One of the goals on my summer bucket list was to read 50 books with the kids. Our local library was doing a Summer Reading Challenge with a goal of 40 books, where MM earned prizes like coupons to local pizza places and museums for reading a certain number of books – and then winning a free book if he managed to read 40. Well not only did we finish the challenge and win all those fun prizes, but we finished our goal of reading 50 books this past weekend, with time to spare!

I thought I’d share 10 of our favorite books from this summer. We loved a lot more than 10, but I don’t feel like typing that much! So here are 10 books that are MM, Mom & Dad Approved (BB probably loved them, too, but we’ll never know for sure!) – And I’m willing to bet your kids will love them, too!

Our Top 10 Favorite Books From This Summer!

1. Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle : Who doesn’t love this classic? My kids were both so smitten with this book that I couldn’t resist picking up a board book copy for them at the grocery store.
2. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson : This book is just too cute. MM really enjoyed this story and I could not get over the fantastic illustrations.
3. I’ll Protect You From the Jungle Beasts by Martha Alexander : This story was just too cute, so sweet and so cleverly illustrated. It kind of stole my heart.
4. Verdi by Janelle Cannon (author of Stellaluna) : This is just such a beautiful story that really intrigued MM. It tells the story of Verdi who is afraid to grow up and shed his yellow skin because all the older greener snakes he sees just seem soooo boring. A short coming of age story told by a masterful story teller.
5. If I Had a Dragon by Tom Ellery : A great story for all the big brothers and big sisters out there. This tells the story of a boy who doesn’t want to play with his little brother – and wonders what it might be like if his brother were a dragon instead. Do you think he’d enjoy having a dragon as a play mate?
6. Penguin by Polly Dunbar : Description from goodreads: “When Ben rips open his present, he finds a penguin inside. “Hello, Penguin!” he says. “What shall we play?” But Penguin says nothing. Even when Ben tickles its belly, sings a funny song, does a dizzy dance, stands on his head, sticks out his tongue, and resorts to increasingly rude and drastic measures, Penguin makes no response.” Another really cute, really well illustrated story.
7. Click, Clack, Moo! Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin : Oh, MM got such a kick out of this one! We both had to laugh at this story about a group of farm animals that really pull one over on the poor farmer!
8. My Brother the Knight by Laura Driscoll : I had to read this one over and over and over and over. I think MM may be nuts for knights, too – just like the main character’s little brother who bets his brother he can live just like a knight for one whole week!
9. Tip Toe into Kindergarten by Jacqueline Roberts : A beautifully illustrated story about a little girl quietly tip toeing into the world of kindergarten. I really liked this and would recommend it to anyone whose kids are maybe a little nervous about starting school – or any kids like MM who kind of wish they could start yesterday!
10. Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne : Along with picture books, MM and I have also been reading longer chapter books together including this one which we both loved. MM is a fan of the world of Winnie the Pooh as interpreted from the various tv shows and movies he’s seen, so he really loved getting to hear these stories which he knew a bit already and I was so impressed at how well he understood all the stories in spite of bigger words and the more old fashioned style of story telling. We both really enjoyed sharing this book together.