After combing through our many book baskets and shelves at home and revisiting our library favorites, my kids and I have put together this list of 50 Children's Picture Books for Summer.We have read every book on this list - in fact we own many of these books - and each of these books has our wholehearted stamp of approval. They are beautifully illustrated, well written, kid friendly and parent approved, exceptionally good picture books.
All of these children's picture books invoke the magic of summer. There's camping and beaches and ice cream cones. We included books to spark imagination and liven up those dog days of summer. There's inspiration from the garden, trips to the zoo, and even some roller coasters just for fun. There's summer magic on every page in every book. Really, we feel pretty good about claiming that this is a perfect collection of picture books for summer.
At the end of this list you will find a printable version with a handy checklist so you can keep track of your summer reads as you head to the library and book store this summer. Happy Reading!
50 Children's Picture Books for Summer
1. Pictures from Our Vacation by Lynne Rae Perkins
2. The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli
3. Chalk by Greg Thompson
4. Should I share my Ice Cream? by Mo Willems
5. Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
6. The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
7. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
8. Night of the Moon Jellies by Mark Shasha
9. Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds
10. The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
11. Beach Party by Harriet Ziefert
12. The Gardener by Sarah Stewart
13. All In A Day by Cynthia Rylant
14. Flotsam by David Weisner
15. July by James Stevenson
16. Hippo! No, Rhino by Jeff Newman
17. Beach by Elisha Cooper
18. Amos and Boris by William Steig
19. Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis
20. The Cloud Spinner by Michael Catchpool
21. The Tree House by Marije Tolman
22. The Blue Hill Meadows by Cynthia Rylant
23. Crab Moon by Ruth Horowitz
24. Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe by Vera B. Williams
25. Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling
26. Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee
27. Ice Cream: The Full Scoop by Gail Gibbons
28. Henry and Mudge and The Starry Night by Cynthia Rylant
29. Yes, Let's by Galen Longstreth
30. Guji, Guji by Chi Yuan Chen
31. I took the Moon For A Walk by Carolyn Curtis
32. Sergio Makes a Splash by Edel Rodriguez
33. Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack by Lynnley Dodd
34. Curious George goes Camping by Margaret & H.A. Reys
35. Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas by Lynne Cox
36. The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg
37. House for a Hermit Crab by Eric Carle
38. Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
39. Post Cards from Camp by Simms Taback
40. Swim! Swim! by Lerch
41. Wave by Suzy Lee
42. The Seashore Book by Charlotte Zolotow
43. The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson
44. Journey by Aaron Becker
45. Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett
46. Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens
47. Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise by Sean Taylor
48. The Whales by Cynthia Rylant
49. Magic Beach by Alison Lester
50. Summersaults by Douglas Florian
For a Printable Version of this Summer Picture Book Reading List, CLICK HERE. Take it to the library and book store with you and use it to check off the books you've read this summer. Happy Reading!
[…] year we put together a list of 50 Picture Books for Summer. They were all books that conjured the very essence of summer – beaches, and ice cream, and […]