Newswise — It's June, and the summer season is here!! As you make time to spend with family and friends, don't forget to spend some time reading. Summertime is a perfect season to curl up with a good book when you go to the beach, hang out at the park, or riding on an airplane to your favorite summer destination.
Parents, summer is also a great time to take more time to read books with your children and to talk about them. During the summer, I like to read books to my sons, ages 4 and 6, at breakfast. As I cook, I ask my sons to go and pick their "breakfast books" from their book shelves so that we can read them while they eat. It works well in the summer because our mornings are a little less hectic, and we have time to actually read 2 books (one for each son). Also, these books give us something interesting and fun to talk about in the car as we drive to summer camp!
Picture Books(These books are great for reading with someone.)
David gets in trouble (Scholastic, 2002)by David Shannon
This book is a funny, heart-warming narrative, told by a young boy named David. David does all types of things that get him into trouble, like throwing a baseball through the window. Although his mom gets mad, David realizes in the end that she still loves him very much. My sons and I read this book together quite often, and it is one of our favorites.
I love Saturdays y Domingos (Aladdin Publishers, 2004)by Alma Flor Ada
This story is an affectionate portrait of a bilingual girl's weekend visits to her two sets of grandparents. On Saturdays, she speaks English with her paternal grandparents and on Domingos (Sundays), she speaks Spanish with her Mexican-American Abuelito and Abuelita (grandfather and grandmother). This story is wonderful because it combines Spanish and English in a beautiful text.
Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China (Puffin Books, 1982)Retold by Ai-Ling Louie
For those who love Cinderella, this fairytale focuses on Yeh-Shen, a young girl in China who was mistreated at home but ultimately marries the king. This book helps readers to see beloved fairytales like Cinderella from a different cultural perspective.
I'm Dirty (HarperCollins, 2006)Kate & Jim McMullan
This book has lots of noises (e.g., Bonk! Clunk!), mud, and trucks! It's a fun book to read to children who like trucks and like bold, bright illustrations.
Aunt Flossie's Hats (and crab cakes later) (Clarion Books, 2001)Elizabeth F. Howard & James Ransome
This books tells the story of two young African American girls who go to visit their great-great aunt Flossie on Sunday afternoons. Aunt Flossie allows the girls to try on many of her beautiful hats, and tells them the stories of those hats (e.g., she was wearing one hat when she witnessed the great Baltimore fire in the 1900s). After Aunt Flossie shares her memories represented by her hats, she and the girls eat crab cakes.
Easy Chapter Books/Nonfiction
Spiderman 3: Meet the Heroes and the Villains (HarperCollins Books, 2007)Adapted by Harry Lime
Many children have seen the Spiderman 3 movie in theaters, so they may be very interested in reading these books. This particular text introduces the heroes and the villains in the movie. It makes for good discussions because they also discuss the intentions and the motivations of the characters in the movie.
A Wasp is not a Bee (Scholastic, 1995)by Marilyn Singer
This nonfiction book has easy-to-read chapters that compare animals and insects that we oftentimes confuse (e.g., bees and wasps, alligators and crocodiles). This is a fun way to get children interested in the world around them and learn fun facts about animals and insects.
Cam Jansen series (Puffin books, various years)by David Adler
For children, especially girls, who enjoy mysteries, this series is for you!! Cam Jansen and her friends are always looking for clues and trying to solve the mysteries. And, she's a "real kid" detective who has friends, family, and solves mysteries without any magical powers.
Young Adult Fiction
(Note: These books may contain some topics which may be inappropriate for younger readers. Parents may want to read these books and discuss them with their children)
The Watsons Go To Birmingham-1963 (Laurel Leaf, 2000)by Christopher Paul Curtis
Winner of the Newberry Honor and the Coretta Scott King Honor Awards, this realistic fiction novel tells the story of the Watsons, an African American family living in Flint , MI in the 1960s. When Kenny, the narrator, and his family go down South to take his rebellious brother, Byron, to live with their grandmother, they all experience one of the most turbulent times in American history: the bombing of a church with four little girls inside. This book shows the healing power of families and reveals how the racism and prejudice during the 1960s affected one African American family forever.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Arthur A. Levine Books, July 2007)by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling's magical Harry Potter series, will be released on July 21, 2007 . Join millions of enthusiastic readers who will be lining up to see what Harry is up to next.
Esperanza Rising (Blue Sky Press, 2002, reprint edition)by Pam Munoz Ryan
Winner of the 2001 Pura Belpre Award, this novel describes the personal tragedies that Esperanza, a young Mexican girl, must face as she and her mother flee her evil uncles in Mexico and make a perilous journey to the United States . Set in the 1930s, Esperanza describes the hardships and the triumphs that she and her mother have as migrant farm workers in California .
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