21 Picture Books for Your Summer Bucket List
The lazy dog days of summer are here! Your kids will love these adorable stories as they soak in the hot summer sun!
If you do a library summer reading program with your kids, these summer-themed picture books are a great place to start. They will read about vacationing with the relatives, swimming, July 4th, blueberry picking, a lighthouse, and more!
Summer Picture Books
Because of their sweet stories and beautiful illustrations, I enjoy reading this list of summer books to both my younger and older children. Kids never get too old for picture books!
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
Leaving behind their home in Virginia, the relatives drive away to see their family. When they arrive, there is much hugging, talking, and eating as they reunite after a long time apart. This story describes perfectly what it’s like to go away on vacation to visit relatives and all the good times had together.
- Rylant, Cynthia (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 07/31/1993 (Publication Date) – Aladdin (Publisher)
Blueberries for Sal
Sal and her mother are out picking fresh blueberries to can for the winter. Sal sits among the bushes and eats the berries while her mother picks them. A mother bear and her cub come to pick berries just like Sal and her mother. As they pick and eat the berries, both Sal and the cub get lost and mixed up about where they are and who their mother is.
- McCloskey, Robert (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 64 Pages – 09/30/1976 (Publication Date) – Viking Books for Young Readers (Publisher)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s First Summer
Another classic story from The Very Hungry Caterpillar, this picture book follows the caterpillar as it explores everything that changes with the arrival of summer. The rising temperatures, the buzzing insects, and people happily picnicking and swimming.
- Carle, Eric (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 16 Pages – 05/03/2022 (Publication Date) – World of Eric Carle (Publisher)
Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer by Kenard Pak
Come along with a young girl as she says goodbye to all the fading hints of spring and welcomes all of the new signs of summer that are leaping into the new season. There’s so much to enjoy as the seasons come and go, and this book is a good expression of how beautiful summer is.
- Hardcover Book
- Pak, Kenard (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 05/06/2025 (Publication Date) – Godwin Books (Publisher)
Big Book of Bugs by Yuval Zommer
Bugs will come to life in this simple book with lovely illustrations! The book is divided into sections by insect, for example, beetles, pond bugs, termites, stick insects, etc. This way, you can choose the bugs you want to do first. This is a perfect book to read to young elementary students because each bug page gives brief, yet interesting facts, so it’s not an overwhelming amount of information to consume.
- Hardcover Book
- Zommer, Yuval (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 64 Pages – 04/18/2016 (Publication Date) – Thames & Hudson (Publisher)
Llama Llama Learns to Swim
Llama’s friends all want him to join them later at the beach. But Llama is nervous and talks to his mother. His mother takes him to a pool to teach him how to swim. Soon, Llama is learning how to swim with his friends who join him to learn too — even his grandpa!
- English (Publication Language)
- 24 Pages – 06/05/2018 (Publication Date) – Penguin Young Readers Licenses (Publisher)
The Summer Noisy Book by Margaret Wise Brown
A puppy named Little Muffin is in a car, driving through the city and the country. He sees so many summer creatures and hears the variety of sounds they make. This is a great book to teach little ones the sounds and sights of different animals.
- Hardcover Book
- Brown, Margaret Wise (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 40 Pages – 10/02/1993 (Publication Date) – Harpercollins Childrens Books (Publisher)
The 4th of July Story by Alice Dalgliesh
The 4th of July Story is a wonderful book that teaches children the history of how the people freed our great country. Alice Dalgliesh captures how the patriotic hearts of the people inspired them to fight for their independence and inspired the words written in the Declaration of Independence to ring free.
- Dalgliesh, Alice (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 06/01/1995 (Publication Date) – Aladdin (Publisher)
The Cow Who Fell in the Canal by Phyllis Krasilovsky
One of our favorites! Hendrika lives in the comfort of her pasture. She is well tended by the farmer, Mr. Hofstra. Soon, she grows so fat from the sweet grass that she falls into the canal! Finding her way onto a raft, she floats down Holland’s canal, admiring the children, tulips, and especially the colored hats.
- Hardcover Book
- PHYLLIS KRASILOVSKY (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 38 Pages – 10/02/1997 (Publication Date) – EGMONT UK LIMITED (Publisher)
Summer Story by Jill Barklem
This is one of the beautiful Brambly Hedge stories, describing the modest and pleasant lives carried out by the mice of Brambly Hedge. Poppy Eyebright works at a dairy producing cheeses, while Dusty Dogwood works at a mill. They cross paths and eventually announce their engagement. The preparations and time spent before the wedding pay off when the mice all have a wonderful celebration at the wedding.
- Hardcover Book
- Barklem, Jill (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 04/18/2017 (Publication Date) – HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks (Publisher)
Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
Harry hates getting baths! When he hears the bath water running, he takes the scrub brush and buries it in the yard. One day, he runs away and discovers how dirty he really can get. When he comes back home, hungry and tired, his family doesn’t recognize him because of how dirty he is. To show him that he is their dog Harry, he has to succumb to the bathtub.
