Read Out Under the Stars This Summer

Summer is the perfect time for camping or just spending time together enjoying nature. Warm sunny days, roasting marshmallows, stars at nightСneed I say more? Books about camping and summer activities are a great way to get you in the mood for a July full of fun summer experiences! So, be sure to grab some of these great summer books!

The Croaky Pokey
(Holiday House, Inc, $14.95; ages 2-6) by Ethan Long. Join the frogs in the pond for a round of “Croaky Pokey” and chase a fly around! Will the frogs catch the fly, or can the fly escape the pond and the jazzy croaky pokey singing frogs? Find out in this fun, bright, boldly illustrated swamp adventure that will have everyone singing along and jumping around this summer!

 

Mosquitoes Are Ruining My Summer!
(Margaret K. McElderry Books, $16.99; ages 4-8) by Alan Katz. This summer join in a rousing chorus of “The Laundry Blues” to the tune of “The Mexican Hat Dance.” Or sing along to “Jim Needs a Shower” to the tune of “Pop Goes the Weasel.” You’ll find these and many other silly and original new camp songs in this delightful book. Each tune is paired with an equally comical illustration that will leave you longing for camp and singing your way through the lazy summer days!

 

Three by the Sea
(Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, $17.99; ages 4-8) by Mini Grey. When a mysterious visitor from the Winds of Trade Company washes up at the beach hut of some friends, all kinds of trouble erupts. The visitor persuades Cat, Dog, and Mouse, each in turn, that what the others are doing isn’t good enough. Eventually they start to argue. At night, Mouse packs up, tries to leave, and gets swept into the sea. After Dog swims out and brings them all to shore, they decide the stranger needs to go, only to find that the stranger is gone—taking their boat with him. He has left a note and some free gifts. Has the stranger and his change improved their lives after all? A book that will leave you talking long after you read it!

 

Postcards From Camp
(Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin, $17.99; ages 5-9) by Simms Taback. When Michael goes to camp, he isn’t convinced it is going to be the best experience, so he starts sending postcards to his dad asking to come home. Enjoy reading these postcards and letters between Michael and his dad, some that you can even take out and unfold just like a real letter. Vivid, colorful art weaves throughout the text to make this camp experience a fabulous one!

 

Nerd Camp
(Atheneum Books for Young Readers, $15.99; ages 8-12) by Elissa Brent Weissman. Gabe loves camp at the Summer Center for Gifted Enrichment (SCGE) and all his new friends. Gabe is also excited to be getting a new brother at the end of summer, but will it work out? Can Gabe use his new found logic skills to persuade himself and his new step-brother Zach that he is not nerdy when his dad marries Zach’s mom at the end of the summer? Or will he even need to? Find out all the answers in this absolutely nerdy and fabulous summer camp read!

 

Possum Summer
(Holiday House, $17.95; ages 8-12) by Jen K. Blom. P, short for Princess, has a lot on her plate. While P’s dad is fighting in the war in Iraq, he leaves her in charge of the farm. When her dog Blackie goes after a possum, P finds one of the babies, adopts it, and names him Ike. P and her friend Mart know that if her dad found out, he’d be mad, because he doesn’t believe in having pets. P hides Ike and between that and worrying about the promise to handle the farm while her dad is gone, she has her hands full. Follow along with P and see if she can raise up a possum, handle the farm and even some heartbreak, and keep it all together until her dad gets back.

Jennifer Galvin is never far from her children, a paintbrush, or a good book. Find her on the Web at www.jennifergalvin.com.