Parents, grandparents and caregivers can use this list as a guide to ensure toddlers through middle schoolers enjoy reading all summer long.
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Dog Days of Summer
Harry the Dirty Dog
by Gene Zion
Illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham
Reading Level: Youngest Reader
Don’t miss Harry the Dirty Dog! This funny picture book about the strong-willed dog who really doesn’t want a bath stands the test of time.
Harry the Dirty Dog has been recognized by the National Education Association as an all-time top-100 children’s book. It has also been welcomed by a new generation at home, as Betty White’s 2020 reading of the story on StorylineOnline has been viewed more than 8 million times.
Harry is a white dog with black spots who absolutely, positively hates to take a bath. After a day of adventure, Harry gets so dirty that he no longer looks like a white dog with black spots. Now he looks like a black dog with white spots!
Harry the Dirty Dog has become a classic, entertaining young readers for decades. Perfect for young fans of dogs…especially ones who also don’t always want a bath!
For more fun with Harry the Dirty Dog, don’t miss No Roses for Harry! and Harry and the Lady Next Door. As Children’s Books and Their Creators said about all three books: “There is a droll, seemingly effortless union of art and text in the Harry stories, a delicious mastery of everyday foolishness.”
Whistle for Willie
by Ezra Jack Keats
Reading Level: Youngest Reader
When Whistle for Willie was first published in 1964, The New York Times wrote “Mr. Keats’ illustrations boldly, colorfully capture the child, his city world. and the shimmering heat of a summer’s day.” Now the story of Peter, who longs to whistle for his dog, is accessible to even the youngest child in a durable board book edition, with reinforced pages, a handy trim size, and safe, rounded corners. Ezra Jack Keats, who died in 1983, was the award-winning author of such children’s favorites as The Snowy Day, which won the Caldecott Medal, and Goggles, a Caldecott Honor Book.
And Then Comes Summer
by Tom Brenner
Illustrated by Jamie Kim
Reading Level: Elementary Reader
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.
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
by Jeanne Birdsall
Reading Level: Middle School Reader
With over one million copies sold, this series of modern classics about the charming Penderwick family from National Book Award winner and New York Times bestseller Jeanne Birdsall is perfect for fans of Noel Streatfeild and Edward Eager.
This summer the Penderwick sisters have a wonderful surprise: a holiday on the grounds of a beautiful estate called Arundel. Soon they are busy discovering the summertime magic of Arundel’s sprawling gardens, treasure-filled attic, tame rabbits, and the cook who makes the best gingerbread in Massachusetts. But the best discovery of all is Jeffrey Tifton, son of Arundel’s owner, who quickly proves to be the perfect companion for their adventures.
The icy-hearted Mrs. Tifton is not as pleased with the Penderwicks as Jeffrey is, though, and warns the new friends to stay out of trouble. Which, of course, they will—won’t they? One thing’s for sure: it will be a summer the Penderwicks will never forget.
Deliciously nostalgic and quaintly witty, this is a story as breezy and carefree as a summer day.
Paris 2024
The Little Engine That Could
by Watty Piper
Illustrated by Dan Santat
Introduction by Dolly Parton
Reading Level: Youngest Reader
The kindness and determination of the Little Blue Engine have inspired millions of children around the world since the story was first published in 1930. Cherished by readers for over ninety years, The Little Engine That Could is a classic tale of the little engine that, despite her size, triumphantly pulls a train full of wonderful things to the children waiting on the other side of a mountain.
The Frog Olympics
by Brian Moses
Reading Level: Youngest Reader
Laugh out loud with this wonderfully funny and charming picture book story about frogs coming together from around the world to participate in and celebrate their ‘Frog Olympics’.
The rhyming text is brilliant to read out loud at home or in the classroom.
Great for discussion starters about the Olympics and to talk about inclusion and how people, or frogs, of every size and ability can take part in the Olympics.
Humorously illustrated by Amy Husband, the frogs will really leap off the page.
Madeline
by Ludwig Bemelman
Reading Level: Elementary Reader
The story of twelve little girls in two straight lines, the smallest one being Madeline, has delighted children for more than seventy years. Now the beloved Caldecott Honor Book is available in a sturdy board book format and a reduced size perfect for small hands. While the text is slightly abridged, none of the charm of the original book is lost as a new format brings this classic title to a younger audience.
Dream Big for Kids
by Bob Goff and Lidsey Goff Viducich
Illustrated by Sian James
Reading Level: Elementary Reader
What if you were created for something so special, so amazing, so big that you could change the world? Dream Big for Kids, by New York Times bestselling author Bob Goff and his daughter, Lindsey, shares the inspiring message that your dreams have a purpose. In this children’s book about aspirations, kids will find that dreaming big is about becoming the wonderful, creative person God created them to be.
