The Best Picture Books for Summer

"A little boy and his dog set out one sunny day to catch a frog. They find one sitting in a pond at the bottom of a steep hill. In a delightfully humorous story, told without words, the boy and the dog fail to capture the frog but acquire instead a clever and endearing new playmate."

From flip-flops and hide-and-seek to fireworks and ice-cream trucks, there is something for everyone in this bright and buoyant celebration of the summer season.

"How Bear and his forest friends discover a NEW FRIEND will enchant young readers. Karma Wilson's playful text and Jane Chapman's radiant illustrations make Bear's New Friend a perfect summertime read-aloud companion to the bestselling Bear Snores On."

"'One day, Little Sal went with her mother to Blueberry Hill to pick blueberries... On the other side of Blueberry Hill Little Bear came with his mother to eat blueberries...' And they all got mixed up together!"

"Tess pleads to the sky as listless vines and parched plants droop in the endless heat. Up and down the block, cats pant while heat wavers off tar patches in the broiling alleyway. More than anything, Tess hopes for rain. And when it comes, she and her friends are ready for a surprising and joyous celebration...."

"In this innovative wordless book, a tentative partnership blooms into an unlikely friendship between a girl named Flora and a graceful flamingo. With a twist, a turn, and even a flop, these unlikely friends learn at last how to dance together in perfect harmony."

"Joe and John Henry are a lot alike. They both like shooting marbles, they both want to be firemen, and they both love to swim. But there's one important way they're different: Joe is white and John Henry is black, and in the South in 1964, that means John Henry isn't allowed to do everything his best friend is. Then a law is passed that forbids segregation and opens the town pool to everyone. Joe and John Henry are so excited they race each other there... only to discover that it takes more than a new law to change people's hearts. This stirring account of the "Freedom Summer" that followed the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 powerfully and poignantly captures two boys' experience with racism and their friendship that defies it."

"The old tree looked lonesome and deserted to the boy from the city, but the girl from the country told him to keep his eyes open and he would see plenty of interesting lodgers. He did, from the magpie in the attic to the thirteen field mice and their devoted mother tucked beneath the roots, and the radar bats, the tardy owl the small birds teased in the daytime, the praying mantis, the flying squirrels, the raccoon family that loved marmalade and the others lodged between them."

"Harry the dog is very hot. All he wants is a nice shady spot away from the sun. But there's no more room under the family's beach umbrella—or anywhere else he looks. So Harry sits down sadly at the water's edge. Suddenly a big wave crashes over him, and when the wave rolls back, Harry is completely covered with seaweed! Now he's nice and cool, but everyone on the beach thinks he's a sea monster. On top of that, he can't find his family anywhere. What will Harry do now?"

"Once Henry and his dog, Laird Angus McAngus (Angus for short), had gone exploring for bears. But that was in the winter. Now it was summer and time to explore the jungle...When they find a tiger, they know just what to do. It is such moments of triumph that make exploring worthwhile, and make reading about it almost as good."

"Mick, Mack, and Molly are caught in the midst of one of the most mysterious and magical moments of summer: a sudden summer thunderstorm. It can be scary; but for the three squirrel children, safe and dry in a cave, it brings new friends."

"Although she loves both of her foundling kittens, Jenny must decide which one she will take to the city apartment when her beach vacation comes to an end."

"In the last chilly, cooped-up days of winter, a young boy longs for summer. His mother points to each small, encouraging sign of the changing seasons—tender green buds on trees, ducklings in the pond, swallows on the warm spring winds. Together, mother and son find the unique beauty and pleasure offered by each passing day until summer comes, bringing warm sun, bright flowers, and fat, juicy berries."

"Here is a child's exhilaration and enchantment with the loveliness of summer nights, with the magic of moonlight. The goldfish play with the moonfish in the lily pond, the fireflies come from the woods, and a giant moth flies by on his search for moonflowers. At this time the call of "Children, oh children" from the house is meaningless, for there are no children present, only Moon Jumpers."

"Mark spends a busy, noisy day helping out at Gram's seaside hot dog stand. After the last customer is served and the grill is scrubbed to a silvery shine, Mark sails off with Gram for a promised surprise—and finds a nighttime sea full of shimmering moonjellies."

"As a young mouse eagerly looks forward to everything that autumn will bring—friends at school, fallen leaves to play in, pumpkins to carve—his mother gently encourages him to join in all the summery joys that surround him right now—dancing fireflies, sunny beaches, peaches fresh from the orchard." Told in a question and answer format, this book is perfect, interactive way to read with your child as they read the lines of the young mouse and the parent reads the lines of the mother!

"In the deep, deep waters of Lake Superior is a small island of hummingbirds, pines, and hardy Norwegian fishing folk. On that island lives a boy named Carl who wants nothing more than to be out on the water in a boat of his own making. So this is a story of sawing, nailing, and sanding. But because Sand Island neighbors are closer than cousins, this is also a story of picking strawberries, moving rocks, and mending fishing nests as fine as lace. Illustrated with lovely, lyrical paintings and told with a poet's attention to sound, this story of hope and help will resonate long after the last page is turned."

"A boy describes a day spent at the beach with grandpa, shells, sandcastles, and waves."

Over the pond, the water is a mirror, reflecting the sky. But under the pond is a hidden world of minnows darting, beavers diving, tadpoles growing. These and many other secrets are waiting to be discovered...over and under the pond.

