Where will summer take you? From beaches to campsites to national parks and more, these books take kids to all kinds of places, allowing them to imagine what their own adventures might look like and anticipate the summer ahead.
Preschool
“Lone Wolf on Vacation”
by Kiah Thomas
Wolf is excited for a peaceful, refreshing vacation: There, there’ll be nobody he knows. Nobody to bother him at all, or so he thinks.
“Summer Is for Cousins”
by Rajani LaRocca
Ravi spends summer vacation with his cousins, sharing in all their favorite activities, including eating ice cream.
“Sunny Days”
by Deborah Kerbel
Celebrate the activities made possible by sunny weather from a preschooler’s perspective. Mixed-media collage art shows small children engaging in outdoor activities, including
gardening, making mud pies, swimming and more.
Early Elementary
“Are We There Yet?: The First Road Trip Across the USA”
by Stacy McAnulty
It’s May of 1903, and Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson is gearing up for the journey of a lifetime: the first road trip across the USA! Dr. Jackson accepts a $50 bet that he can make the trip in a “horseless carriage,” aka a car, in less than three months.
“Camping Fun”
by C.L. Reid
Emma and her family are going camping. Will this adventure be fun or a disaster? Emma is deaf and often uses sign language to communicate. This early chapter book includes an ASL fingerspelling chart and a sign language guide.
“Nature Spy Guide”
by Shelley Rotner
With simple text and photos featuring kids in nature, this book invites children to search for colors, shapes and more outdoors.
Middle School
“A Day at the Beach”
by Gary D. Schmidt
This novel, told from multiple points of view, follows a diverse cast of young people whose lives intersect in surprising and hilarious ways over the course of a summer day at the beach.
“The National Parks: Preserving America’s Wild Places”
by Falynn Koch
Meet the visionaries, artists and lovers of the American wilderness who fought against corruption and self-interest to carve out and protect these spaces for future generations. See for yourself how the idea of national parks began, how they’ve changed and how they continue to define America.
High School
“¡Ay, Mija!: My Bilingual Summer in Mexico”
by Christine Suggs
In this memoir, Christine Suggs explores a trip she took to Mexico to visit family as she embraces and rebels against their heritage and finds a sense of belonging.
“Liar’s Beach”
by Katie Cotugno
While Linden is spending the end of summer at his roommate’s beachfront home, someone is found unconscious in the pool. The group writes it off as just an accident, but Linden’s childhood friend, Holiday Proctor, is sure there’s a potential killer on the vineyard.
