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Summer Reading

The Big Summer Read


Recommended Books for 3-6 Year Olds

Browse through the recommended books below or Download the guide for 3-6 year olds (572K PDF)* as a one-page handout you can easily take to the library or store.

Ballet Sisters: The Newest Dancer
Ballet Sisters: The Newest Dancer
By: Jan Ormerod
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Bonnie takes ballet classes while her little sister, Sylvie, waits outside for her. That is, until Sylvie follows Bonnie in one day and wins a place in the class. The warm relationship between the girls is revealed through Bonnie's voice. Expressive illustrations are sure to be appreciated by dancers and non-dancers alike.

Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane
Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane
By: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by: Sean Qualls
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

What inspires musicians? In evocative, rhythmic language, the sounds that John Coltrane may have heard before he became a jazz musician swirl around and through expressive illustrations. This engaging book is likely to inspire an exploration of jazz and Coltrane, but also is just fun on its own.

Benny & Penny in Just Pretend: A Toon Book
Benny & Penny in Just Pretend: A Toon Book
By: Geoffrey Hayes
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Benny is busy being a pirate and doesn't want to play with his little sister. But when Penny seems to be lost, Benny realizes that sometimes playing alone isn't all that much fun. Words and illustration in a comic book-like format create an appealing, short novel for emerging readers.

Carl's Summer Vacation
Carl's Summer Vacation
By: Alexandra Day
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Instead of taking a nap, Carl, the loveable large dog, and his human charge, Madeline, use the time to go boating, explore the playground, and even play a bit of baseball. Tired out, dog and toddler sleep through dinner and fireworks. Their adventures are related through realistic watercolor illustration.

Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners
Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners
By: Laurie Keller
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

When new neighbors move near Rabbit; he learns from a wise owl to "do unto otters as you would have otters do to you." That includes saying please and thank you (in several languages), cooperating, and more. The humorous take on manners makes them fun to see in practice, in stylized, engaging illustrations.

Everywhere the Cow Says "Moo!"
Everywhere the Cow Says "Moo!"
By: Ellen Slusky Weinstein
Illustrated by: Kenneth Andersson
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Dogs say "bow-wow" in English, "goo-ow" in Spanish, "wah-wah" in French, and "wan-wan" in Japanese. But no matter where the cow lives, it says "moo!" Bright, bold, playful illustrations introduce how animals sound in different languages.

It's Moving Day!
It's Moving Day!
By: Pamela Hickman
Illustrated by: Geraldo Valerio
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Moving day for animals happens when seasons change or when a threat comes close. Lushly colored, textured paintings invite readers to look closely at the animals on moving day and in their homes. A bit of additional information about the animals concludes this fascinating book.

Little by Little
Little by Little
By: Amber Steward
Illustrated by: Layne Marlow
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

A young otter named Otto does many things well, but swimming isn't one of them. With the help of his sister, Otto does learn to swim well, little by little. Idealized illustrations and a gentle text help the satisfying story to unfold.

Looking Closely Along the Shore
Looking Closely Along the Shore
By: Frank Serafini
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

A full-color, close-up framed by black and a repeated text focuses the reader's eye. Look closely. What do you see? Turn the page to discover an Ochre sea star, sea anemone, a coastal rock, and more. Brief text and crisp photographs introduce children to a different way of seeing and looking.

Maisy Big, Maisy Small
Maisy Big, Maisy Small
By: Lucy Cousins
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Maisy the mouse is used to introduce opposites. Maisy stops & goes; she's messy & clean; says hello & goodbye. Signature illustrations use bold color and broad line with limited text create a fresh look at the two sides of many things.

Max's Dragon
Max's Dragon
By: Kate Banks
Illustrated by: Boris Kulikov
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Max and his brothers play outdoors on a summer day, but Max is the first to see his dragon. When chased by a dark cloud that looks surprising like a fierce dinosaur, only a rhyme — and the breeze from the dragon's sneeze defeats it. Textured, rounded figures and playful language combine to present this imaginative summer adventure.

Metal Man
Metal Man
By: Aaron Reynolds
Illustrated by: Paul Hoppe
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

During the hot summer, Devon likes to visit Mitch. Mitch is a man who makes sparks fly as he creates welded metal sculptures — and invites Mitch to make one with him. As the boy decides what to make, he begins to see things differently — because of "that fiery metal man."

Not a Stick
Not a Stick
By: Antoinette Portis
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

A young pig is warned to be careful with a pointy stick — but it's not really a stick. It's a paint brush, it's a fishing pole, it's "not-a-stick"! Children and adults will recognize a child's imaginary play and an adult's concern for safety in the brief text, simple line, and flat color in this good-natured book.

Rain Play
Rain Play
By: Cynthia Cotten
Illustrated by: Javaka Steptoe
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

What is summer without a rainstorm? Alliterative language and richly textured collages create a day's play interrupted by rain — until the sun returns.

Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach
Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach
By: Melanie Watt
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Scaredy Squirrel comes by his name honestly; he's a bit frightened of just about everything! Can his preparation for a day at the beach protect him adequately? Readers will laugh at Scaredy Squirrel's ultimate realization that there is a lot to enjoy at the beach!

Silly Lilly & the Four Seasons: A Toon Book
Silly Lilly & the Four Seasons: A Toon Book
By: Agnes Rosenstiehl
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Explore the seasons with Silly Lilly — at the beach, with apples, in the snow, and outdoors again on a spring day. A series of framed illustrations in "comic book style" makes a unique and playful easy-to-read book.

Skunkdog
Skunkdog
By: Emily Jenkins
Illustrated by: Pierre Pratt
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Dumpling, an enthusiastic dog with a poor sense of smell, enjoys her life with the Frisbees. With a useless sniffer, she has no dog pals and befriends a small black animal with a wide white stripe down its back. Eventually, the dog's family learns to keep tomato juice handy in this satisfying family story.

Someday When My Cat Can Talk
Someday When My Cat Can Talk
By: Caroline Lazo
Illustrated by: Krysten Brooker
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

As her cat goes out, a girl imagines his world travel: on a gondola in Venice, in Spanish soccer games, and more before he returns to his home and favorite person. The rhyming text combines with richly detail, naive illustrations for a satisfying armchair adventure.

The Boy Who Wouldn't Swim
The Boy Who Wouldn't Swim
By: Deb Lucke
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

In order to beat the heat that summer, most of the residents of Clermont County practically lived in the pool. That is, everyone except Eric Dooley. He and his rubber giraffe were afraid of the water. How Eric learns to overcome his fear is told with humor and bubbly illustrations.

Tweedle Dee Dee
Tweedle Dee Dee
By: Charlotte Voake
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

The familiar, lively, cumulative song entitled "And the Green Grass Grew All Around" has been refashioned. Here, word and picture show children watching birds hatch in a tree where the "green leaves grew around… and the birds went, 'Tweedle-Dee-Dee!'"

Wave
Wave
By: Suzy Lee
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

No words are needed to share a child's seaside adventure as she plays with the waves, is knocked down by one, and then discovers the sea's gifts brought to shore by the wave. Softly lined wash in a limited color palette evoke a summer afternoon on the beach.

Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator
Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator
By: Sarah Campbell
Illustrated by: Richard Campbell
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

The wolfsnail is no ordinary slug. This snail eats meat, and other snails are the source. Full-color photographs give a close-up look at this fascinating, slightly gross creature. Additional information including the wolfsnail's true size concludes this informative book on an unusual subject.

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