Play. Run. Read. Repeat.

When we talk about summer reading at school I say this to the children, "Read books. Not all the time, not even most of the time. Play, run around, eat ice cream, scrape your knees, ride your bike, fall down, get back up and ride some more. Get sticky from watermelon and popsicles and strawberries. Go to the beach or the pool or both. Dig in the sand, dig in the dirt, find worms, don't eat them. Plant flowers, cut flowers, smell flowers. Chase fireflies. But when you have down time, and we all do, choose a book."

They have so many options: movies and video games, tablets and Iphones, but they also have books. There is time at the end of the day to tuck your scraped and dirty knees under you and lose yourself in a story, one you can hold and read and share.

When there is a choice, choose a book.

Summer Reading Favorites
Blueberries for Sal, McCloskey
Summer, Low
Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle, Raschka
Time of Wonder, McCloskey
What Do You Do With an Idea?, Yamada
Little Country Town, Southwell
Harry by the Sea, Zion
Beach, Cooper
Tar Beach, Ringgold
Henry Reed, Inc, Brown
Cornelia and the Audacios Escapades of the Somerset Sisters, Blume
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Konigsburg
Junonia, Henkes
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boy, Birdsall
Seaglass Summer, Banerjee