Great summer reads

Great summer reads

There’s nothing like a good book to read over the summer, and we've found picture books for every summer mood. From stories set on the beach to ones that let you be the hero of the story, here are here are some of our favourite books full of summer vibes, adventure, and fun:

Book cover of Tiny Crab is a Tidy Crab. It shows a small crab holding up an empty chips wrapper, food container, and cup lid with a straw. The crab has a concerned expression on its face.

Tiny Crab is a Tidy Crab by Paula Bowles – Tiny Crab lives on a beautiful stretch of sand. So beautiful, that after a few friends visit, they bring more friends along. Tiny Crab is happy to see everyone having fun, but soon the beach is a mess and Tiny Crab isn’t so happy anymore… 

 

 Book cover of Hot Dog. It shows a hot dog (the food), where the sausage part now looks like a daschund. It has a squirt of mustard down its back. The Hot Dog is springing across the cover, and in the background are lots of hungry looking dogs.

Hot Dog by Mark Sperring and Sophie Corrigan – When a hot dog’s wish to become a real dog is granted, it suddenly faces the challenge of being accepted by all the other dogs. A delightfully absurd rhyming story.

 

 Book cover of The Midnight Fair, which shows a carousel lit up at night and animals riding on it, as well as several animals in the shadows around it.

The Midnight Fair by Gideon Sterer and Mariachiara Di Giorgio – A dazzling wordless picture book that follows a group of animals visiting a fairground after the sun has set. This was the shadowers’ choice for the Kate Greenaway medal.

 

Book cover of Goldfish on Vacation. There are three children running across the cover. At the front is a small girl, holding a bowl with three goldfish in front of her. Behind her, a larger boy carries a smaller boy in one arm, and has a fishing net in the other, which is raised above his head.  

Goldfish On Vacation by Sally Lloyd-Jones and Leo Espinosa – Three siblings notice someone fixing up an old fountain down the street. When a sign appears welcoming goldfish to a summer home, it's time to take their goldfish on a vacation!

 

Book cover of Be Wild, Little One. It shows a flock of geese flying across a blue sky, and a child is riding one of the geese.  

Be Wild, Little One by Olivia Hope and Daniel Egnéus – A gorgeous, lyrical picture book that journeys across different landscapes, celebrating the beauty of nature and the wild within all of us.

 

Book cover of Once Upon a Fairytale. It shows a path winding up a mountain to a fairytale castle in the distance. There's a dragon wrapped around a mountain, a flying unicorn, and fairies as well.  

Once Upon a Fairytale by Natalia O’Hara and Lauren O’Hara – A choose-your-own-adventure style book full of choices that lets the reader be the hero of the story. Put on a quest, you'll need to defeat a villain and break a curse... with more than one ending possible! 

 

Book cover of Max by Marc Martin. It's a stylish cover with a seagull (Max) sitting on top of the M in his name. And there is a small vignette of a seaside pier. Below Max are some chips that have fallen. 

Max by Marc Martin – Max helps out in Bob’s fish and chip shop every summer, and every evening they go fishing. But one summer the town is abandoned and Bob is nowhere to be seen. Can Max find his friend?

 

 Book cover of Gorilla Loves Vanilla, which shows a large gorilla holding a mountain of ice cream covered in different toppings. Next to it is a small mouse holding a spoonful of ice cream.

Gorilla Loves Vanilla by Chae Strathie and Nicola O’Byrne – At Little Sam Sundae’s ice cream shop on Jellybean Street, the animal customers have some unusual requests. A fun, rhyming text with a message about sharing.

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