10 books to celebrate summer!

Ah, summertime. It’s my favorite. Sun and water and stone fruit and sunsets, here we come!

 

Here are 10 quintessentially summer books to revel in!

 

Fireflies by Julie Brinckloe (1985).

Fireflies (or lightning bugs), as lovely and fleeting as a summer evening. The neighborhood kids grab their jars and run barefoot in the grass to catch as many as they can. But in one boy’s jar, the fireflies’ “light grew dimmer, green, like moonlight under water.” So he lets them go.

 

 

Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran, illustrated by Barbara Cooney (1991).

The wonderful place children create for themselves as children do: a town, a wilderness all their own. This book is a treasure. (Great pair with Andrew Henry’s Meadow.)

 

 

Beach by Elisha Cooper (2006).

Ah, the beach. This captures it.

 

Garmann’s Summer by Stian Hole (2008).

Wonderful and bizarre, this book in the Garmann series deals with the summer before starting school. And fear. My favorite element is the last line. Garmann finishes the book right where he started: scared. Because that’s true. But he’s explored so much along the way.

 

All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Nikki McClure (2009).

This power pair presents a fresh, rhyming, sweet day filled with the outdoors and kindness.

 

 

Mermaid Queen: The Spectacular True Story of Annette Kellerman, Who Swam Her Way to Fame, Fortune & Swimsuit History! by Shana Corey, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham (2009).

We all know I’m a huge Shana Corey fan and this book is another reason why. Another bio of an inspiring, courageous, and joyful historical woman who makes big waves in the water! (And has an effect on the progression of ladies’ bathing suits.)

 

Blackout by John Rocco (2011).

What could be more urban summer than a blackout in the city? Rocco knocks it out of the park with this one. Without light and buzzing things, there are so many lovely things to do—go to the roof, meet your neighbors, play a board game for a few.

 

 

Stars by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Marla Frazee (2011).

Summer camping trips are the best times to see stars in the sky. But in this book, there are many kinds of stars and they will make your eyes sparkle with tears.

 

 

Summer Days and Nights by Wong Herbert Yee (2012).

This book catalogs and captures all the magic of summer and of a child paying attention to every bit of it. The conversational tone and the light in the illustrations are captivating.

 

 

 

Night Sky Wheel Ride by Sheree Fitch, illustrations by Yayo (2013).

By far the most fantastical of the bunch, a brother and sister embark on a beautiful romp through a summer carnival. Just go along for the ferris wheel ride!

 

Please add your own summery favorites in the comments!

 

p.s. If you’re disappointed  I’ve left out baseball, don’t worry. I’ve got a baseball-themed post in the works!