What better time to enjoy the lazy, relaxing days of summer than reading a book! The following books are picture books with a variety of summer themes. All of these books are picture books best suited for ages four through eight unless otherwise indicated.

The Boy, His Dog, and the Sea, by Anthony Browne, is an extraordinary story by a highly acclaimed author. This book and storyline might become one of my all-time favorites! A young boy misses his brother who went off to play with his friends. He tells his mom that he is bored, so she tells him to take their dog for a walk along the beach. He thinks the beach is boring, but she tells him to keep your eyes open; you never know what you might see. And what happens next on this beach will stay with you for a long time! The gorgeous full-page illustrations were done in watercolor.

Something About the Sky, by Rachel Carson and intricately illustrated using washi paper with sumi ink and cut with a knife by Nikki McClure, is a breathtaking celebration of the sky. Bringing the text and pictures together seem to float and perfectly merge like the clouds written about in this extraordinary book. Here, close to the earth in the zone of living things, clouds are born or die. This book will be cherished and is perfect for all ages.

Baba’s Peach Tree, by Marie Tang and gorgeously illustrated digitally by Seo Kim, has a father and daughter enjoy their life-giving peach tree in China where she planted the seed from a peach. But one spring, their succulent peach tree didn’t blossom. The peach tree has no more fruit to give. Now they must move to the big city. But when they return years later, they are surprised with what they see. Here is a story about old memories and new beginnings.

The Quiet Forest, by Charlotte Offsay and beautifully hand drawn with a pencil and colored digitally by Abi Cushman, is a cumulative story when a mischievous mouse in a very quiet forest falls into a rabbit’s breakfast. And the story and not-so-quiet forest build from there. Youngsters love and learn from these types of stories as they can recall the animals affected in order. This book and pictures are a delight!

The World in our Backyard, by Jami Gigot, demonstrates to youngsters all that our backyard has to offer. Backyards hold a wealth of imagination. Ponds becoming seas with sailboats, sandboxes becoming deserts and driveways becoming art museums. This is the time of year to enjoy backyards with all the splendor they have to offer kids and families. The bright illustrations were done digitally.

The Mighty Pollinators, by Helen Frost and wonderfully photographed by Rick Lieder, is a perfect coupling of poet and camera showing our natural world and a closeup view of insects pollinating plants. The poetic pentameter seems to pulse on every open- page with closeups of bees, moths, and fireflies as they land on the tips of petals. Check out this poet and photographer other wonderful books on nature.

Green: The Story of Plant Life on Our Planet, by Nicola Davies and gorgeously painted on the full open-page using watercolor and acrylic by Emily Sutton, is a stunning lesson on importance of photosynthesis and respiration helping keep our air in balance. You learn about the history of how plants of trap carbon dioxide and the many different kinds of plant life. The illustrations are especially helpful in teaching this subject. This is a very useful and amazing book.

On a Summer Night, by Deborah Hopkinson and wonderfully digitally illustrated with a darkened homage to night on every open-page spread by Kenard Pak, takes you into a deep, hot summer night even too hot for the sounds of crickets. A young girl awakens and explores the darkened outside around her house. Several small critters also wake up and the question swirls around of what woke each up. The darkened pages and the lyrical text link together as they seem to float through the night.

The Dinosaur in the Garden, by Deb Pilutti, has a girl exploring her backyard when she discovers a dinosaur fossil. The dinosaur has been waiting a long time to be discovered. The colorful Illustrations were done in gouache and wax pastels on watercolor paper with some digital painting. There is more information found at the back about paleontology.

The Squish, by Breanna Carzoo, is a unique sorry that is told from the viewpoint of a sandcastle. After being made by a child on the beach, the sandcastle is immediately squished by someone stepping on it. But it builds itself up and becomes a sandcastle again… until it happens again. Eventually others come by and help to rebuild which emphasizes how others can be helpful. The clever illustrations were uniquely collaged with paper grocery bags, painted cut paper mixed media and done digitally.

Pete the Cat Screams for Ice Cream, by Kimberly and James Dean, has a groovy lesson in rhyme just like all the other brightly colored Pete the Cat books. Pete has many types of ice cream in mind as the ice cream truck he’s anticipating approaches, when he continuously encounters friends in need. He looks at his watch worried he’ll miss the truck. But still takes time to help each friend. Lending a hand is sweet! And Pete knows it’s cool to be kind! The vibrant trademark illustrations were made with pen and ink with watercolor and acrylic paint.