"Petunia was a goose who found a book one day and became the barnyard busybody. After all, having a book made her very wise, she felt. She gave advice on all problems to all who asked and to all who didn't. She knew all about curing toothaches, getting cats out of trees—she knew everything—until the day she found out how little she really knew, in a manner most painful even to a very silly goose"

"Nicky isn't one bit happy about spending the summer with his grandma in the Wisconsin woods, but then the raft appears and changes everything. As Nicky explores, the raft works a subtle magic, opening up the wonders all around him—the animals of river and woods, his grandmother's humor and wisdom, and his own special talent as an artist."

"There is so much wonder to discover outdoors! The bright summer sun shines on beautiful yellow flowers, refreshing red Popsicles, and lush green treetops as far as the eye can see. Even when the skies turn gray with a rainstorm on the way, this adventure is only getting started, with beautiful new colors to discover at every turn."

"Join an adventurous little girl as she sets out on a summer's journey to explore the special world around her—from admiring daisies in a meadow to gazing at the moonlit sky. Before long, it will be time for a new summer day filled with wonderful discoveries."

"Summer is a song. A green song. Green on green on green. Summer also sings with growing and glowing, chirping and buzzing, whirring and humming, splashing and sprinkling, and a breeze blowing grass, leaves, and trees. Have you ever noticed that everything in the summer sounds like music? Listen! Listen! But mostly, play along."

"It was such a hot summer. The sky was deep blue and the sun never faltered. All along Brambly Hedge, the little mice did their best to keep cool. Dusty Dogwood took to walking along the path by the stream. Poppy Eyebright sought refuge in the mossy shadows of the mill wheel. So no one was at all surprised when they announced their engagement. Poppy and Dusty decided on a very unusual setting for the wedding ceremony, but even they didn't realize just how unusual it would prove to be!"

"It's goin' to be another busy day on the farm as a young boy gets ready to help Ma and Pa with the chores. The activities don't stop till it's time for a bedtime story and a night of sleepin' under the starry sky. W. Nikola-Lisa once again tells a story with verve and fun, this time paying tribute to farm life and family togetherness. Sun-drenched paintings by Don Tate shine with the spirit of this joyful story."

"Follow the creation of a family meal from the farm to the picnic table on a warm summer day. Told entirely in words beginning with S, this lively book will help children appreciate where their food comes from."

"'Thick as sand fleas and twice as pesky.' That's what Willy Potts' father said about summerfolk. They sprawled over most of the beach and left half-eaten peanut butter sandwiches in the sand. So every summer Joe Potts would go off to fish for cod and Willy headed for the swamp and his leaky old boat to snooze and fish and enjoy the solitude. But on the longest day of summer this year, Fedderly appeared at his boat and asked Willy to meet his friends and to join their flotilla. Willy was off on an unusual adventure which made him decide that some summerfolk weren't so bad after all."

"Nothing captures the feelings of summer better than the much-loved song from Porgy and Bess, "Summertime." It's majestic imagery and deep spirituality touch listeners today as they have for generations. Now, with acclaimed illustrator Mike Wimmer's lush oil paintings depicting a family's routine one summer day earlier in this century, an American classic takes on a whole new meaning. Including the score of the song, Summertime is both a gentle book for family sharing and a lavish gift to be treasured."

"Long, long ago, a little girl named Laura Ingalls lived in a little house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin with her Pa, her Ma, her sister is Mary and Carrie, and their good old bulldog, Jack. The warm days of summer had arrived, and Laura and Mary played outside with their dolls, helped Ma with the outdoor chores, and fell asleep with the breeze blowing gently through the windows of their little house. Laura Ingalls Wilder‘s Little House books have been cherished by generations of readers. Now for the first time, the youngest readers can share her adventures in these very special picture books adapted from Laura Ingalls Wilder‘s beloved story-books"

"It's miles of smiles and giggles galore as Grandpop tries to get his three little "fricassees" to go to bed. But Maggie and Morgan and Baby Max don't want to sleep—they want to hear just "one more" of Grandpop's fantastical bedtime stories. Will these tales of ticklish worms, laughing cows, and feather-flying pillow fights tucker out the rambunctious trio? Settle in and make yourself "cozy as kittens" as you too discover the happiest good night ever"

"Out on the islands that poke their rocky shores above the waters of Penobscot Bay, you can watch the time of the world go by, from minute to minute, hour to hour, from day to day . . ." So begins this classic story of one summer on a Maine island. The spell of rain, the gulls and a foggy morning, the excitement of sailing, the quiet of the night, the sudden terror of a hurricane, and, in the end, the peace of the island as the family packs up to leave are shown in poetic language and vibrant, evocative pictures.

"A bright-yellow flower leads to new friendships on a busy city block."

While the hot summer days drag on, Momo anxiously awaits a perfect rainy day and the opportunity to carry her new umbrella and wear her bright red rubber boots!

"A sunny day. A curious little girl. A playful wave. Artist Suzy Lee has taken these three simple elements and created a visual tour de force that needs absolutely no words to tell its universal story. With a masterful use of line and color, she explores the power of the natural world, the nuance of friendship, and even the very components that make a book. So step into these deceptively simple pages for a day at the sea—and a joyful story that begins and ends with a wave."