Summer Reads

Toy retailers as well as kids have been looking forward to the summer season for months and, no doubt, your store is already filled to the brim with the latest travel games, water toys and other outdoor playthings. But the coming weeks also present endless opportunities for kids to have another kind of fun—curling up with a good book. These absorbing summer reads are just the ticket.

Garmann's Summer is an award-winning picture book from Norwegian author/illustrator Stian Hole. His unusual, highly stylized artwork accompanies the tale of a boy at the end of his summer vacation who frets endlessly about starting school and losing his first tooth. A great choice for helping kids to confront their fears and realize that everyone gets scared sometimes. ($17.50) Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Otis and Rae and the Grumbling Splunk, from husband and wife team Leo and Laura Espinosa, relates the adventures of best friends Otis and Rae, who go camping for the first time on a “perfectly perfect” summer day. Though Otis wants to spend the night eating peanut butter and banana sandwiches, Rae wants to tell scary, scary stories about grumbling splunks. Are the campers in danger? A truly original tale about courage and friendship. ($12.95) Houghton Mifflin, Boston

First-time swimmers get a new hero this summer in author/illustrator Edel Rodriguez' Sergio Makes a Splash! In this lively illustrated tale, penguin Sergio loves water—drinking it, bathing in it and splashing it—about as much as he loves fish and soccer (a lot), though he doesn't know how to swim and is afraid to try it. But when his class takes a field trip to the ocean, Sergio finally takes the plunge. ($15.99) Little, Brown, New York

Acclaimed Korean-born artist Suzy Lee follows up 2007's innovative The Zoo with this year's Wave, a wordless yet compelling storybook that will appeal to all ages. Lee's simple yet purposeful black and white illustrations come alive with dashes of bright blue watercolor, evoking a joyous and full-filled day at the beach. An ideal summer gift for both kids and adults, it also exudes a timelessness that will appeal all year round. ($15.99) Chronicle Books, San Francisco

Mermaids on Parade, from self-taught, award-winning artist and author Melanie Hope Greenberg, is an ode to the joys of growing up in New York City. The real Mermaid Parade—a gathering for artists and creative folks of all stripes held each summer on Coney Island—is the backdrop for this story of one little girl's exciting role-play adventure. ($16.99) Penguin (Putnam), New York

Carl's Summer Vacation, the latest installment in Alexandra Day's onoing series about a beloved babysitting Rottweiler, joins the gentle canine and his family at their summer cabin on a lake. While Mom and Dad ready for company, Carl and baby Madeleine escape for a day of summer fun—canoeing, blackberry picking, a leisurely picnic and some baseball. No wonder they're so tired at the end of the day! Lush oil paintings enhance its appeal. ($12.95) Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York

In Marla Frazee's hilarious A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever, little James and Eamon head off for a week of Nature Camp and stay at Eamon's grandparents' house—but wasting time inside, eating waffles and playing video games captures their attention instead. It's a moving yet entirely unsentimental story about the importance of friendship, indoors or out, that really “gets” what it's like to be a kid. Ideal for vacation reading. ($16) Harcourt, San Diego

In Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach, the third nutty adventure from Melánie Watt, the titular worrywart is back in nervous action. This time out, he decides to build his own private beach at the bottom of his favorite nut tree, thus protecting him from the dangers of seagulls, jellyfish, sea monsters, pirates, falling coconuts and lobsters. But something is missing—the sound of the ocean. Can Scaredy brave the crowds at the real seashore? Will his quest for the perfect shell have scary consequences? ($15.95) Kids Can Press, Tonawanda, N.Y.

In the anticipatory and dreamy tale 'Twas the Night Before Summer, written by Anne Margaret Lewis and vibrantly illustrated by Wendy Popko, a young girl and her brother take a fantastical journey of the imagination with Luna Bee, a southern belle luna moth, to wish on a magical star. This hardback first edition also includes a bonus glow-in-the-dark cover. ($16.95) Mackinac Island Press, Traverse City, Mich.