Bob Goff wants kids to know that their dreams matter! Dream Big for Kids invites readers on a journey of discovering what it means to dream big. From writing songs to climbing mountains to fighting sickness as a doctor or scientist, dreams don’t look the same for everyone. And they don’t become “big dreams” because they’re loud or popular. Dreams grow from the creative spirit and individual spark God put in each of us to make a difference, to build something new, and to help the world.
The Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Adaptation): The True Story of an American Team’s Epic Journey to Win Gold at the 1936 Olympics
by Daniel James Brown
Reading Level: Middle School Reader
For readers of Unbroken, out of the depths of the Great Depression comes the astonishing tale of nine working-class boys from the American West who at the 1936 Olympics showed the world what true grit really meant. With rowers who were the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew was never expected to defeat the elite East Coast teams, yet they did, going on to shock the world by challenging the German boat rowing for Adolf Hitler.
At the center of the tale is Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, whose personal quest captures the spirit of his generation—the generation that would prove in the coming years that the Nazis could not prevail over American determination and optimism.
This deeply emotional yet easily accessible young readers adaptation of the award-winning #1 New York Times bestseller features never-before-seen photographs, highly visual back matter, and an exclusive new introduction.
Family and Friends
Guess How Much I Love You
by Sam McBratney
Illustrated by Anita Jeram
Reading Level: Youngest Reader
“Guess how much I love you,” says Little Nutbrown Hare. Little Nutbrown Hare shows his daddy how much he loves him: as wide as he can reach and as far as he can hop. But Big Nutbrown Hare, who can reach farther and hop higher, loves him back just as much. Well then, Little Nutbrown Hare loves him right up to the moon, but that’s just halfway to Big Nutbrown Hare’s love for him.
Love Makes a Garden Grow
by Taeeun Yoo
Reading Level: Elementary Reader
When I am as small
as a sprout,
Grandfather’s garden feels
big.
A young girl observes the bugs and blooms and the rich smell of the soil of her grandfather’s garden. Her grandfather hums as he waters his treasured plants. And when he gives the girl a flower of her own, caring for it teaches her to feel her grandfather’s love.
Even as time passes and her grandfather’s garden grows smaller and the girl grows up, she never forgets what she learned or loses her closeness with her nurturing grandfather.
When my daughter is as small
as a sprout, we visit Grandfather
together.
Love Comes First
by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush
Reading Level: Elementary Reader
As two sisters watch their friends’ families grow, they wish on a star for a sibling of their own…and a younger brother and a baby cousin arrive! The new family members aren’t exactly what the sisters expected, but with time and patience, the group soon becomes fabulously four – and lets their imaginations soar! Together they can be anything, and no matter what, they will always remember that love comes first.
Ballet Shoes
by Noel Streatfeild
Reading Level: Middle School Reader
Pauline, Petrova, and Posy love their quiet life together. They are orphans who have been raised as sisters, and when their new family needs money, the girls want to help. They decide to join the Children’s Academy of Dancing and Stage Training to earn their keep. Each girl works hard following her dream. Pauline is destined for the movies. Posy is a born dancer. And Petrova? She finds she’d rather be a pilot than perform a pirouette.
This beautiful children’s classic is perfect for girls who love to dream about ballet, friendship, and finding their own special talents. Adult readers may remember them as the “Shoes” books from You’ve Got Mail!
Ways to Share Joy (A Ryan Hart Story, 3)
by Renee Watson
Reading Level: Middle School Reader
Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award winner Renée Watson continues her charming young middle grade series starring Ryan Hart, a girl who is pure spirit and sunshine.
Ryan Hart is caught in the middle. She has an older brother and a new baby sister, and she’s in a friendship tug-of-war with two friends who both want to be her best best friend. How can Ryan think about being kind to a classmate who is relentless with his teasing? Or be her signature sunny self when her brother, Ray, pulls the ultimate prank?
But even when it seems like nothing is going her way, Ryan still looks for a way to see the bright side of things, refusing to let anything steal her joy, and finding ways to share it with everyone she meets.
Bridge to Terabithia
by Katherine Paterson
Reading Level: Middle School Reader
Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until the new girl in school, Leslie Burke, outpaces him. The two become fast friends and spend most days in the woods behind Leslie’s house, where they invent an enchanted land called Terabithia. One morning, Leslie goes to Terabithia without Jess and a tragedy occurs. It will take the love of his family and the strength that Leslie has given him for Jess to be able to deal with his grief.
