I am in complete denial that summer is coming to a close. The start of school is just 2 weeks away and we are trying to pack in SO MUCH FUN (and sleep) into these final days. OF COURSE, part of that is reading picture books, so many picture books. It's one of the rare times of day that the boys are awake but also somewhat calm. We've read books on camping trip, in the car, and even in Maine (OF COURSE I took a basket full, and we read them ALL). My boys still have years under my roof but I feel like these countless hours we've spent reading books together will be some of my treasured memories of their childhood.
That said, here are 31 picture books to finish out the summer. Really, the month of August, summer weather is around for awhile still and the start of school is coming too soon but, besides school (which is a BIG aside), I consider summer through Labor Day! Still plenty of sunshine to enjoy and adventures to be had!
If you need even more picture books to read, here are all the other summer picture book lists I've done the last few years: 100 from summer 2017, 100 from summer 2019, 30 to kick off summer 2021, 36 summery books, 30 to wrap-up summer 2021, 30 to kick off summer 2022, and {31} Picture Books that Feature Summer.
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A Small Kindness by Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by Wendy Leach
An excellent message about kindness and paying it forward, with examples for kids! So many small ways we can be kind.
What Will Grow? by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Susie Ghahremani
My favorite time to read about seeds is in the summer, so many lessons learned from watching things slowly grow! AND this shows all kinds of different seeds.
Don't Forget to Remember by Ellie Holcomb, illustrated by Kayla Harren
Beautiful book about how even when we forget everything, God never forgets us. One of my all time favorite picture books. Sometimes I read it to the boys because I need the reminders.
The Secret Fawn by Kallie George, illustrated by Elly MacKay
Another favorite from recent years, about a young girl who misses seeing the deer the rest of her family saw but this girl gets to see the fawn instead. Precious.
Feelings: Inside my Heart and Inside my Head by Libby Walden, illustrated by Richard Jones
Feelings are complicated, even for adults, and this is a beautifully told way to show the many different ones kids may experience.
Library Books Are Not for Eating! by Todd Tarpley, illustrated by Tom Booth
It's Time for School but Ms. Bronte has a problem, she really just wants to eat the books (she's also a dinosaur). I'm sure I have a kid who would be more enthusiastic about returning to school if he had a dinosaur for a teacher.
What Do You Do With a Chance by Kobi Yamada, illustrated by Mae Besom
A child isn't sure what to do with a chance encounter and then discovers the answer: you need courage and then say yes to new experiences because amazing things can happen.
My Very Favorite Book in the Whole Wide World by Malcolm Mitchell, illustrated by Michael Robertson
A story about a reluctant reader who is tasked with bringing to school his favorite book in the whole world. Which means he needs to find a book to be his favorite. Celebrating readers of all abilities!
Your House, My House by Marianne Dubuc
It's a special day at 3 Maple Street - It's Little Rabbit's birthday and his mother makes him a cake to celebrate. It's not just a party they are prepping for, all sorts of things are happening to the building's residents. The details in this book are just astounding. SO MANY little things that that come back to relevance pages later. I could spend a lot of time just looking at it all!
Mars! Earthlings Welcome by Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by Stevie Lewis
We love this Our Universe series, Mars being the star of this book. They share facts in such an easy way but still enough that I learned things too!
Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket by Sue Fliess, illustrated by Annabel Tempest
Speaking of Mars, Sadie Sprocket has a big dream - to go to Mars and so she learns everything about it that she can and then assembles a crew of her favorite stuffed animals. Then she's ready to blast off!
Nature Recycles - How About You? by Michelle Lord, illustrated by Cathy Morrison
Animals recycle all over the globe, in how they build their homes, protect themselves, and get food. A whole bunch of animal facts that show that if animals do it, we can too!
Grandad's Island by Benji Davies
Such colorful pictures for a hard topic of losing a Grandparent, a very sensitive way to handle that topic.
The Boy Whose Face Froze Like That by Lynn Plourde, illustrated by Russ Cox
Just the topic of this one makes me chuckle a bit, what would happen if a kid's face actually did freeze in a goofy face?? This was amusing to read to my kids who VERY MUCH like making silly faces in pictures.
