Top Ten Summer Books For Toddlers (2-4)

Ten Best Summer Books for Toddlers (2-4)


This is part 1 of my series on summer books. These are books that are summer-themed or I think would just be great to read outdoors. Summer is a great time to read with your kids. You (hopefully) have more time and probably a more relaxed attitude towards everything. So take your books outside and read. Maybe grab a few from the library for that long car ride. I hope you find some new favorites!

Summer  by Alice Low - This is one of the great beginner books from the publishers of Dr. Seuss. I love this illustrator, Roy McKie. The pictures are simple, and just a little old-fashioned. The images perfectly illustrate summer. A girl and a boy go through all of their summer activities. It will get you and your kids excited to plan what you are going to do with your summer.

Summer Days and Nights by Wong Yee - I ADORE the illustrations in this book. It is so freaking cute. I can't get enough of it. Follow a little girl as she goes about a hot summer day trying to keep cool. Then at night as the breeze comes, she notices all the little creatures that come out of hiding. Finally, she drifts off into a peaceful sleep and dreams about the rest of her summer. This is a good one to read as a bedtime story.

One Hot Summer Day

One Hot Summer Day by Nina Crews - This book reminds me of the lyrics "Hot town, summer in the city, back of my neck getting dirty and gritty". It follows a little girl on one really hot summer day in the city. The illustrations are pictures of ways of getting cool in the city, with the little girl super-imposed on top.

Summer Wonders by Bob Raczka - This is another summer book that feels like summer. The illustrations are soft and bright and playful. It has simple but fun rhyming text to go along with the fun summer images. The words describe all of the great things that your child can see and do during the summer. At the end is a recipe for making some delicious ice pops.

Biscuit's First Beach Day by Alyssa Capucilli - We love Biscuit in our house. He's super adorable and gets into a lot of cute mischief. Read along as he discovers sand, seashells, and waves all for the first time. This could be fun to take and read at the beach. Then you can go explore and find all the things that Biscuit found.

The Summer Visitors by Karel Hayes - While the title sounds to me like a horror movie, this is actually a really cute kid's book. Like its prequel The Winter Visitors , the book is about a family of bears who have moved in with a human family. This time they are living in a summer cottage. The bears enjoy cottage life while trying to hide themselves from their human hosts. Funny story with great illustrations.

Copyright Flower Fairies
( http://www.flowerfairies.com )

Flower Fairies of the Summer by Cicely Mary Barker - I think every little girl should have a few of the Flower Fairies books. There is one for every season. They were first published in the early 1900's and are now being re-released to go along with the popular Fairyopolis . Each book has a series of poems about the different fairies of the season along with gorgeous watercolor illustrations. If you've ever seen illustrations of fairies, you've probably seen some from Barker. Hers are the most vibrant and well known. They were EXTREMELY popular when they were released and I'm glad they are back. You will love the illustrations in this book I promise. Here's my favorite, the lilac fairy.

Jamberry by Bruce Degen - This book is really hard to find for some reason. It is one of CJ's favorites. We read it at least twice a week. It is great for any time it is growing season. A boy and a bear go searching for berries. They find them everywhere and eat them all day long. The author has a little tidbit in the beginning about how much he loved berry picking as a child and wanted to share that feeling with the book. He does a wonderful job of conveying that with the rhyming words and illustrations.

Zoomer's Summer Snowstorm by Ned Young - A snowstorm in the summer?! How in the world does that happen? Well, Zoomer the dog was making snowcones when ... well, you'll just have to read it and find out! Hilarious illustrations with this really silly story will make this a hit with your kids.

Mouse's First Summer by Lauren Thompson - Beautifully illustrated, this is the story a young mouse who is planning a summer picnic. The words make you feel summer in an amazing way. The writing is extremely vivid and the illustrations are wonderful. There are a few other Mouse books but this is the only one we have so far.

I hope you found some new books to read with your toddler this summer. Happy reading!!

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link you will be taken to the amazon page for that title. If you purchase, I will receive a small percentage. That money goes back into the blog through giveaways. Thank you!

Also, that is not me in the image above, it is my cousin. The extremely pale child is my son. 

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