It’s Summer! With school out and more time on hand, we’re excited to explore and escape in great books, while educating ourselves and enjoying reading for leisure with our families. For those of you that don’t know, Kelli is the Editor of a magazine in addition to being an Entertainment Reporter and Mei Ling is a Public Relations Director. For both of us, reading and writing is not only a part of our jobs, but something that we love to do. As we raise our families, we look forward to instilling a love for reading and writing in them as well. We know that it starts with finding the right foundation of books that peak their interests.
One of our greatest memories growing up was going to the library and checking out books for the summer reading program. We would go to the library every week and check out books so that we could work our way to different prizes. We would make charts recording all of the different books that we read. You could often find us hiding under our blankets with a flashlight trying to sneak in a few more pages. From catching up on our favorite series, to traveling to lands far away, to escaping reality, we love how books have the power to transport you. We love reading the classics we grew up with to our kids and being introduced to so many of the amazing titles that have just come out.
Here are some of our favorites to add to your summer reading list. In addition to the amazing books, many of the publishers are sharing free activities and downloads on their sites (all those links below too!)
Out of This World to Everyday Workings (Kane Miller)
Our children have fallen in love with all things space since watching the launch of SpaceX. We love that they want to learn more about it. From the space station to exploring space and the people that helped changed the space program, Kane Miller has so many great options. They have loved exploring the solar system with Dr. Maggie’s Grand Tour of the Solar System. The pages are filled with facts about planets, stars and more. We have enjoyed learning more about the planets. A fun summer activity is Kane Miller’s Academy Series. Each is an activity-based book filled with challenges that help you experience what it takes to become occupations from an astronaut to a vet. One of our kids’ favorite books is Dogs in Space, which tells the true story of Belka and Strelka, the Russian canine cosmonauts and their space adventure. They kept asking, “Is this really true?”
For older kids, the Extraordinary Lives series is a great collection that focus on the lives of inspirational historical figures like Neil Armstrong and Katherine Johnson. They are fully illustrated throughout and include real-life narratives.
If you are looking to spark your reading time, the Shine-A-Light collection is great. You literally shine a light (flashlight or hold up to the light) and special hidden secrets are revealed. Our kids enjoyed the On the Space Station book, and expanding our knowledge both nationally and globally, we absolutely could not put down Wonders of the USA and Wonders of the World. This non-fiction series has quickly become a nightly favorite and the interactive element is fantastic for retention.
Our kids are so inquisitive and ask so many great questions, especially about abstract concepts so we absolutely love The Everyday Journey of Ordinary Things. With graphic, flowing illustrations and clear, colloquial chunks of text, each process is explained from its early beginnings to a satisfying conclusion. As an adult, I’m thoroughly intrigued to see how GPS works, to the process of money, online shopping to what happens when you send a text… it’s fascinating and so easy to understand.
Bring History to Life and Developing Characters with Our Favorite Characters (Lerner)
As parents, we are always looking for creative ways to share about the historical figures that have helped to shape our history. We loved discovering about the life of Tyrus Wong in Paper Son. He was the Chinese American immigrant that brought Disney’s Bambi to life. We were also inspired by Trailblazer, which shares the true story of Lily Parr, one of the most famous female soccer players and how she came to the United States and played against men’s soccer teams. She would band together alongside her teammates to keep women’s soccer alive. We loved learning more Sophie Kowalevski in Numbers in Motion: Sophie Kowalevski, Queen of Mathematics. She was a brilliant mathematician and talented writer that was the first woman to receive a doctorate in mathematics!
Our kids love Pixar and Disney and while we love the movies too, we’re thrilled some of their favorite characters can also help build character. In a lighthearted approach, the Lerner How to Be series has everyone from Frozen favorites to the Toy Story crew and The Incredibles family shedding light on leadership, teamwork and heroism in How to Be a Snow Queen: Leadership with Elsa, How to Be a Beloved Toy: Teamwork with Woody and How to Be a Hero: Responsibilities with The Incredibles.
Taking it a bit further with the Discovery Book series, we love the engaging nonfiction text with Disney favorites to keep our littles entertained while presenting facts about history and culture like in The Pacific Islands: A Moana Discovery Book where they join Moana and friends to learn about flora and fauna, village life, wayfaring, and more. Or teaming up with Anna, Elsa, and Olaf as they explore the wonders of the night sky. In The Night Sky: A Frozen Discovery Book my kids are soaking up the solar system, eclipses and the northern lights.
Both The Disney Great Character Guide and The Disney Discovery Series have online free resources too!
