Summer Reading Guide 2025

Adults will appreciate the humor in both brief text and simple illustration as a small cat prepares for sleep in this lighthearted exploration of bedtime rituals.

Watch colors change when immersed in water in each sturdy book in this series designed to make bath time playful.

Thick pages encourage small hands to move boats of all types over each page. Additional information and ideas are included for a series that is sure to grown with children’s interests.

High contrast images of both familiar and less common things include a tactile element to stimulate eyes and hands and can be opened for tummy time. Dual-sided, this handsome book was first published in France and comes in a slipcover.

Simplified versions of seven familiar traditional tales such as the Three Pigs, Goldilocks, and Cinderella, are presented in an oversized, sturdy format with interactivity built in.

Each of the child-sized titles in this series introduces young children to classical music with a press of a button and accompanied by simple illustration.  Each book has an on-off button.

Explore the weather in lively language (both English and Spanish) accompanied by appealing, childlike illustrations. More books in the Whatever the Weather series include: Nieve/Snow, Lluvia/Rain, and Viento/Wind. 

Everyone hates the end of good playdate. A host of peculiar young aliens echo human kids’ behavior when their adults in flying saucers come to call them home. Imaginative and funny.

A family of elephants stick together as the sun comes up on the savannah. It travels across the world on other animal families until it ends where it begins again. Rhyming text and die-cuts indicate the passage of the day.

Frank, a unique penguin, brought color and friendship into his frozen, colorless world with his bright ideas. Droll humor in both text and illustration.

A small girl befriends a not-so-scary ghost who resides in the attic that no one had ever visited. Perhaps the ghost had been lonely all along but is now warmed by a child’s friendship.

Inspired by actual animals in the Monterey Bay Aquarium, meet an orphaned sea otter who learns to help other orphaned baby otters. Lush illustrations enhance the tone and power of Odder’s story. (Adapted from Applegate’s best-selling middle grade novel of the same name, Odder.)

Vegetables make rabbits lively, but will a rabbit enjoy a lively carrot? Fun and friendship develop when Mr. Rabbit pulls up a walking, talking, rabbit-sized carrot with which to share adventures.

Join a family in rural China as they pick tea leaves and discover mountaintop treasures and surprises through realistic illustration, narrated by one of the children. 

Milly dreaded Show and Tell, that is until she made Arnold the talking robot. Arnold helped Milly find her passion and overcome her shyness. Expressive illustrations combine move this quiet story.

An apple seed begins this distinctive look at the interrelatedness of all things. Bold illustration and die-cuts enhance the drama.

Follow a raindrop as it falls into the Mekong River on its journey to the ocean. Along its way, it sustains plants, animals, and people, presented here in crisp text and informative illustrations.

Knitting comes undone as a mouse family flees encountering huge obstacles before they stitch together another home. Photos combine with line drawings in this figurative tale of immigration, sure to spark conversation.

Readers will discover brief facts about plants all around as a jay hawk searches for food. When small flaps on each page are lifted, additional tidbits will be found. The same format is used when readers search for Whose Baby Is This? as a mother goose looks for her young.  

Wheetle, an expressive wagon presented in charming watercolors, is always ready to help others. His kindness is returned when he pops a wheel, still making it in time to see the sun rise.

A story about how neighbors with very different styles and personalities become longtime friends is presented with comic illustration and easier-to-read text. This is Book #1 in the Earl & Worm series.

Dip or dive into this book that dispels commonly held misinformation about well-known insects and other creepy crawlies. Illustrations further illuminate the information. Also in this series: Everything You Know About Dinosaurs Is Wrong!.

Spooky sounds from a maybe-haunted house inspires Tim’s sister to complete her creepy songs in this slightly scary story of mutual sibling support.

Dragons and their stories have traveled around the world for generations. Meet some in dramatic retellings and evocative illustrations.

A fascinating look at the early life of Japanese-American artist, Ruth Asawa, suggests the importance of lines and balance in her experiences in her life and in her art.

This clever look at how art allows ordinary objects such as a cup to be seen in new and surprising ways. Inspired by the work of well-known artists from Vincent van Gogh to Yayoi Kusama, this unique approach is sure to surprise, delight, and inspire.

The unlikely friendship between a long-haired guinea pig and naked mole rat continues in three new stories sure to resonate with young readers. The humor first introduced in Otis & Peanut and Otis & Peanut Forever and Ever remains fresh and fun.

A unique shape informs as the reader reads about space travel and then can blast off when the book transforms into an entire rocket.

Actual information about sailing under less-than-perfect conditions combine with a humorous story in this newest Scout survival situation. Other titles in the series: Survival Scout: Lost in the Mountains and Survival Scout: Tsunami.

Mouthwatering illustrations combine with brief text to chronicle the journey of some favorite through time, geography and cultures.

When a boy accidentally breaks a vase that holds unique words, his father doesn’t scold but helps him make something new and beautiful. Stunning illustrations evoke the Japanese setting and the beautiful philosophy of the value in words and kindness.

Losing her sight while in college in her Puerto Rican home did not stop Wanda’s passion for the stars nor for learning. In accessible narrative and lush illustration, Wanda’s life and work come into focus. Also available in Spanish: Wanda oye las estrellas.

Told through crisp narration and dramatic illustration, this true story of the Hudson River cleanup is riveting. Additional backmatter is included.

Abby is trapped at home with her four  younger siblings as they all suffer from the chickenpox. Based on the author’s experience, she shares the experience that she endured with her siblings with verve and humor. 

Bugs — the catchall phrase that describe myriad creepy crawlers — are introduced here along with an argument to appreciate what they do for our planet and develop empathy for them in conversational text and handsome illustration.

A fascinating examination of manned spaceflight and the power of image — the astonishing photograph taken during the Apollo 8 mission. Sure to inform and generate talk between adults and young people.

This weird, wacky, and downright fun and informative look at how disparate things connect is a worthy addition to the FACTopia series.

The author recalls 7th grade and the difficulty he had because of his size in this believable, ultimately empowering graphic memoir.

Ava, Medusa’s relative, and other so-called monster descendants return to the Acccademia del Forte where they thwart a plot by the Olympians. This decidedly feminist plays with traditional Greek myths in this engaging standalone second book in the Myth of Monsters series.

The misfit detectives are again called into action to solve the mysterious but limited earthquake problem. This newest adventure first introduced the kids in A Royal Conundrum.

The Entrada apartment building was home to newcomers and longtime residents alike. How the residents old and young adjust, develop friendships, and grow, are seamlessly told as one tale though written by various authors.

An oversized format supports dramatic, appealing, and realistic illustrations and information about a range of creatures. Backmatter includes a glossary and index.

A special group of kids are recruited to a man a space station. Tensions rise when they begin to lose altitude. Can quick thinking save them? This fast-paced adventure in graphic format is written by a real-life astronaut.

Celebrate nature in poems by different writers and accompanied by colorful illustrations. Informational sidebars flank each poem, offering scientific context for readers, and recommended resources and a glossary are also included. 

What’s the difference between a country and a continent? And what about a wormhole and a black hole? What’s the difference between an alligator and a crocodile? In space, on earth, in food, even in history many things are similar but are in fact quite different. Explore 150 pairs here through facts and illustration.  

A story told in two voices: siblings 12-year-old Josie and her older, disabled brother Abe each have dreams and aspirations. Based on the author’s experience growing up with a comparably challenged brother.