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Great Books to Read in Summer and Beyond for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers

Titles selected from the 2024 Summer Reading Lists created by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). 

Click here to print a PDF version of this list.

Cover of Alma and Her Family / Alma
Juana
Martinez-Neal

In this bilingual (Spanish and English) board book, Alma expresses love for her family members with a kiss, a squeeze, a song, and more.

Cover of Anzu The Great Listener
Benson
Shum

Anzu, a kind and loving kaiju who is also struggling with anxiety, learns the importance of patience and empathy.

Cover of How To Count To One: (And
Caspar Salmon
Matt Hunt

A tricky, silly picture book about counting to one— and only to one.

Cover of Milo Walking
James
Howe
Sakika Kikuchi

Milo and his mother go for a walk on a summer day, and then he goes home to write a story about it. Or are we reading the story he wrote? A beautiful book about observing and loving the world around us.

Cover of Mister Kitty Is Lost!
Greg
Pizzoli

This interactive book uses colors and numbers to help preschoolers find the beloved Mister Kitty.

Cover of The Nature Journal: A Back
Savannah
Allen

A boy enjoys foraging in his backyard and creating scrapbooks of his findings, yet he misses his dad’s company while his dad works. After a trip to the attic, he learns that his dad loves nature, too.

Cover of Once Upon A Book
Grace Lin and
Kate Messner
Grace Lin

Bored on a snowy day, Alice travels through the pages of her book on a magical adventure that reveals the power of reading.

Cover of Rafa Counts On Papá
Joe
Cepeda

A boy and his father love to measure things together. How high can the dog jump? How tall is the sandwich? But how do you measure love? A beautiful story of a father and son spending time together

Cover of Simon And The Better Bone
Corey R.
Tabor

This book opens from the top, not the left, in order to accurately portray how difficult life can be when you are a dog.

Cover of Twenty Questions
Mac
Barnett
Christian Robinson

A series of openended questions sparks conversation in this inventive book by two greats.