raising readers
our favorite summer picture books, so far
If you are looking for fun books to read with your kids this summer, I have a ton of them to share with you in this post.
but first…
We started a new book in Gaining Ground last week.
Do miracles still happen? YES.
We are reading about 50 pages a week in Peace Like a River by Leif Enger and it is fabulous. It’s also a fast read so if you want to jump in this week or next, you’ll have no problem catching up.
If you need a copy, you can find it new or used at ThriftBooks. Be aware that this book is not in the public domain (copyright 2001) and some online versions are likely to be pirated. Please respect the work and copyright of authors, and use an authorized version. Links in the chat to pirated material will be removed. xo
also, a fun fact
Toward the end of Great Expectations I noticed this quote:
Selecting from the few queer houses upon Mill Pond Bank, a house with a wooden front and three stories of bow-window (not bay-window, which is another thing)…
— Charles Dickens, from Great Expectations, chapter 46
It was super nice of Dickens to point out that they are not the same thing, because I vaguely remember seeing “bow window” mentioned elsewhere recently (probably Treasure Island?) and thought it might be a typo because I live in Alaska and beautiful architecture is sadly rare here. So if you also want to know the difference, here’s a great explanation with photos and now you’ll never forget it.
…and NOW on to all the kids’ books
You can probably find most of these at your local library. If you’d like to purchase a copy, the links go to ThriftBooks where you can usually get them new or used.1
a few books on fighting fear and finding security
You Are Special by Max Lucado — To be honest, I’m not really into Lucado’s adult non-fiction but this one for kids is a winner that moves me every time.
Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco — A cozy book about overcoming all sorts of fears, plus you’ll never believe what the secret ingredient to the chocolate cake is. We’ve made it once and it was AMAZING.
When Addie Was Scared by Linda Bailey — Another great story where the wisdom of a grandmother helps a girl see how brave she can be.
Violet Comes to Stay by Melanie Cecka — I mean, it’s officially by her, but for some reason Jan Karon (who I totally love) gets her name on the top because she created the character who was fictionally created by her other fictional character, Cynthia Coppersmith from the Mitford books. Was that confusing? Yes. A run-on sentence? I think so. But the story is great, and so is the sequel.
stories with fun math
The King’s Chessboard by David Birch — What seems like a small start can compound in mighty ways. Also, don’t bet against people who know more math than you do.
Anno’s Magic Seeds by Mitsumasa Anno — Same as above, but with agriculture…sort of.
Roman Numerals I to MM by Arthur Geisert — The best way to teach Roman numerals, in my opinion. Pigs!
Ben Franklin and the Magic Squares by Frank Murphy — Did you know numbers can do that?
beautiful (and relatable) stories about family
When I Was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant — Two cozy stories about rural family, extended family, and sharing our familiar spaces with them.
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith — a boy looks at his grandfather’s long life through his unconventional art.
Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall — one of my very favorite children’s books of all time. How do we create, consume, and steward our gifts?
Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban (also A Bargain For Frances, not to be missed) — Quoted regularly in our house. Whack and smack reminded Frances of…😂
The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman — A bunch of picky eaters and their indulgent, exhausted, and eventually repentant mother accidentally stumble upon a solution for everyone. The illustrations in this one are fabulous, as the home and surroundings grow with the family in the story.
more books about cozy homes
Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall — the life of a house is…complicated. Cool backstory to this at the end of the book.
The Lantern House by Erin Napier — another about the life of a house, and the families it knows.
Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler — One of my faves, based on a true story of a mother who starts over with her many children, and little else.
The Hundred-Year Barn by Patricia MacLachlan — Yep, the same author as Sarah, Plain and Tall, and just as wonderful.
books on spring, summer, and growing things
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney — Miss Rumphius does adventurous things until she can’t, and then she does a quiet thing that makes the biggest impact. I want to do this, but with poppies.
And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano — Going from brown to green is a long, patient (and eventually) sudden process.
Miss Maple’s Seeds by Eliza Wheeler — a fairy-ish woman raises seeds like babies, and sends them off. Pretty sweet.
A Seed is Sleepy (also An Egg is Quiet) by Diana Hutts Aston — Not a story, but amazing illustrations and explanations of how small things grow.
The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller — Great explanation of pollination and parts of a flower. It’s literally the birds and the bees. ;)
and other science books
How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World by Faith McNulty — Super fun to read…but maybe hide your shovels first.
What’s Smaller Than a Pygmy Shrew? and How Do You Lift a Lion? by Robert Wells — Fabulous explanations of small and smaller things, and also simple machines.
How Big is a Foot? by Rolf Mylier — How do we measure things reliably if we use something (like foot sizes) that are variable? A fun story about why consistent standards matter.
some history, mostly American Revolution
A couple of our kids are learning about the American Revolution, and one of them is all about everything by Jean Fritz. Pretty sure if he could find a grocery list by Jean Fritz, he’d put it on the next ThriftBooks order.
Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George? and And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? by Jean Fritz
Abigail Adams by Jane Sutcliffe — Not a picture book, but a longer chapter book.
The Boy Who Loved to Draw by Barbara Brenner — The story of one of America’s most prolific artists, and his unconventional first efforts. Guard your cats and scissors after reading this one. :D
The Boy Who Held Back the Sea — Not American history, but still good.
Paul Revere’s Ride by Longfellow, illustrated by Ted Rand — The famous poem brought to life with powerful illustrations.
animals, dragons, and treasure
The Church Mice series by Graham Oakley — These are hilarious, loquacious, and sometimes hard to find. They sell for anywhere from $15 to $300, and we’ve been slowly collecting them when they at the lower end of that.
From a recent social media post, when I had my friend’s kids for the day:
The highlight of my day with nine kids was not reading them this delightfully hilarious book about a hippie vicar who visits the church but is terrified of mice and hatches a plan to get rid of them, but instead the mice get rid of the vicar by frightening him during his bath to the point that he jumps out the window naked and then inadvertently runs into the curate who is leading a community parade.
It’s fine, it’s all fine, nothing shows…which is what I told my friend when she came to pick up her kids.
But the look she gave me as I told her all this…well, THAT was probably the real highlight of my day. 😂
Anyway, The Church Mice series…they’re a little hard to find but you probably want these books.
The Knight and the Dragon by Tomie DePaola — a knight and dragon who don’t know how to fight do their research, try and fail, and move on to more successful endeavors. Basically, the librarian saves the day.
Boot and Shoe by Marla Frazee — Dogs (that look like cats?) are inseparable until confused. Another fun fact: In Greek, I’m pretty sure the title is Bota kai Papoutsi, which sounds like the cutest thing ever.
Wanted: The Great Cookie Thief by Emily Perl Kingsley — A classic Western spoof about noticing and comparing details, when Cookie Monster tries to pull the wool over the eyes of others. Old and fun, even if you don’t know the Sesame Street characters.
Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing by Judi Barrett — because of all sorts of hilarious and complicated reasons.
The Treasure by Uri Shulevitz — No animals in this one; just a wonderful story of discovering that what you’ve been looking for has not been far away from you all along.
Aaaand that’s it for now. So many books! Let me know if you have any faves here, or others we should check out.
Happy reading, learning, and gaining ground,
Shannon
In full disclosure, these are affiliate links — but in additional disclosure, it’s taken about three years to reach the minimum $10 in commissions and we can finally withdraw our massive windfall of $10.01. 😂 Affiliate income is awesome but in this case we are mostly grateful just to have a good alternative to Amazon and to promote great books.