One World, One Day by Barbara Kerley
Beautiful photographs to show how different and the same our days can be across the globe. Important to see our similarities and celebrate our differences.
Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Loren Long
Celebrating the workers who make the bridges, building, books, and more actually materialize after someone designs/writes them in the first place. So much work to make almost everything!
Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim, illustrated by Grace Zong
A Chinese New Year set story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. This Goldy is trying out rice porridge, chairs, and beds, with disastrous results.
Regina is Not a Little Dinosaur by Andrea Zuill
Regina has very much decided that she is NOT a little dinosaur, she is big enough to hunt like her mother. She has a predator stare, a terrifying roar, and can camouflage. She can do this. But then she meets some actual BIG dinosaurs. Maybe she's little.
The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen
A bit of dry humor about a perfect place to stand but then a rock appears there. What to do with a rock??
Treemendous: Diary of a Not Yet Mighty Oak by Bridget Heos, illustrated by Mike Ciccotello
Celebrating the life of an acorn growing up to be a giant oak tree. Teaches a little about trees but with humor and fun.
Hot Dog! Eleanor Roosevelt Throws a Picnic by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Victor Juhasz
In 1939 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth were coming to America, World War II was looming and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt had to welcome their guests. So she threw a picnic complete with hotdogs, a very unconventional choice at the time. (And still, today, I doubt many people serve the Queen hotdogs).
X-Ray Me: Investigate the Inside of Your Body by Felicitas Horstschafer, illustrated by Johannes Vogt
This is a fantastic book showing kids what's inside their body, with two handles even to hold the book up to different parts like lungs or stomach. Such a good introduction to the wonders of our bodies.
This is the Nest That Robin Built by Denise Fleming
Robin is building a nest and her friends are going to help! Various animals have ways of pitching in and in the end they have a cozy nest for robin's eggs.
Finding Beauty by Talitha Shipman
You are beautiful but beauty is more than just something you have, you can also seek out beauty in nature, in art, in music, and many more places. I liked this book and then liked it even more when I realized she's a local author (who, turns out, went to college with my cousin. Small world!).
Something's Wrong!: A Bear, a Hare, and Some Underwear by Jory John, illustrated by Erin Kraan
Jeff the bear is just going about his day, normal routine, but something feels wrong. He asks his friend Anders the squirrel if Anders knows what is wrong and Anders does. Jeff is wearing underwear. Animals don't wear underwear! BUT...what if they make his blunder a new fashion statement? My boys found this very silly.
I Am a Kindness Hero by Jennifer Adams, illustrated by Carme Lemniscates
Follows a young boy as he practices kindness through his day, with a puppy, his little sister, etc. It demonstrates gentleness in boys and that being strong also means being kind.
Rain Before Rainbows by Smiriti Prasadam-Halls, illustrated by David Litchfield
About courage, change, moving on through grief and how there are sunnier skies ahead, even if it doesn't feel like it.
As Strong as the River by Sarah Noble
A curious bear is learning from its mother how to hunt, fish, and be patient and does so with GORGEOUS pictures that I remembered as soon as I saw this cover.
Little Dandelion Seeds the World by Julia Richardson, illustrated by Kristen Howdeshell & Kevin Howdeshell
My boys, especially Sam, love blowing dandelion seeds and they each have picked so many for me over the years. Did you know dandelions thrive on all 7 continents! Fascinating to read about their resilience!
Watch the Stars Come Out by Riki Levinson, illustrated by Diane Goode
I remember this one very clearly from Reading Rainbow, probably in the late 1980s when they visited the under renovation Statue of Liberty. A young girl hears the story of another little girl, her great-grandmother, made the trip to America on a boat.
Hello, Rain! by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Chris Turnham
A book to celebrate all the things to love about rain! We don't seem to get much of it in the summer (or if we do, it's all at once and things flood) but shows kids the benefits when it can often stop outside activities for them.
Happy Reading!
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