Five of Our Favorite Summer Picture Books

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top 5 summer picture books providence moms blog

Summer is finally here, which means my family will be spending much more time outside. With so much of our time being spent outdoors, is there any time to read? Of course! Our family has found that these books really enhance our summer experience. Here are my family’s top 5 picture books for the summer.

  1. Blueberries For Sal – This book is an absolute summer-must. We especially enjoy reading this book in August, around the time that blueberries are in season here. Follow it up with a trip to one of Rhode Island’s many blueberry farms to make it even more memorable. 
  2. Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt– Whether you are maintaining a garden or not this summer, this book is a delightful read. We love following up this book with a bug hunt. Well to be honest,  my boys hunt the bugs and I stand (way) back and watch.  The same author has another book called Over and Under the Pond that seems perfect for summer too, but we haven’t gotten our hands on it yet. 
  3. Thundercake – This book was one of my very favorite books as a kid. It’s about a little girl and her grandmother trying to bake a cake before a thunderstorm approaches their house. As a kid, I remember counting the seconds between the flash of lightening and hearing the thunder to determine how far away the storm was. There is also a pretty interesting recipe for “Thundercake” included that I have not been brave enough to try. (If you read the book, you will see the unconventional ingredient I am referring to). If you try the recipe, please let me know how it turns out!
  4. One Morning in Maine– We love pretty much all books written by Robert McCloskey (as you can tell by our first pick), but this one is too great to leave off of this list. A loose tooth is the beginning of an exciting day in New England for little Sal, and my kids love reading about it over and over. 
  5. Miss Rumphius – You might classify this as more of a spring-time book, but it makes me teary-eyed all year long. Seriously one of my favorite most beautiful stories. I probably enjoy it more than the kids do, but they will come to appreciate just how beautiful the message is. 

There you have it, 5 of our favorite summer picture books. I’d love to know: what’s on your family’s summer book list? 

 

2 COMMENTS

  1. #2 and #3 on your list are new to me. Thanks for sharing! Our summer favorites include those you mentioned and:

    1. H is for Home Run- a baseball alphabet book (Sleeping Bear Press)
    2. F is for Fenway – American’s Oldest Major League Ballpark (also Sleeping Bear Press)
    3. The 4th of July Story by Alice Dalgliesh
    4. The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR by Don and Audrey Wood. When my big kids were little we would read this before going strawberry picking. I think your boys would LOVE it!

  2. Well my Amazon wish list has gotten a little longer, thanks to you! Hahaha. I can already tell your #4 will be a hit around here. Love your list!

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