Exploring Creation (Flying Eye)
While travel may still be limited due to COVID, Flying Eye has some beautifully illustrated books that will not only transport you to the mountains or explore the depths of the sea, but your kids will also pour over the details in each of the books. We escaped to Mountains of the World and Everest. We pretended that we were mountain climbers as we read about each peak around the world. While our kids are just learning how to read, the illustrations mesmerized them and they spent time quietly looking at the books on their own! Our kids love animals and we enjoy watching them dig into Smart About Sharks and Crazy About Cats. The books are filled with facts and coupled with eye-catching illustrations. Professor Astro Cat’s Deep Sea Voyage is also a favorite. Readers follow the adventure of Professor Astro Cat as he answers the questions that we all ask like “Where did water come from?” and “What is coral reef?” For little ones, the One Day on our Blue Planet is a great series. Each title highlights the lives of the animals from the ocean to the savannah. Our family has been taking more hikes. As we enjoy creation on our hikes, we are curious about the beautiful plants and flowers that we see. I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast shares how plants are a part of our daily lives from the cereal that we eat to the rubber in our shoes. It also has fun DIY projects to go along with it. An interactive element is always great and so we were excited to try some recipes in Big Meals for Little Hands. Each recipe is by Michelin starred chef Sebastien Guenard and will introduce kids to new ways of using seasonal ingredients.
Science, Spelling and STEAM (Abrams)
If you are feeling a little behind this summer due to school closing in the spring and wanting to catch up, The Questioneers series by Abrams Kids can be a great compliment to your summer reading list. It is a series of picture, chapter and activity books that celebrates STEM. The characters will inspire your children as they follow their dreams of becoming an architect, engineer, scientist, mathematician and leader. We especially enjoyed the Ada Twist’s Big Project Book for Stellar Scientists. It is filled with activities that build along the scientific process like how to determine what is a fact, asking questions, making observations, and doing experiments. I loved that you could use it as a book if you are homeschooling as it couples lessons with activities. If you have a kiddo that enjoys building, they will love Iggy Peck’s Big Project Book for Amazing Architects. Older kids, they can continue the adventures of The Questioneers in the chapter book series.
We love rhyming and alliteration, both make The Spelling Bee Before Recess such a fun read. It also includes three spelling lists that can be used for spelling bees at home! And if you’re interested in humorously complicated ways to tackle brushing your teeth, to get ready for school, to making breakfast, or doing homework, Rube Goldberg’s Simple Normal Humdrum School Day features fourteen inventions, each depicting an interactive sequence whose purpose is to help Rube accomplish mundane daily tasks.
They also have an amazing library of free resourcesand activity guides/worksheets to use alongside their books.
Leaving a Legacy (Quarto Kids)
With all of the events going on in the world, it is important to have conversations with your children about diversity. We think it is especially important for them to hear and see the stories of those that helped to shape our history. We love the Little People Big Dreams series from Quarto Kids. Each book celebrates the life of those that achieved incredible things and how each of them started out as a little child with a big dream. Some of our favorites include Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Eva Goolagong, Jesse Owens, and Martin Luther King Jr.
As writers, we especially loved checking out the titles of some of the women authors and advocates who forged the way for our profession like Jane Austen and Lucy Maud, women’s rights activist Emmeline Pankhurst and Nobel Prize winning scientist Marie Curie. Plus Mother Teresa, Amelia Earheart and Audrey Hepburn are favorites too.
We found the free downloadable discussion guide for each book to be especially helpful too. There are questions and activities.
Hands on Reading (Bob Books)
Our kids love to read and we want to encourage that by helping them learn how to read. Every parent we have talked to has suggested the Bob Books series as an instrumental part of their children learning how to read. The creator, Bobby Lynn Maslen was a kindergarten teacher for 13 years. She developed Bob Books to help set the foundation for early readers. We love that her daughter carries on the family legacy.
Our children enjoy hands-on-learning and think that this Bob Books Versatiles set is a great way for your child to have fun while they learn. Versatiles have your child line up the puzzle-like answer case on top of the page in the book, and line the tiles up on top to start. Once each tile is placed, close the case, flip it over and see if the pattern matches what is on the bottom right corner of the workbook page. They also have a workbook series filled with activities to get your little reader practicing their writing as well.
Get Lost in a Series (Wally series)
Each of us can remember a series that resonated with us growing up. I remember sharing books with friends or getting on the waiting list at the library to get the latest addition to the series. The Incredible Worlds of Wally McDoogle series is great for middle school aged readers. The beloved children’s series is back and has been updated for a new generation, complete with updated pop culture references. As moms of boys, we know that it can be hard to find a series of books with that boys will enjoy too. We love that Wally is far from perfect and through his mishaps and hijinks, he learns lessons about friendship and faith. The series also has discussion questions, color pages and audiobooks.
We were given items to review from Abrams, Bob Books, Flying Eye, Kane Miller, Lerner, Quarto and Wally series. All of our thoughts and opinions are our own. We use affiliate links.
