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Books for Kids - Books for Your Child to Enjoy This Summer - Whizpa

Although most children (and even parents!) yearn to go out and have fun during the summer, there may be rainy days or days when it is simply too hot to go out. On days like that, what’s better than comfortably reading a book at home?

Summer vacations have been a central theme in a lot of children’s literature, with many stories evoking carefree summer days during which children have plenty of opportunities to make discoveries about themselves, life, or nature. The good news is that summer-themed books allow us to vicariously experience all manner of summer adventures even amidst the thunderstorms or heat waves of a Hong Kong summer.

The following book selections are award-winners that are sure to please children of all ages!

1. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Delphine is an 11-year-old girl living in Brooklyn with her two younger sisters and her father. The girls’ mother had abandoned them seven years earlier to pursue her own aspirations as an artist and a Black Panther activist fighting for the civil rights of African-Americans. During the summer of 1968, their father decides to let the girls visit their mother in California. However, they are met with indifference from their own mother, who sends them off to a Black Panther day camp everyday. Disappointed, Delphine spends the summer coming to terms with her mother’s actions, but also learning a lot about herself, her family, and her country during the course of the summer. Delphine’s coming-of-age story explores family difficulties that are also evident in today’s society as parents struggle with multiple responsibilities.

2. Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes

Olive’s Ocean is a book about a 12 year old girl named Martha Boyle learning how to deal with mortality over the summer vacation. Before Martha sets off on a family vacation to visit her grandmother by the seaside, she is visited by the mother of her classmate Olive, who has recently passed away in a car accident. Olive’s mother shows Martha Olive’s diary, in which Olive has expressed her admiration of Martha, her love for the ocean, and her future aspirations. Martha is struck by Olive’s admiration and the lost aspirations of a girl who no longer exists. Over her summer holiday at the seaside, Martha spends time in the ocean, and tries to come to terms with Olive’s death.

As most children do not face the idea of death very often, this atmospheric read is one way to expose children to the idea of life and death as a course of nature we will all be confronted with.

3. Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

As the title suggests, this book is a celebration of the color green, and objects that are green. This astonishing picture book features green items in our surroundings – a lime, firefly, forest, or vegetables – highlighted by carefully planned cut-outs. On each new page, the cut-outs become something drastically different from the previous page. Visually stimulating and aesthetically pleasing, this book will capture the attention of young children, and is a gem parents will appreciate as well.

4. A Different Pond by Bao Phi

When we think of ponds, we might conjure up images of a lovely natural environment, or a picnic on a beautiful summer day. However, to others, a pond could hold deep meaning. A Different Pond by Bao Phi tells the story of Vietnamese immigrants fishing by the side of a pond early every morning.

This picture book is an autobiographical depiction of the childhood story of author Bao Phi. Every morning, Bao Phi would awaken early to accompany his father to the pond before his father had to go to work. Life was tough for the family that had come to the U.S. as refugees, and his father had to fish every day before work to provide food for the family. In their time together at the pond, Bao Phi’s father would also talk about fishing in ponds back in Vietnam, sharing many nostalgic stories with his son.

Not only is this book a good read that will allow children to empathize with how hard parents work to support the family, it also raises awareness about the hardships faced by immigrants worldwide.

5. A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever is a picture book written for children in grades 2-5. The book tells the story of two boys – Eamon and James – who are spending time at a summer camp and at Eamon’s grandparents' house. The boys, who initially spend their time just playing video games and watching television, eventually start venturing out of the house and discover the new-found joy of getting in touch with nature in their own way. The fun illustrations show the creative ways in which Eamon and James connect with nature. Packed with humor and joy, readers will enjoy following the boys through the activities that make their week the best week ever!

Look for these books at the following retailers listed on whizpa.com: