By Katie Harrison

Summer vacation season is here! Hop into these classic picture books about summer vacation and get a jump-start on summertime trips and treats with your nieces and nephews! We've even included some read-aloud versions of the books to help you decide if you'd like to read these to the children you love.


1. Summer, by Alice Low, republished in 2001 (ages 3-7)



In the style of Dr. Seuss, Alice Low engages beginner readers in a fun and funny book. First published in 1961, many Savvy Aunties will remember this book from your childhood, too. Need a reminder? Here’s a video of the book being read aloud:



From the publisher: “Better than fireworks, this classic Beginner Book edited by Dr. Seuss celebrates all the wonderful things that come with summer! From trips to the beach and eating watermelon to fireworks and fishing, Alice Low and Roy McKie’s Summer will have young readers eager for the kind of fun only warm breezes and sunny weather can bring.”


2. How I Spent my Summer Vacation, by Mark Teague, 1997 (ages 3-7)



Follow Wallace on his summer vacation trip to the wild, wild West for a summer he will always remember. It may inspire a real sense of adventure in nephews - and nieces - alike!

Listen to this dad read the book aloud.



From the publisher: “Some kids spend their summer vacation at camp. Some kids spend it at Grandma's house. Wallace Bleff spent his out west...on a ride, a rope, and a roundup he'll never forget.”


3. Beach Day, by Karen Roosa, 2001 (ages 4-7)



Aside from the ideal beach day story, the colorful illustrations are sure to keep children interested. Join this family as they spend a beautiful summer day on the beach, have a picnic, watch the boats in the water, and make new friendships.

We don’t have a video reading for this one, but here are some lines from the book to give you a sense to the rhythm the children with enjoy reading and being read to.

"Waves roar,
Rush and soar!
Rolling, crashing
To the shore.

Sparkling spray,
Jeweled array,
Water-skiers,
On their way."

From the publisher: “In this charming picture book, a cheerful family tumbles out of the car and onto the beach, ready for a perfect day. Buoyant verse just right for reading aloud and bright, playful illustrations capture the singular feeling of a hazy, lazy day by the ocean, complete with a ball game with new friends, water-skiers and sailboats, and a picnic lunch of fried chicken and deviled eggs. This book is a captivating introduction to the beach for young children and an irresistible gift for beach lovers of any age.”


4.The Night Before Summer Vacation, by Natasha Wing, 2002 (ages 4-8)



Getting prepared and packing all you need for a summer vacation can be stressful. Do you have enough clothes? Your toothbrush? Pajamas? Ask your niece or nephew what they would need pack for their vacation trip. What would they hate to have left at home? What would they go back for? What could they pick up on the way? What would they pack their things in? Would they make a list? Help them become their own problem solvers, looking for solutions to forgetting something at home.

While the book was published in 2002, this read aloud video was just published in time for this year’s summer season.



From the publisher: “A little girl and her family are getting ready to go on vacation . . . or at least they are trying to. In the effort to pack everything that will be needed, there's bound to be something overlooked, and what that is provides a funny ending to this meter-perfect "twist" on Clement Moore's classic.”

Photo: Christin Lola
Published: June 8, 2016

Published: June 8, 2016