book, children and parents (and grandparents) alike will delight in following the antics of the bumbling bears as they enjoy the comforts of cottage life but also try to avoid detection by their human hosts.
The Sandcastle that Lola Built
Lola is building her dream sandcastle–one with a tall, tall tower and sea glass that sends signals to mermaids. But the beach is crowded, and soon enough, a boy steps onto her castle. Not to worry! Lola recruits him to build a wall. When a toddler with a bulldozer starts digging too close to the walls, Lola decides he can be in charge of digging the moat. As the sandcastle grows, so does Lola’s friendly group of helpers. There’s only one thing that Lola doesn’t want near the sandcastle: a wave! Will the new friends be able to salvage the mermaids’ castle when their hard work is washed away?
With Lots of Love
Moving is hard, especially when you leave loved ones behind. Rocio experiences this first-hand when she leaves her home and Abuela in Central America for a new life in the United States. While they can’t be together physically, her Abuela finds a way to connect. The rich, colorful illustrations capture Rocio’s memories of home and make this tender tale even more beautiful.
Fireflies
A young boy is proud of having caught a jar full of fireflies, which seems to him like owning a piece of moonlight, but as the light begins to dim he realizes he must set the insects free or they will die.
Sunflower House
A charming tale about inventive children who plant some summer fun.
Exploring Summer
Sizzle! Put on some shorts and try to stay cool in the hot summer season. Watch fruit ripen and baby animals grow up. See how summer brings changes in weather, people, plants, and animals.
Mouse’s Summer Muddle
Dash through the woods with Mouse and discover a dazzling summer. The woods are bursting with color, and the sun is shining. Butterflies chase each other in the breeze, and something mysterious is sparkling in the pond! With a little help from their friends, can Mouse find out what it is?
Mouse’s First Summer
Mouse and Minka invite you to celebrate summer with a picnic in the park. Roll down the hill on tickly green grass. Fly fluttery kites high in the sky. Enjoy some juicy watermelon! And before it’s time to go home, a summer surprise sparkles in the sky.
Fatima’s Great Outdoors
Fatima Khazi is excited about the weekend. Her family is headed to a local state park for their first camping trip! The school week might not have gone as planned, but outdoors, Fatima can achieve anything. She sets up a tent with her father, builds a fire with her mother, and survives an eight-legged mutant spider (a daddy longlegs with an impressive shadow) with her sister. At the end of an adventurous day, the family snuggles inside one big tent, serenaded by the sounds of the forest. The thought of leaving the magic of the outdoors tugs at Fatima’s heart, but her sister reminds her that they can keep the memory alive through stories–and they can always daydream about what their next camping trip will look like.
One Hot Summer Day
No kid can resist a hot summer day filled with delights such as drawing chalk pictures on the pavement and playing on a swing…especially if the day is capped off with two grape popsicles plus a cooling rainstorm.
Good Job, George!
George prides himself on being a super helper. He relishes the praise from his parents for each good deed until he accidentally spills paint all over himself, the dog, and the wall. This lighthearted story has the perfect amount of comedy mixed in with the message that no one is perfect, and that’s okay.
A Lullaby of Summer things
This simple, lyrical picture book is as warm, reassuring, and filled with joy as a vacation at the beach. Readers will join a little girl and her siblings as they wind down from a perfect day–hanging up towels, eating dinner, and getting ready for bed–each activity sparking a memory of their day–playing catch with the dog, chasing waves, and looking at sailboats along the shore. And when the lights of the family beach house go off–“In the dusky evening light, a sleepy house says goodnight”--young listeners will be lulled to sleep themselves.
Froggy’s Lemonade Stand
Froggy has great plans for all the money he’s going to make from his lemonade stand. But there’s a problem: he was so thirsty that he drank all the lemonade. Luckily lovable Froggy has lots of good friends to help him find a solution. Even if they don’t get rich, they all have a very good time!
A Boy, A Dog, And A Frog
A wordless book I need to include is A Boy, A Dog, and A Frog by Mercer Mayer. It’s a little book with pen and ink drawings that depict a boy and his dog on a walk trying to catch a frog. It’s a great book for developing oral language skills with preschoolers.
Is it warm enough for ice cream?
Winter, spring, summer, and fall are each represented by a vibrant outdoor scene revealing seasonal changes, from ponds freezing over, to baby birds leaving their nests for the first time. And with changes in weather come new things to try: it’s windy enough to fly a kite and spin pinwheels; it’s rainy enough to splash in puddles, use an umbrella, and search for worms; it’s snowy enough to build a snowman, go sledding, and drink hot chocolate. But is it warm enough for ice cream? When we reach the bright sun of the summer spread, we hear the answer: Yes it is!
How Do You Know It’s Summer?
This fun and fact-filled Rookie Read-About Science book answers the question, How do you know it’s summer through vivid photos and engaging nonfiction text? Covering everything from weather patterns to animal behaviors to seasonal activities, How Do You Know Its Summer? Gives kids readers (Ages 6-7) an in-depth look at this sunny season.
What Can You See in Summer?
In Summer, children are taken on a tour of things they can see in summer including typical summer activities and changes in the natural world. Beautiful photos, very simple repeated text, high frequency and decodable words, and strong photo-to-text matching make this a perfect book for early readers to enjoy.
A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee
In A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee, Mr. Magee and his trusty dog, Dee, are enjoying a peaceful camping trip when along comes a lumbering, marshmallow-loving bear and the excitement begins. The next thing the two campers know, they are plunging down a mountain, racing down a river, and teetering on the edge of a waterfall! How will Mr. Magee and Dee find their way out of this slippery situation?
Summer Reading for Preschoolers
Whether you are looking for books for a unit study all about summer or you are looking for summer books for summer reading these books will not disappoint you.
Which of these summer reading books will you pick to share with your preschoolers ?
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