I'm back with another library haul, and this one is dripping with summer. About every month I request 30 to 40 picture books from our library to read with my kids. I read some at the start of the day with my 5 year old (mixed in with books we own), we usually read a couple over snack in the afternoons, and sometimes we read before bed.
Since it's summer, I leaned almost entirely into nature and summery books this time. Books about the things we are actually seeing right now: bugs and butterflies, birds, gardens, ponds, the ocean, and long days spent outside. A few classics and true stories snuck in too, because I can never help myself.
Here are all the books we checked out! I'm sharing them as Amazon affiliate links for ease of finding them, but I recommend you install this Amazon Library Extension to your browser so you can see right on the Amazon page if the book is in stock in your library or surrounding libraries. Our library is connected to a system of dozens of libraries in our region, and they share books with one another. This helps us have access to so many more books than we could ever find at the branch closest to us.
BUGS + ANIMALS
• Brilliant Bees by Linda Glaser
• Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming
• Magnificent Monarchs by Linda Glaser
• Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider by Jessica Lanan
• Worm Weather by Jean Taft
• Sam, the Sea Cow by Francine Jacobs
• Fabulous Frogs by Linda Glaser
• Where Are the Night Animals? by Mary Ann Fraser
• While Everyone Is Sleeping by Sarah Mackenzie
• Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
• Albert by Donna Jo Napoli
• Betty and the Mysterious Visitor by Anne Twist
GARDENS + GROWING THINGS
• The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
• The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin
• The Night Gardener by Terry Fan
• Miss Prim Goes Wild by Katy Rose
PONDS + NATURE
• A Different Pond by Bao Phi
• Turtle Pond by James Gladstone
• A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog by Mercer Mayer
• When You Can Swim by Jack Wong
• Yellow Kayak by Nina Laden
• The Raft by Jim LaMarche
• Finding Wild by Megan Wagner Lloyd
SUMMER STORIES + OTHERS
• One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey
• Mama, Is It Summer Yet? by Nikki McClure
• Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran
• Everything You Need for a Treehouse by Carter Higgins
• Kiyoshi's Walk by Mark Karlins
• Anno's Journey by Mitsumasa Anno
• Let's Go Home: The Wonderful Things About a House by Cynthia Rylant
• The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood
• Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco
• Grand Old Oak and the Birthday Ball by Rachel Piercey
• Margaret's Unicorn by Briony May Smith
• Tofu Takes Time by Helen H. Wu
If you are enjoying this library haul series and want help finding quality picture books, check out this post I shared on Instagram a while back with my ten favorite accounts and websites for finding good book ideas.
Happy reading, and happy summer!