It's Summertime!
Have some Summer Fun READING Books
and MAKING summer-themed Crafts!
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About the Book
WINNER OF THE 2026 CALDECOTT MEDAL!
Fireworks is a sparkling picture book from the award-winning team of Matthew Burgess and Cátia Chien, highlighting the simple delights of a steamy July day in the city as two siblings eagerly anticipate a spectacular fireworks display.
Two siblings spend a sizzling Fourth of July roaming the city—there’s breakfast in Chinatown, a burst hydrant on a steamy block, and a jazz musician in the park whose brassy blasts make everyone dance. All the while, anticipation builds for the night's grand display: FIREWORKS!
Fireworks is a joyful, sensory-rich picture book that captures the ordinary magic of a long summer day, the kind where screens are forgotten and every moment feels alive.
With neon-bright illustrations and poetry that pops off the page, Matthew Burgess and Cátia Chien—the award-winning team behind The Bear and the Moon—deliver a sparkling double gatefold finale as spectacular as the real thing.
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40th Anniversary this summer!
About the Book
Especially for the picture-book audience, Meet Chadwick introduces Chadwick, the Chesapeake Bay blue crab, and his many friends including Bernie the Sea Gull, Toulouse the Canada Goose, Matilda Egret, Hector Spector the Jellyfish and Orville Oyster. As the story goes: ‘Though Chadwick and his many friends are different as can be, they live together happily in a bay, beside the sea.'
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CHADWICK THE CRAB Coloring Postcards from Schiffer Kids!
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About the Book
It’s the heat of the summer, and Squirrel is sure he knows how to cool off. But now he needs help from his water-shy friends!
A gentle social-emotional learning picture book for 3-7-year-olds about showing compassion and working together will resonate with young readers.
It’s so hot!
Squirrel knows the best thing to do: Jump into the cool lake! The others hesitate and don’t want to get wet, but Squirrel has already jumped off the shore with a splash. The problem is: he can’t figure out how to get back out!
Not to worry! Fox, Crow, and Mouse know what to do! The summer day ends with a wonderful surprise for everyone.
A friendship-driven social-emotional picture book about taking care of one other and appreciating nature’s gifts. Continue reading about Fox, Mouse, Crow, and Squirrel in their other adventures: In the Winter Woods and In the Autumn Forest.
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About the Book“In this wonderfully nuanced picture book, Ernestine embraces new adventures and challenges.”— San Francisco Chronicle
Ernestine is beyond excited to go camping. She follows the packing list carefully (new sleeping bag! new flashlight! special trail mix made with Dad!) so she knows she is ready when the weekend arrives. But she quickly realizes that nothing could have prepared her for how hard it is to set up a tent, never mind fall asleep in it, or that swimming in a lake means that there will be fish — eep! Will Ernestine be able to enjoy the wilderness, or will it prove to be a bit too far out of her comfort zone? In an energetic illustrated story about a first sleepover under the stars, acclaimed author-illustrator Jennifer K. Mann reminds us that opening your mind to new experiences, no matter how challenging, can lead to great memories (and a newfound taste for s’mores).
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE 2023 CALDECOTT MEDAL • This glowing and playful picture book features an overheated—and overwhelmed—pup who finds his calm with some sea, sand, and fresh air. Destined to become a classic!
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • Publishers Weekly • Kirkus Reviews • New York Public Library • One of Slate’s 25 Greatest Picture Books of the Past 25 Years
“An utter joy from beginning to end!” —Sophie Blackall, two-time Caldecott Medal winner
This hot dog has had enough of summer in the city! Enough of sizzling sidewalks, enough of wailing sirens, enough of people’s feet right in his face. When he plops down in the middle of a crosswalk, his owner endeavors to get him the breath of fresh air he needs. She hails a taxi, hops a train, and ferries out to the beach.
Here, a pup can run!
With fluid art and lyrical text that have the soothing effect of waves on sand, award-winning author Doug Salati shows us how to find calm and carry it back with us so we can appreciate the small joys in a day.
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A recycled dachshund created from a paper roll, yarn and corks. 🐶💕 These doggies are very easy and fun to create. Swipe to see a layout of the craft and a picture of the craft supplies.👌🏼
Craft supplies needed for this craft:
* Paper roll
* Cork
* Yarn
* Cardstock and pom-pom (for the nose)
* Felt fabric for the ears and tail
* Googly eyes
* Scissor
* Glue
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WATCH Paul Meisel's Read Out Loud!
About the Book
Get a bug's-eye-view on the life cycle of the praying mantis, in this hilarious, scientifically accurate Nature Diary following an insect through her whole summer.
