Summertime Books for Young Children

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Simple Pleasures of Summer with Summertime Books

Summer begins officially this year on June 20th, and already we are seeing and feeling the pleasures summer brings. School is out, the days are long, and we want to be outdoors to enjoy the sunshine and warmth.

Summertime seemed simpler back in the olden days when I was young. Once school was out, we spent almost all our time outdoors with the neighborhood children. We roamed from yard to yard on our street or went to the playground or woods to explore together. If we were lucky, we could spend days at the swimming pool shouting Marco Polo and learning to dive. We might return home for lunch or picnic at a friend’s house, and only went back home when we heard parents start calling to come home for dinner. After dinner we were usually outdoors again until dark, playing tag, hide-and-seek, jumping rope, skating, and biking.

Most memorable were the icons of summer – chasing fireflies, ice cream treats from the ice cream truck, days at the pool or the beach, spitting watermelon seeds, fireworks on the 4th of July.

Here are a few of the summertime books that recall those days for me.

Summertime Books for Young Children

And Then Comes Summer

and then comes summer summertime children's book

And Then Comes Summer by Tom Brenner, illustrated by Jaime Kim, leads us gently into the sights and sounds of summer, “When every day is like a Saturday”, with bumblebees and crickets, parades and fireworks, later bedtimes, and swimming until your lips turn blue.

Ice Cream Everywhere!

ice cream everywhere!

I have fond memories of childhood ice cream events. I grew up in an Army family and we moved often. When we arrived at our new post, my mother would always take us on an outing to explore the local library and then get ice cream.

Ice Cream Everywhere! by Marjorie Blain Parker gives us the essence of the ice cream experience, starting with “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!” Ice cream in cones, ice cream in cups, in shakes, on sticks – remember the wooden ice cream spoons. One of the best things about ice cream back then was that I could enjoy it wholeheartedly, without any consideration for carbs or calories. For more ice cream book recommendations, check out Ice Cream Books for National Ice Cream Month.

It’s a Firefly Night

it's a firefly night summertime book

Here in the Virginia mountains, we have a splendid view at night of the fireflies winking in the dark, a light show that never ceases to amaze. It’s a Firefly Night by Dianne Ochiltree and illustrated by Betsy Snyder is a treasure!  

A father takes his little girl out to catch fireflies on a clear night, and words and illustrations both evoke the soft summer evening. She finally lets them go fly away again, and looks forward to the next “firefly night”. The book ends with more facts about fireflies, snippets cleverly highlighted in the glow of a firefly in the dark.

Little Otter Learns to Swim

little otter learns to swim summertime book

For a charming look at otter wildlife read Little Otter Learns to Swim, by Artie Knapp and artist Guy Hobbs. We watch baby and mother play in the water and get a sense of the otter’s world, with wildlife under and above the water. The illustrations are colorful and captivating.

My Fourth of July

my fourth of july summertime book

My Fourth of July by Jerry Spinelli (winner of the Newbery Medal for Maniac McGee) and illustrated by Larry Day was published in 2019, but it paints a sentimental picture of the kind of 4th of July common in the post WW2 era of the 1950s. A morning parade begins the day, and then the family loads up their red wagon with picnic food from hot dogs to potato salad to cherry pie to attend the 4th of July festivities at the park. A concert, standing for the Star-Spangled Banner, and finally, fireworks end the day, followed by a sleepy ride home in the wagon by the young boy.

Who knows what this summer will bring for children everywhere? The traditions and celebrations we take for granted may change, but the season will still call for the simple pleasures of summer.

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