It’s summer time! And one of the best ways to encourage children in their literary development is to make time to read aloud as a family. By purposely setting aside time to read as a family, you are affirming the importance of engaging together. Sharing stories is also a wonderful way to create discussion. Children often have the most wonderful observations! Hearing what a child thinks about a story gives you a window into how his or her mind works. It’s not just the designated school year in which we get to read aloud to our children, it’s year round! Try this summer swapping a bedtime story for a story in a hammock overlooking the summer stars. Or gather the children in the neighborhood together for a mid day summer read with snacks and ice cold lemonade. As you and your children feel the rest that summer brings, go ahead and let curiosity run wild daring you and your children to open new books! Maybe these books didn’t fit last years curriculum but they would be a great summer read! In honor of summer time we thought you’d enjoy a hand picked selection of some of our favorite summer family read alouds. Enjoy!
Around The World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
A fastidious English gentleman makes a remarkable wager - he will travel around the world in eighty days or forfeit his life's savings. Thus begins Jules Verne's classic 1872 novel, which remains unsurpassed in sheer story-telling entertainment and pure adventure.
The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly
"The 1929 Newbery Medal winner is a dramatic tale of 15th century Poland, it tells the story of a courageous young patriot and a mysterious jewel of great value. The beautifully written book, filled with adventure and excitement, gives young readers a vivid picture of Krakow in the early Renaissance." -The Horn Book
The Golden Bull by Marjorie Cowley
A brother and sister's search for a new life and new home . . .
The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy
Life changes drastically for one family when World War I breaks out, upsetting their peaceful, contented existence. When Hungary must send troops to fight in the great war Jancsi’s father is called to battle, and the children are left in charge of the farm. Twenty black-and-white illustrations accompany this Newbery Honor title.
Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin by Marguerite Henry
With the help of his faithful Indian friends - who taught him to create colors from the elements of the earth, and his faithful cat Grimalkin - who willingly sacrificed the hairs of his tail for Ben's paintbrushes, the aspiring artist continued to paint the scenes of his bucolic childhood growing up in the wilds of Pennsylvania.
Zia by Scott O’Dell
Sequel to Island of the Blue Dolphins, relating the story of Karana's niece and her adaptation to mission life in newly settled California.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
After losing her parents, young Mary Lennox is sent from India to live in her uncle's gloomy mansion on the wild English moors. She is lonely and has no one to play with, but one day she learns of a secret garden somewhere in the grounds that no one is allowed to enter. Then Mary uncovers an old key in a flowerbed – and a gust of magic leads her to the hidden door. Slowly she turns the key and enters a world she could never have imagined.
The Door In The Wall by Marguerite De Angeli
When the great castle of Lindsay is in danger, it is Robin, who cannot mount a horse and ride to battle, who saves the townspeople and discovers there is more than one way to serve his king.
The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde
Wilde’s stories for children contain deeply moral lessons that have made them well-love for generations. Often convicting and inspiring at the same time, this volume contains some of Wilde’s best, including The Selfish Giant, The Happy Prince, and others.
The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
Few who have read this book have not fallen in love with the curious Little Prince who thinks that grown-ups are "certainly quite extraordinary." A story that reinforces those things that are truly important in life, serious adults will have to read it with a sense of humor in order to understand the deep lessons this little book contains. All who read it cannot help but be profoundly moved.
Thy Friend, Obadiah by Brinton Turkle
Glowing pictures of old Nantucket set the scene for a story full of warmth and delightful understanding of the feelings of a very real little boy.
The Emperor’s New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen
The Emperor himself, his court, and his clothes—or lack of them—are ridiculous as only the master storyteller Hans Christian Andersen can make them.
Wings For Per by Ingri and Edgar D'Aulaire
Originally published in 1944, this is the story of a Norwegian boy growing up pre-WWII who learns about freedom and the value of defending that right, and eventually becomes a WWII flyer. Through beautiful illustrations, in the D'Aulaires unmistakable style, Per's journey from his hometown, to America, and then his return as a pilot, readers will see his will to protect and free his family and homeland from tyranny.
Moses by Carole Boston Weatherford
This poetic book is a resounding tribute to Tubman's strength, humility, and devotion. With proper reverence, Weatherford and Nelson do justice to the woman who, long ago, earned over and over the name Moses.
Wangari Maathai by Franck Prévot
The British colonists, in their efforts to pursue productive cash crops, deforested Kenya so completely that Kenya’s native way of life was threatened and desperate poverty was the result. Wangari Maathai saw the devastation and determined to do something about it.
Locomotive by Brian Floca
The Caldecott Medal Winner, Sibert Honor Book, and New York Times bestseller Locomotive is a rich and detailed sensory exploration of America’s early railroads, from the creator of the "stunning"(Booklist) Moonshot.
