By our Smarty friends at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
Summer is in full swing! How many summer activities are you enjoying this year? From popsicles on the porch to enjoying a quick swim, there is so much to do. The best part is, it’s all part of Summer Break: Reading Takes You Everywhere at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library! Sign up here to join the fun. Find ideas to create, explore, read, write and give with your family today! Help us reach our community goal of reading 20 million minutes between July 1 and August 8. For suggestions of fun summer reads, try one of the titles below or find more great reads through our Library catalog.
Hello World by Ethan Long
Fans of Richard Scarry’s books will rejoice in Long’s “interactive compendium for young children.” One summer day, the residents of Happy County are exploring their world, inventing things, birdwatching, and trying to catch some zzz’s! Explore the alphabet, counting, shapes and colors within the streets and parks of Happy County. The detailed, colorful illustrations are sure to capture your reader’s attention!
Don’t Worry, Little Crab by Chris Haughton
What is summer without an ocean adventure? Little Crab is ready to venture from his home in a tide pool, but the ocean is great big place with huge waves! Perfect for ocean lovers and little worriers alike, this is a colorful exploration of what happens when you overcome anxiety and dive in deep for fun!
Down Under the Pier by Nell Cross Beckerman
Keep exploring the shore with younger elementary students as you go Down Under the Pier. Detailed text first conjures a day of fun for four children at the Boardwalk amusements. A trip off the pier reveals treasures – intertidal animals – hidden at high tide. A guide to animals of the intertidal zone will appeal to budding biologists. The magically colorful, dreamlike illustrations make this trip to the shore a treat!
Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome
While some people travel for vacations (like trips to the shore), some trips give families big changes. For Ruth Ellen’s family, the trip that starts one early morning in 1939 is a great new start. They board the train in North Carolina at daybreak, headed for new jobs and new lives in New York. As they make their way north, Ruth Ellen watches the countryside change and reads a book about Frederick Douglass’s trip north. From the end pages on, the detail-filled illustrations are worth lingering over. An author’s note readily explains the historical context of the Great Migration for elementary students.
How to Make a Better World by Keilly Swift
For older readers looking for something of substance to do this summer, try How to Make a Better World. Full of facts and ideas for ways to improve our earth, starting with self-care, this book is full of ideas big and small for making a good change. Full of colorful graphics and fun facts, the pages are great for browsing for the most brilliant inspiration!
If you check out one of these books, or any of the wonderful titles at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, don’t forget to log your reading time with Summer Break and help us achieve 20 million minutes read this summer!
