Best Reads of the Summer

Over the summer, I read dozens of books to prep for Mock Caldecott and Mock Sibert; these were my favorites. All images and summaries from Goodreads.

 

Picture Books

One pair of pants? Two pairs? Three? How many pants should Little Freddie wear? And where should he put them? What about underpants? Where do they go?

In a book with text and art that are sure to induce giggles, Drew Daywalt and Lucy Ruth Cummins settle the age-old question: Do a dog’s front legs deserve pants, too?

OH MY CRIKEYS! Doesn't life move fast? One moment you're in the Wibbly, relaxing with your Wibbly friends. The next, they've all grown tails and turned into tadpoles! And what's more, they are bursting OUT of the Wibbly ... AND you've got to keep up! 

Some tadpoles don't feel ready to become frogs.

And some never wanted to become tadpoles in the first place. 

Why, dear reader, must you NEVER EVER trust fish?

1) They spend all their time in the water where we can’t see them.

2) Some are as big as a bus—that is not okay.

3) We don't know what they're teaching in their "schools."

4) They are likely plotting our doom.

This nature-guide-gone-wrong is a hilarious, off-the-rails exploration of the seemingly innocent animals that live in the water.

Did the title just say that this book is dangerous? Jelly doesn't do dangerous. Can you help Jelly find a way out? Just don't move a muscle or make any loud noises, okay? And definitely DON'T touch anything!

In the tradition of interactive classics like The Monster at the End of This Book, Jelly has got to find a way out of this book, and it's up to the reader to help this little jellyfish . . . or not!

Did you know, there was a time when people could get in trouble—really, really BIG trouble—for being LEFT-HANDED!?

It’s true!

Lefty and Righty hand out the facts in a theatrical performance that spans the ages. Once upon a time, left was considered wrong . . . but now, left or right, it’s all alright. (And there are scissors for everyone!)

Can you tell when a storm is coming? Can you feel the wind coming and growing? Do you hear the branches bouncing together, hear the whispers of the wind through the leaves? Join in the journey as two siblings bear witness to the steady start, thrilling apex, and gentle end of this island storm. They’ll shelter soon, but first they want to feel it all.

Children who fear thunder can take comfort in seeing it captured in the pages, while those who relish watching the sky crack open can enjoy battling this storm from the comfort of their homes.

POP! As a hot day sizzles into evening, everyone on stoops and sidewalks looks skyward on this special summer night—the Fourth of July! Words and art blossom into flowers of fire across the sky, making this a perfect read for firework enthusiasts in cities and suburbs everywhere. POP! POP!

 

Fossil records show that the first humans were born in Africa. Meaning, every person on Earth can trace their ancestry back to that continent. The History of We celebrates our shared ancestors' ingenuity and achievements and imagines what these firsts would have looked and felt like.

What was it like for the first person to paint, to make music, to dance, to discover medicine, to travel to unknown lands? The History of We takes what we know about modern human civilization and, through magnificent paintings, creates a tale about our shared beginnings.

Nonfiction

Meet Grimpy! He’s a dumbo octopus, and he’s taking us on a tour of the whole cephalopod class—underwater creatures such as cuttlefish, nautiluses, octopuses, and squids.

Grimpy knows all about what makes these many-armed marvels so special, like how the coconut octopus uses tools or the cuttlefish talks with color! It seems like every creature has a special ability—except him. When Grimpy gets stuck on everything a dumbo octopus can’t do, the other cephalopods show him why it’s great to be a dumbo.

Did you know...
... a praying mantis only has 1 ear?
... a squid has 3hearts?
... a giant African land snail can have up to 18,000 teeth?

Toes, Teeth, and Tentacles celebrates and highlights the numerous unusual and strangely fascinating features and appendages of all kinds of animals, from horns to toes and stomachs to hearts. From the two-tongued loris to a scallop's 200 eyes, readers will find joy in numbers with this latest book by these two masters of nonfiction.

Welcome to the world of Sleuth & Solve: History, a collection of 20 clever mysteries where the clues are in the details and crafty twists put readers' wits to the test. These mind-bending mini-mysteries transpire across eras and civilizations, from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance to the French Revolution and beyond.

Sleuth & Solve encourages readers of all ages to practice deduction, inference, and logical reasoning to crack each case—and develop critical thinking skills at the same time.

Growing up on a dusty farm in Southern California, Ruth Aiko Asawa lived between two worlds. She was Aiko to some and Ruth to others, an invisible line she balanced on every day. But when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, suddenly she was only Aiko.

Like many other Japanese Americans, Ruth and her family were sent to incarceration camps. ... The barbed wire would inspire Ruth’s art for decades. Throughout her career, she created enchanting twisting sculptures and curving shapes that connected, divided, and intersected.

Born in 1738, Mary Katharine Goddard was homeschooled by her mother in reading and math. She took over her brother’s printing shop a few years later and became an expert in printing newspapers, essays, and posters. When the American Revolution started, she published important news that helped the fight against the British – even if it meant that if she was caught, she’d be punished for treason.

In 1776, Mary was asked to print the Declaration of Independence – she is the only woman whose name is on the Declaration.

How did math work before zero existed? A STEM nonfiction book that unpacks a fascinating history of a number we can’t imagine our current world without. From place value to being created and destroyed before being created again, zero has had quite a journey. Respected children’s author and consummate researcher Sarah Albee lays out the history of zero alongside the complications that initially hampered its development, including Western imperialism.

Did you know that deep in the ocean, fish are loud? Scientists have recently discovered that fish and shellfish grunt and groan, crackle and cluck, and even burp and boop to communicate. They warn each other, woo each other, and welcome each other with all kinds of sounds, making the ocean quite noisy! 

Once upon a time, children's music was just Mother Goose, nursery songs, and lullabies. And then came Ella Jenkins.

Ella Jenkins is an American folk singer and living legend dubbed “The First Lady of Children’s Music.” For nearly 70 years, she has been writing and performing music that has entertained and engaged generations of young listeners. In Make a Pretty Song, Ella’s life and legacy are captured in vibrant sights, sounds, and stories that leap right off the page.

From the first human settlements to today’s modern metropolises, we have always relied on the sun for light, energy, and sustenance. We Carry the Sun traces the history of solar power from ancient south-facing villages to the Industrial Age and modern innovators; and from solar-powered steam engines to silicon solar panels. Lyrical and informed, Newbery Medal winner Tae Keller’s debut picture book is also a timely call to action that asks young readers to imagine a brighter, cleaner future.