May 30, 2023
Ahh, June! The beginning of summer! Thoughts of vacations drift through our minds like the warm breeze through our windows. Summer is the perfect time for finding a great book to enjoy while sitting in the shade or on a sandy beach—and it’s the perfect time for getting the kiddos into a regular reading habit. Here are a few of our favorite summertime books:
Goodnight California
By Adam Gamble, Harvey Stevenson
Publisher: Good Night Books
$9.95; Ages 0-4
www.amazon.com
Wherever you live or wherever you travel, if you have little ones, you need to find a copy of the Goodnight board book for that state. (In our house, we choose these as travel souvenirs for the little ones!) The adorable California book reminds us of everything great in our state, from the giant redwoods to the Pacific Ocean and more. It’s a great way to introduce children to a new place or remind them of their trip or teach them the beauty of their homeplace.
But Not the Armadillo
By Sandra Boynton
Publisher: Boynton Bookworks
$5.99, Ages 1-4
www.barnesandnoble.com
This board book follows the armadillo as he chooses the less-traveled road: he picks cranberries, stops and smells the flowers, naps in the meadow, and at day’s end passes an overeager hippo sprinting in the other direction. Expect a delightful rhyming read typical of Boynton.
Froggy’s Lemonade Stand
By Jonathan London & Frank Remkiewicz
Publisher: Puffin Books
$7.99, Ages 3-5
www.amazon.com
If you like the “Froggy” series, you’ll love this one. Our friendly frog has high hopes of earning big bucks when he sets up a lemonade stand on a hot summer day. The problem is it’s a HOT summer day and Froggy is very thirsty! How will he and his friends beat the heat and earn cold cash?
The Night Before Summer Vacation
By Natasha Wing & Julie Durrell
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
$4.78, Ages 3-6
www.amazon.com
We’ve all been there—trying to get ready for summer vacation. In this book a little girl and her family are desperately trying to pack everything they will need for their trip—but what will they forget?!
A Day at the Beach
By Rolanda Hasten
Publisher: Christian Faith
$14.68, Ages 5-9
www.amazon.com
A Day at the Beach shares the adventures you can experience at the beach from sunrise to sunset and teaches kids the simple things. This is a good one for young readers because the text is simple and there aren’t too many words on the page. Younger kid can look for the starfish on each day!
The Summer of Bad Ideas
By Kiera Stewart
Publisher: Harper Collins
$16.99, Ages 8-12
www.amazon.com
In this feel-good story, 12-year-old Edie and her cousin, Rae, set out to complete a mysterious list of “Good Ideas for Summertime” that their late grandmother wrote when she was their age. But are they really good ideas? Or are they terrible ideas? The girls will have to find out!
Manatee Summer
By Evan Griffith
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
$11.99, Ages 8-12
www.amazon.com
When Peter and his best friend, Tommy, spot an injured manatee in a Florida canal, the boys join the fight to save Florida manatees. But saving the planet isn’t easy and when Peter’s grandfather needs help, too, everything he thought he knew changes.
Never Coming Home
By Kate M. Williams
Publisher: Delacorte Press
$10.49, Ages 14-17
www.amazon.com
When 10 of the nation’s hottest teenage influencers are invited on a free trip to an exclusive island resort, they don’t know murder will be on the agenda. Apparently, each of the 10 is hiding a deadly secret—and it’s payback time. Will any of them live to go home?
By Adam Gamble, Harvey Stevenson
Publisher: Good Night Books
$9.95; Ages 0-4
www.amazon.com
Wherever you live or wherever you travel, if you have little ones, you need to find a copy of the Goodnight board book for that state. (In our house, we choose these as travel souvenirs for the little ones!) The adorable California book reminds us of everything great in our state, from the giant redwoods to the Pacific Ocean and more. It’s a great way to introduce children to a new place or remind them of their trip or teach them the beauty of their homeplace.
But Not the Armadillo
Publisher: Boynton Bookworks
$5.99, Ages 1-4
www.barnesandnoble.com
This board book follows the armadillo as he chooses the less-traveled road: he picks cranberries, stops and smells the flowers, naps in the meadow, and at day’s end passes an overeager hippo sprinting in the other direction. Expect a delightful rhyming read typical of Boynton.
By Jonathan London & Frank Remkiewicz
Publisher: Puffin Books
$7.99, Ages 3-5
www.amazon.com
If you like the “Froggy” series, you’ll love this one. Our friendly frog has high hopes of earning big bucks when he sets up a lemonade stand on a hot summer day. The problem is it’s a HOT summer day and Froggy is very thirsty! How will he and his friends beat the heat and earn cold cash?
The Night Before Summer Vacation
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
$4.78, Ages 3-6
www.amazon.com
We’ve all been there—trying to get ready for summer vacation. In this book a little girl and her family are desperately trying to pack everything they will need for their trip—but what will they forget?!
By Rolanda Hasten
Publisher: Christian Faith
$14.68, Ages 5-9
www.amazon.com
A Day at the Beach shares the adventures you can experience at the beach from sunrise to sunset and teaches kids the simple things. This is a good one for young readers because the text is simple and there aren’t too many words on the page. Younger kid can look for the starfish on each day!
The Summer of Bad Ideas
By Kiera Stewart
Publisher: Harper Collins
$16.99, Ages 8-12
www.amazon.com
In this feel-good story, 12-year-old Edie and her cousin, Rae, set out to complete a mysterious list of “Good Ideas for Summertime” that their late grandmother wrote when she was their age. But are they really good ideas? Or are they terrible ideas? The girls will have to find out!
Manatee Summer
By Evan Griffith
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
$11.99, Ages 8-12
www.amazon.com
When Peter and his best friend, Tommy, spot an injured manatee in a Florida canal, the boys join the fight to save Florida manatees. But saving the planet isn’t easy and when Peter’s grandfather needs help, too, everything he thought he knew changes.
Never Coming Home
By Kate M. Williams
Publisher: Delacorte Press
$10.49, Ages 14-17
www.amazon.com
When 10 of the nation’s hottest teenage influencers are invited on a free trip to an exclusive island resort, they don’t know murder will be on the agenda. Apparently, each of the 10 is hiding a deadly secret—and it’s payback time. Will any of them live to go home?
