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Picture Books for a Long Hot Summer

June 29, 2020

If you are looking for some fun summer picture books, you're in luck! Check out these three seasonally appropriate examples from our collection. Now that we are open for curbside pickup, you can get your hands on these, and all the summer reads your heart desires. And remember to log your Summer Challenge points after you're done reading! 

One Hot Summer Day is a delightful picture book, but it actually has no pictures. Instead, it is illustrated with photographs! Nina Crews debuted her signature photocollage style in this read-aloud book perfect for the hot summer days.

When it's hot outside, what do you like to do? Crews introduces us to a young girl trying to make the best of the warm weather: teasing her shadow, drawing pictures in the shade, even eating "two grape Popsicles in a row." Luckily, there's a rainstorm on the way! The sparse text is ideal for younger readers, and children will readily identify with the joy on the protagonist's face. 

After a busy day at the beach, reading is a great way to wind down and get ready for bed. In A Lullaby of Summer Things, a family ends their day at the beach by doing all the nighttime things a family does: tidy up, have dinner, take baths, and get ready for bed. Meanwhile, one of the children looks back fondly on the day: the cool sea, the warm sand, and playing fetch with the family dog. The rhyming text with repeated phrases makes this a wonderful book to read at bedtime after a fun family summer day. 

What does summer sound like? What is its color? For the team behind Summer Song, "summer is a green song," and it sounds like "lots of grass," as well air conditioners and sprinklers, rain and thunder, and all sorts of insects like bees, butterflies, and grasshoppers. This tender look at the sights and sounds of summertime is in fact one in a series of books celebrating the four seasons! 

Klem-Mari Cajigas

Klem-Mari

In a former life, Klem-Marí was a Religious Studies scholar. She much prefers being the Family Literacy Coordinator for Bringing Books to Life! She wants you to read and share books with the children in your life, and for those children to see you to read as well. Originally from Puerto Rico, Klem-Marí also enjoys her cat, baking, yoga, and the works of Octavia Butler.