20 Best Summer Books for Preschoolers (free activities)

Summer is the time for fun…and summer books too!  For years, experts have talked about the benefits of reading to our kids when they are little.

In my case, I love reading non-fiction books but reading to my toddler at night is even better! That’s something that I have done with both of my kids since they were little.

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This article covers the following summer books for preschoolers:

• Best preschool books of all time
• Newer popular books for preschoolers
• Picture books about summer
• Children’s books about the beach

Best preschool books of all time

1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar – It’s a very popular book among kids, including my daughters, that has been around for years. This book explains the days of the week in an interesting way for kids ages 3 to 5.

Caterpillar Book Activities:

• Hungry Caterpillar Flap Book Craft and Free Template
• Paper Chain Caterpillar Craft for Kids
• 3D Paper Caterpillar Craft with Template

2. Llama Llama Red Pajama – I love Llama Llama books and even though, I am only mentioning one book in here, there are many more Llama Llama books available. These books are easy to read and understand and talk about common behaviors in kids. They also use rhyming which is something that is covered in the early years of school.

Llama Book Activities:

• Popsicle Stick Puppets for Llama Llama Misses Mama
• Llama Llama Pajama Matching Activity
• Llama Llama Red Pajama Day Snacks

3. Don’t let the pigeon ride the bus – Through this book, a pigeon interacts with your child by pleading to be allowed to drive the bus. After reading the book at school, my daughter warned me to not let the pigeon drive our car! And like Llama Llama, there are additional books available to entertain your child.

Pigeon Book Activities:

• Paper Plate Pigeon
• Pigeon Paper Bag Puppet
• Make a cute pigeon mask!
• The Pigeon Needs a Bath! Activity Kit

4. If You Give a Moose a Muffin – This is the classic book of a very hungry moose that stopped by to visit, but after eating a muffin, he kept asking for more muffins until they were all gone. After that, he had the idea to get some muffin mix!

Moose Book activities:

• Paper Plate Muffin
• Moose Mix-Up
• Handprint Moose Headband

5. Green Eggs and Ham – Like always, Dr. Seuss has a unique way to present his stories. This book reminds kids about the importance of trying new things. If you have a picky eater at home, you may want to get this book! And, the question is: do YOU like green eggs and ham? 😉

Green Eggs Book Activities:

• Green Eggs and Ham Pretzel Bites – another kid recipe!
• Seuss Green Eggs and Ham Maze
• Seuss Green Eggs Sight Word Game
• Green Eggs and Ham Coloring Page

Newer popular books for preschoolers

6. What should Danny do? – I discovered this book while doing the research for this blog post and I have to say that I loved what I saw! It’s one book with nine stories focused on kids ages 3 and up. This interactive book follows the “choose your own story” style giving your child the opportunity to decide what Danny should do next throughout the story.

7. Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site – This is a great bedtime story since in this book the construction trucks are ready to go to sleep after a day of hard work. This is a way for kids to see that after working hard, there should be some time to rest and get ready for the next day.

8. The Most Magnificent Thing – This is a book that shows little kids that it’s okay if things are not perfect and encourages them to look at things from a different perspective. It shows how a girl struggles, gets frustrated and even quits when trying to build what she wants. But at the end, after trying and trying, she is satisfied with her invention.

9. When I imagine – This is a story of a girl named Andie with a great imagination like many kids. Even when she is told that her dreams will not come true, the sweet girl still makes her dreams come true in her mind.

10. The Day the Crayons Quit – In this very popular book, the crayons had enough. They got tired of doing/being used for the same purpose and decided to quit. However, the boy works with the crayons in order to come together in a new way.

Popular books activities:

• Tools Shadow Matching
• Construction Zone Printable
• Crayon Coloring Page (click on the image to print)
• Create a Crazy Crayon Craft

Picture books about summer

11. Curious George Goes Camping – Summer is also a popular time for people to go camping, and Curious George won’t be an exception. As it happens in the tv show, George’s curiosity makes things get a little out of control. But at the end, he always manages to save the day.

12. The Berenstain Bears Go on Vacation – Since it’s summertime, the Berenstain Bears are ready to have fun through all the activities available at the seashore. They do a little bit of everything such as swimming, fishing, museum, and more.

13. The Night Before Summer Vacation – This family is getting ready to go on a vacation, but they overlook something. Sounds familiar to you?

14. A Day at the Airport – If you have plans in taking your child to the airport for the first time, this book can help you prepare your child for the experience. This story takes into consideration different areas of the airport for your kid to understand better.

15. Daniel Goes to School – After having so much fun during the summertime, it’s hard for kids to start/go back to school. If this is their first time away from you, this book can help them feel more comfortable with the transition.

Summer books activities:

• Trace the Pattern: Bug Trail
• Simple Color Scavenger Hunt for Kids
• Rhyming with the Berenstain Bears
• Nature Scavenger Hunt for Kids
• Airport Scavenger Hunt for Kids
• Passport Activity

Children’s books about the beach

16. Biscuit’s First Beach Day – I always like Biscuit’s sweet stories. In this occasion, he is going to the beach for the first time and, as expected, he is very excited about all the things that can be done at the beach.
17. Pete at the Beach – This is just one of Pete the Cat books. He is good at finding shells and building castles, but when it’s time to go to the water, don’t forget that he is still a cat!
18. Wild Sea Creatures: Sharks, Whales, and Dolphins! – Like in the PBS show, the Wild Kratts are in another adventure while teaching kids about those awesome sea animals.
19. Hide and Seek Harry at the Beach – Harry is a hippo that likes to play hide-and-seek everywhere including the beach. It’s funny for the kids to see a big hippo trying to hide behind smaller things such as a hammock or an umbrella. My daughter was entertained looking for Harry throughout the story.
20. Bats at the Beach – Bats deserve some time off too! That’s why one night, they decide to pack up and head to the beach for some fun.

Beach books activities:

• Biscuit Activities
• Alliteration with Pete the Cat
• Shark Paper Plate Craft for Kids
• Paper Plate Hippo Craft
• Little Miss Muffet Bouncing Spider Craft

Related post on summer arts and crafts:

• 25 Easy Summer Arts and Crafts for Preschoolers

It’s time to read summer books with your preschooler!

I am always looking for great books. Which other summer books would you add to this list? Let us know in the comment section!

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