- Zion, Gene (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 01/24/2006 (Publication Date) – HarperCollins (Publisher)
Swimmy by Leo Lionni
Swimmy lives in a school of red fish. But he is different from the others; he is faster and is all black. One day, his entire school of fish is eaten up by a big tuna fish. Only Swimmy survived. When he finds another school of little red fish, he creates a way for them to work together to chase the big fish away.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Lionni, Leo (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 09/28/2011 (Publication Date) – Knopf Books for Young Readers (Publisher)
Summertime in the Big Woods (My First Little House Books)
My four-year-old daughter loves the My First Little House Books! Laura Ingles and her family live in the big woods, playing and working alongside each other on the farm. The illustrations by Renee Graef (based on Garth Williams’ art) are beautifully drawn, describing beautifully the life of the Ingles family in the smaller version adapted for younger children.
- Wilder, Laura Ingalls (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 40 Pages – 02/02/2000 (Publication Date) – HarperCollins (Publisher)
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
A family embarks on an expedition searching for a bear. In their adventure, they wade through tall, wavy grass and a swirling, whirling snowstorm. Finally, they find the bear’s den. They quietly tiptoe through the cave. After meeting the bear, they fearfully run home, deciding they don’t want to ever go on a bear hunt again. My little kids love this book, along with the short movie adapted from it. They read and watch them both over and over.
- Orders are despatched from our UK warehouse next working day.
- Michael Rosen; Helen Oxenbury,Michael Rosen (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 36 Pages – 10/03/2025 (Publication Date) – Walker Books Ltd (Publisher)
Town Mouse Country Mouse by Jan Brett
A couple living out in the country are tired of living where they do, and another couple of mice living in the town feel likewise. They swap places and try to make themselves cozy in their new habitat. But they find that their new homes are not as pleasant as they expected.
- Brett, Jan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 01/13/2003 (Publication Date) – Puffin Books (Publisher)
Over in the Meadow by Paul Galdone
My daughter (now eight years old) used to love this book through her toddler years, asking constantly for me to read this book to her. The animals count up to ten, starting with a mother turtle and her little turtle one, to a mother fox and her little foxes ten.
- Used Book in Good Condition
- Paul Galdone (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 06/01/1989 (Publication Date) – Aladdin (Publisher)
One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey
Sal wakes up to find that she has a loose tooth! She shows it to everyone in the family. But when hunting in the mud for clams with her father, her tooth falls out, and she loses it! She enjoys the rest of the morning’s exploits with her father as they go into town.
- Hardcover Book
- McCloskey, Robert (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 72 Pages – 04/14/1952 (Publication Date) – Viking Press (Publisher)
Caps for Sale as told and illustrated by Esphyr Slodbodkina
A man with caps piled high on his head walks about the town trying to sell his caps. However, when he is not so fortunate in his business, he sits down and falls asleep. When he wakes up, he finds all of his caps to be gone! This is a great book for preschoolers because it is simple and repetitive.
- Caps for Sale is a timeless classic beloved by millions
- This tale of a peddler and a band of mischievous monkeys is filled with warmth, humor, and simplicity and also teaches children about problem and resolution
- Author & Illustrator: Esphyr Slobodkina
- 48 pages
- Esphyr Slobodkina (Author)
A Hole in the Dike by Norma B Greene
Peter lives in Holland, where they are protected from the ocean by a dike. One evening, Peter sees a leak in the dike. To stop it, he puts his finger in the hole and calls for help. But everyone has gone home, and no one can hear Peter. All night, he keeps his finger in the hole until the next morning, when someone finally hears him.
- Hardcover Book
- Green, Norma (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 10/02/1975 (Publication Date) – Crowell (Publisher)
Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall
A new keeper comes to the lighthouse to warn the ships out at sea. The man lives alone, as the waves and the sky pass by to greet the lighthouse. The Tender comes to bring him his food. He also brings his wife to the lighthouse! They pass many lovely days in the cozy tower. After they leave, the light from the lighthouse shines over the waters to the man and his family in their own home across the sea, greeting them with a hello.
- Hardcover Book
- Blackall, Sophie (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 48 Pages – 04/10/2018 (Publication Date) – Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Publisher)
The Owl and the Pussycat by edward lear
This sing-song rhyming book, based on the original poem by Edward Lear, is a fun and adventurous story. An owl sings a love song to his love, the pussycat, and the author creates an imaginative scene around them, including the land where the bong tree grows.
- Edward Lear; Ian Beck (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 10/02/1997 (Publication Date) – – (Publisher)
Whether you head out for summer adventures or spend your days at home in the sun, these lovely summer picture books will capture you’re child’s mind and spur their curiosity. When I read these stories to our kids, I often hear them repeating them in play. I hope these stories are fodder for your child’s imagination too!
Happy summer!
