Warning. Super nerdy post ahead. I have spent the last several days combing the annals of the Internet in the land of Children’s Literature, which has sent me into several rabbit holes of memories the way only books can do. I’ve spared you the walk down memory lane, but I did compile my annual summer reading list of kids books. And I’m totally game to share this list with you.
John and I used to be ridiculously committed to reading to Eliott and Carter, every single night before bed. When I say “committed” I mean we never didn’t do it. I realize now that the single largest contributing factor to our zeal at the time was the fact that we did not own a TV. But I would also submit that because I was a working mom until Carter was a year old, we also lacked toys and time together. There was just something easy and sweet about snuggling up every night together with some books.
Current Reality
Fast forward a little less than a decade, subtract a salary-paying job, add a couple more kids, school, literacy, actual homework, activities, friends, sports, and the rest of life, and suddenly, the sweetness of book snuggles has been traded for the success of eating dinner together as a family. And by the time dinner is on the table, Netflix is looking a heck of a lot snugglier than a book and my actual eyes and mouth still working after a day spent with kids.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m still a huge reader and my kids are too. All four of them. I’m not lying nor exaggerating when I tell you that several times during an average week my kids are banished to the couch to read books and they actually do it. Even the youngest do it, and they don’t know how to read yet, which makes me think all hope is not lost. I’m mildly ashamed to admit that right now, we don’t read to our kids nearly as often as we could.
Twaddle
The truth is, there is a lot of noise out there when it comes to children’s literature. Like. An inordinate amount of noise. One early educator, Charlotte Mason, labeled such noise “twaddle” and for obvious reasons, I’m letting the word stick. If you are a mom and fancy yourself a reader, you know this. You also know that the TV perpetuates the biggest bulk of the crap out there. And of course that is the first thing my children want to grab when we are at the library. Spiderman easy readers (twaddle), My Little Pony & Barbie (twaddle), and, Disney anything. All of it twaddle.
But this isn’t just true for the little ones and the plethora of picture books out there. This is true for my elementary readers as well. Eliott has read the entire Diary of a Wimpy Kid series at least three times and please don’t get me started on Judy Moody. Just for the record, I do not completely hate these books or others like them. Generally speaking, I’m pretty much game to let my kids read anything that interests them. Of all people I understand the meaning of reading for pleasure.
But this shouldn’t be the only thing my kids are consuming. And–and this is huge–these are not the kind of books I enjoy reading with them. Last summer we were visiting my parents in Tennessee and one of the kids grabbed my mother’s old copy of Winnie the Pooh and asked me to read it. It was fantastic. I mean, fantastic in that juicy way where you just know you are digesting something worth consuming. Even Isaiah, at four years old, giggled through the entire thing. I want more of this in my life, and the lives of my kids.
I daresay, we need more of this in our lives. But where to start?
Books Worth Reading
Next year, three out of our four kids will be attending a Charlotte Mason school. Because of this, I’ve recently reread For the Children’s Sake
I love it. And I’m all in.
So this summer, I’ve done my homework, and we are reading again. Together. As a family. Good books. Worthwhile books. I’ve scoured Goodreads, Barnes and Noble lists, and a plethora of homeschool blogs. I’ve compiled titles I remember, with others that showed up time and again, with others that I know nothing about. I actually started with all the Newbery winners from 2017 down through the dawn of the Newbery award, and I do believe any author on that list can be trusted to be worthwhile.
The Ultimate Summer Reading List for Kids
Essentially, this is a list of books that will pull us out of the cycle of so-so books. These are books every kid should read. Books that I read as a kid and loved. Chapter books and picture books. Classics and modern books.
Quick note: the list is extensive and I by no means plan to read every single one of these books aloud to my kids. For me, it is a guide. A goal? Maybe a challenge. But I also want to encourage my big kid readers to tackle many of these on their own.
Note two: many of these titles are the first of a series, others I listed as the common title for the series. I apologize there isn’t a lot of uniformity. I mostly went with what I know. Also, I am positive there are many many many great books that didn’t make the list. It is a work in progress. But I promise you, it is also too much to tackle in one summer.
You know I made a printable list with check boxes. And I’m sharing. No strings attached. As a thank you, I’d sure appreciate a comment below about some of the books you loved as a kid, or love reading now to your kids.
Enjoy!
Picture Books
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Newbery Award Winners
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Chapter Books, Series, Various Others
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The UnderToad 
Hey! Will you send me the list with checkboxes? Compiling our summer reading list is on my to-do list but you just helped me immensely by being so organized😊 Stephanie
You know I’m going to a need a printable list! Thanks for sharing this. Peyton is a really big reader but Isabelle struggles to find interesting reads for her (she loathes all things pink, princess, and typical of middle school emotions). Hopefully, we can work through some of this list over the summer. Thanks, Claire! Love reading your blog.
Little people? RICHARD SCARRY.
Send me your lists! WE loved reading the Winnie the Pooh collection as a family. We also try to limit the twaddle! Your little ones may enjoy the book, Finding Winnie, which is the story of the real bear that inspired Winnie the Pooh.
Great post Claire! I am starting to compile a small children’s library for when the grands visit and would love your suggestions. Personal favorite of mine? All Creatured Great and Small. I wanted to be a vet when I was a girl. 🙂
I was thinking of starting Little House with my girl! Please send me list. Thanks.
Your boys might actually like this one also. All four of the kids love the TV series and John still remembers these books as some of his favorites from childhood.
I want a copy of your list. Thanks for doing all the heavy lifting in terms of research.
This is exactly what Iḿ looking for! Thank you for sharing!
There are so many books that I remember loving as a child. The problem for me is picking a starting point and then remembering to take it slowly enough to really enjoy it instead of racing to read ALL THE BOOKS. If I had to pick right now, I would say “The Borrowers” and “Phantom Tollbooth” are ones I’m super excited to read with my kids. Thanks for this list!