Every year it’s the same. Summer arrives and we go on break. Two days in the kids start to say the same thing. “I’m bored!” or “There’s nothing to do”. By the end of the summer, they’ve forgotten half of what they learned over the last school year. In my house, I’m the reader. My husband doesn’t like to read but loves audio books. My son hovers between the two. My solution to summer boredom has been a summer reading list!
When Bug was younger we had very ambitious lists. A new book every day is easy when the books only take five minutes. As he has gotten older, we have had to adapt and change our approach. Once he was old enough to be able to read to me we started taking turns reading. By third and fourth grade, his interests had expanded beyond the age level book that he could easily read. We solved this problem by reading larger chapter books together, often alternating chapters.
Now he is transitioning into 6th grade and he has become an avid reader. He doesn’t need me to help him get through the chapter books. It has been a very difficult change for me. I loved the time spent when he was young, snuggled in my lap while we read together and I feel like we have lost something by growing past it.
In honor of our summer tradition, I’d like to talk about some of the most popular books this summer:
For toddlers: The books I include in this list are near and dear to my heart. Many of these were read to me, I have read them to my son, and my very young nieces and nephews love them.
- “I love you Forever” by Robert Munsch. To be honest, I can’t finish this book without crying.
- “The Rabbit Listened” by Cori Doerrfeld. This book came into my life at a very rough time. It was recommended by a grief counselor for my niece and her young children after the loss of my sister.
- Dr. Seuss – I just use his name because there are so many good books to choose from. My son loved “Green Eggs and Ham” So much that he memorized the whole thing. My niece loved “Hand, Hand, Finger, Thumb”. There are so many options for any kind of child.
Pre-K: Many of the books from the younger list carry over into this list. It’s a great time to expand their horizons. Some of my new favorites include:
- “She Persisted across the world” by Chelsea Clinton. This book is filled with women around the world who dared to follow their dreams.
- “Wordy Birdy” by Tammi Sauer. I love this book because my son was a late talker (he didn’t start talking until after he was 4!) but once he started he couldn’t stop. This book is all about learning to listen and not just talk.
- “We Don’t Eat Our Classmates” by Ryan T. Higgins. I got to preview this one recently though it won’t be on sale until June 19th. This is all about learning to get along with your classmates. I loved the approach.
2-5th grade: For this age group I’m going to leave a couple series suggested by my sister who is an elementary school teacher working with kids reading on many different levels.
- “Treasure Hunters” by James Patterson. This is a fast-paced adventure series.
- “The Magic Tree House” By Mary Pope Osborne. We have four elementary schoolers at different ages and levels obsessed with this series.
- “I Survived” By Lauren Tarshis. My son has been enthralled by this series of fiction stories based on historical events.
Middle School: This is part of our summer reading list. It is highly influenced by my son’s choices and interests.
- “Calling All Minds” by Temple Grandin. My son is just reaching an age where he is trying to understand the whys and hows of his autism.
- “Frozen Heart” by Elizabeth Rudnick- This is the book is based on Frozen but written for an older audience.
- “Pokemon” by various authors. My son loves all things Pokemon and has several books on his reading list.
Reading is my passion and I’ve striven to pass that on to my son. I hope our summer reading lists have helped you!
