Summer Family Picture Book List

This is my longest picture book list yet, with over 60 titles to keep your family reading all summer long. I pulled books from our own shelves, library hauls, and trusted favorites we’ve read again and again. Some are beachy, some are cozy, and some are just plain fun. If you’re trying to keep books in the mix over the summer (without making it feel like school), this list is for you. Whether you’re reading during rest time, before bed, at the beach, or on a picnic blanket in the backyard, I hope this gives you a solid list to turn to all season long.

Browse the Summer Picture Books

Click any title below to open a full post with details, what I loved, and more!

Expand for the Full June Picture Book List

• A Boy, A Dog, and a Frog by Mercer Mayer
• A Butterfly is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston
• A Little Prairie House by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• A Summertime Song by Irene Haas
• Amos & Boris by William Steig
• And Then Comes Summer by Tom Brenner
• Beach House by Deanna Caswell
• Bear’s New Friend by Karma Wilson
• Blue on Blue by Dianne White
• Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
• Bunny Overboard by Claudia Rueda
• Come Again, Pelican by Don Freeman
• Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse
• Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen
• Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle
• Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer by Kenard Pak
• Harry by the Sea by Gene Zion
• Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall
• Herbert by Robyn Belton
• Hooray for Summer by Kazuo Iwamura
• Hot Dog by Doug Salati
• Hurricane by John Rocco
• If You Spot a Shell by Aimee Sicuro
• Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
• Little Houses by Kevin Henkes
• Mama, is it Summer Yet? by Nikki McClure
• Mouse’s First Summer by Lauren Thompson
• Night of the Moonjellies by Mark Shasha
• Nothing to Do by Douglas Wood
• Ocean Meets Sky by Terry Fan
• One Dog Canoe by Mary Casanova
• Over & Under the Pond by Kate Messner
• Over & Under the Waves by Kate Messner
• Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee
• Sea Dog by Astrid Sheckels
• Sea Glass Summer by Michelle Houts
• Simon & the Better Bone by Corey R. Tabor
• Summer Color! by Diana Murray
• Summer Days and Nights by Wong Herbert Yee
• Summer Evening by Walter de la Mare
• Summer Song by Kevin Henkes
• Summer Story (Brambly Hedge) by Jill Barklem
• Summer Sun Risin’ by William Nikola
• Summer Walk by Virginia Brimhall Snow
• Summertime in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Sun by Sam Usher
• Sunflower House by Eve Bunting
• Swimmy by Leo Lionni
• The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco
• The Listening Walk by Paul Showers
• The Little Blue Cottage by Kelly Jordan
• The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown
• The Raft by Jim LaMarche
• The Red Jacket by Bob Holt
• The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
• The Sea Chest by Tony Buzzeo
• The Seashore Book by Charlotte Zolotow
• The Tide Pool Waits by Candace Fleming
• There Might Be Lobsters by Carolyn Crimi
• Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco
• Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey
• Wake Up, Island by Mary Casanova
• Wave by Suzy Lee
• When Lightning Comes in a Jar by Patricia Polacco
• When Lola Visits by Michelle Sterling
• Yellow Kayak by Nina Laden

I hope this gave you a few new favorites to enjoy with your kids over summer break! If there’s a summer picture book your family loves, let me know in the comments so I can check it out too.

Until Next Time,
Happy reading!
—Leah