When my children were young we loved to read picture books together. I love reading of course and wanted to pass my love of reading down to them. I especially loved the change of seasons and picking out books about the upcoming season.
I thought it would be fun to put together a few of my favorites over the years. The summer season will be the first one I put together. Most of these are older and are classics but if you love picture books and want to keep up with the newest releases you should check out Everyday Reading, she keeps an updated list each year.
This is a great summer list to start with!
Picture Books About Summer
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The Relatives Came
This was one of my kid’s favorite books. We read this so many times. This is about a family coming to visit during the summer. They spend time hugging, doing all kinds of things that summer allows like picking strawberries and playing music. At the end of the trip, of course, there is some sadness but they know it’s all going to be ok because the next summer is coming. This book reminded me so much of my childhood. In the ’70s and 80’s we cherished the times’ relatives came to visit and even relatives that lived local, we would often visit more in the summer and sit on the porch and eat with snow cones with ice cream in them. I have such wonderful memories of those summers.
James Herriot’s Treasury for Children
Who doesn’t love a lovable vet, beautiful countryside, and a bunch of wonderful animals? In this treasury, we find all of his books for children collected in one beautiful volume.
From the springtime frolic of Oscar, Cat-About-Town to the yuletide warmth of The Christmas Day Kitten, these stories―radiantly illustrated by Peter Barrett and Ruth Brown―are just stunning!
I love to recommend treasury books for gifts and this one is always at the top! The pictures in this book are breathtaking! A huge favorite in our house! BBC now has a show called All Creatures Great and Small based on the book and it is wonderful.
Miss Rumphius
Alice made a promise to make the world a more beautiful place, then a seed of an idea is planted and blossoms into a beautiful plan. This beloved classic and celebration of nature—written by a beloved Caldecott winner—is lovelier than ever!
I love how this book shows that a woman set out to make the world more beautiful and did it. She had a plan and saw it through and I think it’s a wonderful life lesson to children. Of course with the beautiful flowers, you have to think of summer. The countless lupines that bloom along the coast of Maine are the legacy of the real Miss Rumphius, the Lupine Lady, who scattered lupine seeds everywhere she went.
Miss Rumphius received the American Book Award in the year of publication.
To finish this post head to my new book blog Crazy Book Lady!
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