Kids Picks
Summer is my absolute favorite time of the year. There is so much to do, and you can be outside from morning until night. At some point, you need to take a break and relax. After all, it’s been a long school year! Put away the iPads and pick up a good book instead. Here are some new titles to choose from. I promise you’ll be glad you did.
Ages 3-5
“Curious George Curious About Summer” by H.A. Rey
Everyone’s favorite monkey is back, and he is excited to have an amazing summer! Readers will enjoy sharing all the best that summer has to offer with George and the man with the yellow hat. From a fun beach day to a picnic and then a carnival, George’s curiosity never ends! But there’s always a catch when it comes to George, and the excitement is what keeps readers coming back for more!
“Carl and the Meaning of Life” by Deborah Freedman
Carl is an earthworm who spends his days doing what earthworms do – tunneling in the dirt. One day a mouse stops and asks him, “Why?” Carl doesn’t know, so he sets out to find an answer. On his journey, he meets many animals that live in the forest. All of these animals know exactly what they were put on Earth to do, and why. It isn’t until the world starts changing that Carl begins to understand his place in this world, and that everyone has a place and a purpose.
Ages 6-8
“My Weird School Special: Bummer in the Summer!” by Dan Gutman
A.J. can’t wait for school to get out, and he’s been dreaming about everything he plans to do over summer break. But his best-laid plans are foiled when he has a nightmare in which the spirits of summers past, present and future come to pay him a visit. Will this be enough to get him to leave his bad ways behind him? Author Dan Gutman knows how to entertain the reader right until the very end, while teaching a valuable lesson in the process.
“The Pout-Pout Fish Cleans Up the Ocean” by Deborah Diesen
We just can’t get enough of the Pout-Pout Fish! This time around, the fish aren’t happy about the big mess that’s right in their ocean. They vow to find out where it came from so they can make sure it doesn’t happen again. When they discover the source, it’s clear that everyone is going to have to work together to clean it up!
Ages 9-12
“Maybe a Mermaid” by Josephine Cameron
Summer wouldn’t be complete without the possibility of meeting a real mermaid. Anthoni Gillis isn’t into girlie things like fairies and unicorns; she prefers things like comic books. And when she heads to the Showboat Resort for the summer, she doesn’t believe the rumors she hears about the Boulay Mermaid. Anthoni has no time for mermaids, she has a plan to finally find a true friend. She has spent the last five years moving from town to town and helping her mother sell cosmetics to help support them. It isn’t easy to find a friend when you don’t stay in one place for very long. But then Anthoni gets mixed up with the local rumors and has to decide if she will stick with her plan or go out on a limb and live a little!
“Summer of a Thousand Pies” by Margaret Dilloway
Cady grew up homeless in California with her father. Eventually she is sent to live with her aunt in a mountain town called Julian. Cady never knew this Aunt Shell even existed, and now she’s sleeping in her mother’s old room and working in a pie shop. In time, Cady starts to make friends and finally feels like she belongs somewhere. But then she discovers that her aunt’s shop is failing. She will need the help of her friends and to come up with a plan fast if she wants to save the one place that’s ever felt like home.