Finalist for the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books
This is the diary of P. Mantis, one of 150 brothers and sisters born on a garden bush. P. Mantis is an amazing bug: she can make herself look like a stick to hide from predators, she can swivel her head all the way around, and when she's grown up she'll even be able to fly!
Washington Children's Choice Book Award 2019 Nominee
A New York Public Library Staff Pick for Children
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About the Book
A joyful, sun-drenched tribute to the anticipation and adventures of the warmest season of the year.
When the days stretch out like a slow yawn, and the cheerful faces of Johnny-jump-ups jump up . . . then it’s time to get ready for summer! From flip-flops and hide-and-seek to fireworks and ice-cream trucks, from lemonade stands and late bedtimes to swimming in the lake and toasting marshmallows, there’s something for everyone in this bright and buoyant celebration of the sunny season.
Tom Brenner’s lovely, lyrical ode to summers spent outdoors will strike a chord with anyone who’s ever counted down the days until school gets out, and Jaime Kim’s jubilant, nostalgia-soaked illustrations leave little doubt that summer is indeed a time unlike any other.
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A picture book meditation on curiosity, wonder, and finding one’s way
In this lyrical picture book, readers follow one boy through his life as he returns to the seashore beside his home. The boy likes to think, and his thoughts turn into questions. He brings these questions to the sea. At times, he thinks he can hear the sea whisper to him: Dream. Love. Be. So he does. He dreams—a young boy imagining all that he might do. He loves—a teenager, reaching out from a lonely place to make friends. He allows himself to just be—now grown, sharing the seashore with his daughter.
A celebration of quiet curiosity, The Boy and the Sea invites readers to ask questions and live their way into the answers.
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About the Book
Hilarious and scientifically accurate, this Nature Diary gives readers a bug’s-eye-view of the life cycle of a stinkbug.
Told in diary form, My Stinky Summer by S. Bug introduces readers to the stinkbug’s life cycle and survival habits.
From the day he is born, S. Bug hears the same refrain–“Ew! Stinkbug!” The stinkbug’s odor is powerful protection against from predators. Perhaps too powerful. Readers will also learn about the challenges that arise when an ecosystem is pushed off-balance.
Children will love poring over the bright, highly detailed illustrations and pondering ideas about ecosystems and nature.
The book includes a glossary and further information in the back of the book. Both art and text have been vetted for accuracy by an expert.
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About the Book
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About the Book
An inviting day at the beach introduces kids to the concept of group play.
Sometimes you just need a friend for a fun day at the beach, so little shrew asks elephant to play. Elephant’s not sure at first, since so many of the things she likes to do don’t require two. But she plays along–and even invites others to play. After all, if two is so good, then why not three? Or how about four? But so many playmates is too much for shrew, and his search for a special friend is rewarded when he finally meets his perfect match in a friend who wants to play his way–just two, TWOgether!
From solitary play to fun with a crowd, Susan Gal’s upbeat text and vibrant, whimsical illustrations of a sunny beach full of frolicking animals celebrate the fun to be had in friend groups of all sizes.
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About the Book
Though separated by language, age, and an ocean, a child and grandparent find common ground in this warm, witty picture book
Grandpa lives on the other side of the ocean.
He takes naps all the time. He eats different foods. He speaks an unfamiliar language. His house is the most boring place on Earth!
Or is it? A little time together just might reveal that Grandpa is also a great singer, an energetic sandcastle builder, and a troublemaker . . . just like his grandson!
With her signature warmth and humor, award-winning author-illustrator Hyewon Yum shares the challenges and joys of having a relative who lives far away—proving that even from across the ocean, the grandparent-grandchild relationship is a very special one.
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About the Book
Sunrise Summer is a picture book by writer Matthew Swanson and illustrator Robbi Behr that celebrates self-confidence and empowerment, as a girl’s role changes in her family’s fishing expeditions.
When a girl and her family travel four thousand miles from home, it’s not your typical summer vacation. Everything is different on the Alaskan tundra—where the grizzly bears roam and the sockeye salmon swim—including the rules. A girl can do things she wouldn’t, and couldn’t, do at home.
She can wake up at midnight to work with her mom on a fishing crew. She can learn what it means to be an essential part of a team. She can become a braver, stronger, and ever-more capable version of herself. She can take her next big step.
She’s ready for her first real sunrise.
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MEGAN CAHILL-ASSENZA – is from Northport, NY, and a recent Children’s Literature Fellow from Stony Brook University. A writer, filmmaker, and animal lover, Megan is pursuing a career in children’s literature. She currently works in the Academic Tutoring Center at Suffolk County Community College.
Connect with Megan! Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
can we read the boooks
Okay
hi
i will try one this summer
I will try this
hey