20 Children's Books About Summer & All It Has To Offer

With bright, colorful depictions of how a family meal comes together one summer evening, Summer Supper by Rubin Pfeffer will take your kids on a journey from farm to table. Plus, it’s filled with alliterations — all of the words begin with the letter “s” for summer! Your kids will want to flip through this delightful read again and again.

If you have any summer beach plans, reading The Sandcastle That Lola Built by Megan Maynor is a great way to get your kids excited about the trip. While at the beach, a girl named Lola begins to build a sandcastle. As Lola builds her castle, she’s joined by new friends along the way who add different elements to her creation, making it bigger and better together.

Perfect for preschoolers and emerging readers, One Hot Summer Day by Nina Crews describes the everyday adventures that fill a child’s summer days. Simple joys like swinging on a swing, enjoying a grape popsicle, drawing with sidewalk chalk, and getting caught in a summer rainstorm are all perfectly described for kids in this sweet story.

Just because it’s summertime and school is out, that doesn’t mean your child has to stop learning. With Super Summer by Bruce Goldstone, they can learn all about how plants adapt to the summer heat, the way the summer season impacts animals, how different families spend long summer days, and more.

In Pie is for Sharing by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard, during a summer picnic to celebrate the 4th of July, a group of kids learn about sharing and the importance of community. The kids in the story enjoy their meal together as they explore all the ways they can share their food, their toys, their time, and their memories.

The perfect picture book to get your kids ready is And Then Comes Summer by Tom Brenner. With picturesque descriptions of long summer days spent with friends outside, manning a lemonade stand, swimming in a lake, toasting marshmallows around a campfire, and staying up late, this book will have your little one ready to soak in all that summer has to offer.

Beach by Elisha Cooper celebrates the magical experience of summer beach trips. With gorgeous watercolor illustrations of gentle waves, sailboats, sandcastles, and families gathered on the shore, kids can read this book and dream about vacation days spent collecting seashells, swimming in the sea, and enjoying the summer sun.

If your child is even a little hesitant about heading to sleepaway camp this summer, the children’s book Away by Emily Sher can help them prepare. A relatable story for any child who has never spent time away from home, the main character struggles with how much she’ll miss home during summer camp. With her mom and grandmother’s encouragement though, she’s able to overcome her fears.

If your summer plans this year include a trip to a theme park or beachside boardwalk, Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee is the perfect read to help your little one get excited about riding their very first big kid ride. From the excitement of entering the amusement park, the anticipation of waiting in line, and the rush and thrill of the actual roller coaster ride, this book beautifully captures every moment.

My kids just love spending every single summer day possible outside. Summer Days and Nights by Wong Hebert Yee captures the sheer joy of exploring all that the great outdoors has to offer during the summer. From catching butterflies to sipping lemonade under the sun all day to watching an owl at nightfall, kids can relish reading about each fun summer activity.

The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant is one of those iconic picture books about summer that your kids will want to read over and over again. If you’re planning a summer visit with extended family or attending a family reunion this year, this story about savoring summer moments with loved ones is just so relatable.

Pretty much every kid can relate to feeling bored on a long summer day, stuck inside with nothing to do. Goldfish on Vacation by Sally Lloyd-Jones captures that sentiment and turns it upside down, following a trio of siblings and their quest to send their goldfish on a “vacation” to a nearby fountain.

The board book Uh-Oh! by Shutta Crum is perfect to read with toddlers to celebrate summertime. This charming read captures all of the beachside moments that make little ones go “uh oh!” — a big wave crashing to the shore, a sand bucket toppled over, a seagull on their sandcastle, and more.

The Night is Yours by Abdul-Razak Zachariah tells the lovely tale of a little girl named Amani who plays hide-and-seek on a warm summer night with the other children in her apartment complex. Narrated by Amani’s father and told from his point of view, the lyrical text provides a gorgeous description of those magical summer evenings spent with friends.

In Sun by Sam Usher, a boy and his grandfather head out to enjoy a picnic on the hottest day of the year. On their quest to find the perfect picnic spot, the pair encounters plenty of adventure. Charming and whimsical, this tale of bonding on a summer day is a sweet read for kids to enjoy.

STEM, but make it summery. In this fun story, Pearl and her robot friend Pascal use coding to help them build a sandcastle at the beach. How to Code a Sandcastle by Josh Funk is a great way to keep kids learning and thinking about STEM solutions to their favorite summer activities.

To help little kids brush up on their counting skills while school is out, you can read I See Summer by Charles Ghigna together. Join the family and friends featured throughout the book as they count strawberries, pea pods, and more in their gardens during the summertime and try to spot hidden numbers on each page.

Reading Summer is Here by Heidi Poss Gray can help get your kids excited about all of the wonderful adventures and activities that await them during the summer months. The illustrations of diving into the water, peeking under rocks, picking flowers, looking into trees, and more all help celebrate the arrival of summer.

Is there anything more summery than enjoying a cold ice cream on a hot day? In Ice Cream Summer by Peter Sis, the main character writes a letter to his grandpa to reassure him that even though it’s summer, he hasn’t forgotten about all he learned in school, so he deserves a special treat — more ice cream.

You know that moment when you’re sitting in class at the beginning of a new school year and your teacher asks you to tell the class what you did over the break? The Truth About My Unbelievable Summer by Davide Cali is about that exact moment. Your kids will just love reading this hilarious tall tale about one boy’s less-than-believable summertime adventures.