2023 Summer Reading Program for Kids, Teens, and Families

Let’s dance! Come along on a joyful journey across America, where children from east, west, north, and south show off their coolest moves.

From the Juneau Jitterbug to the Hilo Hula, the Brooklyn Boogie to the Miami Mambo, these dances will entice young readers to gather family and friends, get up, and groove. Which will be their favorite—Maine’s Rockland Sock Hop or Michigan’s Mackinac Milkshake? The Lubbock Line Dance or the Rockies’ Elevation Celebration?  Every dance is irresistible fun, and will set happy feet in action!

M.P. Hueston’s witty, rhythmic verse and Amanda Haley’s colorful pictures make following along easy--and will encourage kids to come up with their own choreographed creations!

This picture book tells the story of one girl who reminds an entire town of the joy of books.

When the town's old library is destroyed by a tornado, the people are left wondering: What should they do with the space where the library used to be?

The characters in Nia and the New Free Library all want different things: the builder wants there to be a new skyscraper, the grocer wants a new parking lot, but Nia just wants a new library . . . but how can one person build a whole library?

* Explores the power of community and what a group can accomplish
* Teaches the importance of working together toward a common goal
* Reminds readers of the important role libraries play in community, and how they work

Sometimes the biggest things can start with almost nothing at all.

Ian Lendler and Mark Pett bring humor and heart to this clever twist on the classic "Stone Soup" folktale.

* This triumphant ode to the magic of sharing stories is sure to strike a chord with bibliophiles of all genres, ages, and stripes.
* Resonates year-round as a go-to birthday or holiday gift for book-loving kids
* Perfect for children ages 5 to 8 years old
* Great gift for parents and grandparents, as well as librarians, teachers, and educators
* Add it to the shelf with books like Stone Soup by Marcia Brown, Delivering Your Mail by Ann Owen, and Seeds and Trees by Brandon Walden.

The illustrator of Eve Bunting's Tweak Tweak and Have You Seen My New Blue Socks? makes his Clarion debut as author/illustrator with a tender book about loneliness and friendship. Leo, a mailman, takes in a small bird, Cheep, who missed the autumn migration of his flock.When spring comes and Cheep moves on, Leo is sad to see him go, but he also has hope, and the letter he has been longing for finally arrives. Sergio Ruzzier's signature, slightly surreal animal characters and the setting, rendered in brilliant colors, make this simple, eloquent story a visual treat for the very young.

Author Bahram Rahman grew up in Afghanistan during years of civil war and the restrictive Taliban regime of 1996-2001. He wrote The Library Bus to tell new generations about the struggles of women who, like his own sister, were forbidden to learn.

It is still dark in Kabul, Afghanistan when the library bus rumbles out of the city. There are no bus seats--instead there are chairs and tables and shelves of books. And there are no passengers--instead there is Pari, who is nervously starting her first day as Mama's library helper. Pari stands tall to hand out notebooks and pencils at the villages and the refugee camp, but she feels intimidated. The girls they visit are learning to write English from Mama. Pari can't even read or write in Farsi yet. But next year she will go to school and learn all there is to know. And she is so lucky. Not long ago, Mama tells her, girls were not allowed to read at all.

Award-winning illustrator Gabrielle Grimard's pensive and captivating art transports the reader to Afghanistan in the time after the Taliban's first regime. Her rich landscapes and compelling characters celebrate literacy, ingenuity, and the strength of women and girls demanding a future for themselves.

A shy musician makes an unexpected friend in this beautiful picture book from an award-winning duo.

A Great Lakes Great Reads Award Children's Picture Book Winner

A girl named Harriet longs to play her cello alone in her room. But when a noisy owl disrupts her solitude, Harriet throws her teacup out the window in frustration, and accidentally knocks the moon out of the sky.

Over the course of an evening, Harriet and the moon become fast friends. Worried that he'll catch a chill, Harriet buys the moon a soft woolen hat, then takes him on a boat ride across a glistening lake, something he's only dreamed of. But can she work up the courage to play her music for the moon?

In this delicate bedtime story about a shy young cello player who learns to share her music with the moon, the award-winning Philip and Erin Stead deliver another whimsical, visually oriented picture book in their signature style.

The duo of Philip and Erin Stead are "one of the most notable names in children's literature" -ABC News


A BookPage Best Book of the Year
A Bank Street Best Book of the Year - Outstanding Merit

With a simple clap of hands, an itty-bitty beboppin' baby gets his whole family singing and dancing. Sister's hands snap. Granny sings scat. Uncle soft-shoes--and Baby keeps the groove. Things start to wind down when Mama and Daddy sing blues so sweet. Now a perfectly drowsy baby sleeps deep, deep, deep.

Lisa Wheeler and R. Gregory Christie pair up for a celebration of music, imagination, and big families--but they know that even a jazz baby needs to snooze. Oh yeah.

How big is too big? Alex is excited when his Abuela comes from Cuba to stay with him and his parents. He's always wanted a big family. But then more family members start to arrive. Soon, the house is bursting at the seams. Will Alex get a bigger family than maybe he bargained for?

This engaging picture book celebrates the uniqueness and diversity of families—and no matter how different they may seem, the love that is shared is all the same.

Every family is unique and special. Some families are made up of many people, and some are much smaller. Sometimes family members look like each other, and sometimes they don’t! From busy mornings before school to special times spent together, families engage in many similar activities. This engaging picture book celebrates the diversity of families around the world and explores the ways that family members support each other through good times and bad. Families may look different, but the love that is shared is all the same.

The recipient of six starred reviews and the APALA Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature!
Named a Best Book of 2018 by the Wall Street Journal, NPR, Smithsonian, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, Booklist, the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, BookRiot, the New York Public Library, the Chicago Public Library-and many more!
When a young boy visits his grandfather, their lack of a common language leads to confusion, frustration, and silence. But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens-with a shared love of art and storytelling, the two form a bond that goes beyond words.

With spare, direct text by Minh Lê and luminous illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, this stirring picturebook about reaching across barriers will be cherished for years to come.
A Junior Library Guild selection!

A daring dog takes a whirlwind tour of Rome in search of freedom in new picture book from beloved storyteller Mac Barnett and masterful illustrator Claire Keane

Paolo the dachshund is trapped. Though he lives in Rome, a city filled with history and adventure, he is confined to a hair salon. Paolo dreams of the sweet life--la dolce vita--in the Eternal City. And then, one day, he escapes Paolo throws himself into the city, finding adventure at every turn. Join our hero as he discovers the wonders of Rome: the ruins, the food, the art, the opera, and--of course--the cats. Readers will cheer the daring of this bighearted dog, whose story shows that even the smallest among us can achieve great things.