The Summer Reading A-List

This summer, our must-read list of picture books is a mix of old and new: a handful of classic picture books that many of us parents read as children, mixed with brand-new titles to discover for the first time. There are 50 titles on this list. Some will provoke hysterical laughter, while others will provoke some serious thinking. I challenge you to read as many of them as possible with your children this summer.

Picture books aren't just for early readers. They are for all ages, and being read to and reading aloud to others only strengthens literacy skills. Explore them with your older children -- have them read to younger siblings or re-read old favorites with fresh eyes. These books offer readers of all levels a chance to hone their skills, especially comprehension and expressive language.

Here is our list of 50 must-read books, sorted by author to make it easy for you to print out and take to the library so you can spend your time reading instead of tracking the books down.  How many of these titles will you be reading this summer?

1. Parts by Tedd Arnold
2. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
3. Animalia by Graeme Base
4. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
5. Clavin Can't Fly by Jennifer Berne
6. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
7. Hubert Horatio by Lauren Child
8. Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
9. Nighttime Ninja by Barbara DaCosta
10. Corduroy by Don Freeman
11. The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein
12. Something From Nothing by Phoebe Gillman
13. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
14. Barry the Fish With Fingers by Sue Hendra
15. Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
16. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
17. Ferdinand by Robert Lawson
18. Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester
19. Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes by Tim Litwin
20. Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue
21. Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell
22. George and Martha by James Marshall
23. Elmer by David McKee
24. No Bears by Meg McKinlay
25. Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel
26. Zoom by Robert Munsch
27. 11 Experiments That Failed by Jenny Offill
28. Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka
29. Let Them Play by Margot Theis Raven
30. Ish by Petter H. Reynolds
31. Great Escape From the City Zoo by Tohby Riddle
32. Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin
33. Cowboy Camp by Tammi Sauer
34. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka
35. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
36. Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
37. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
38. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
39. Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss
40. A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
41. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
42. Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
43. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
44. Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
45. There's a Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone
46. Press Here by Herve Tullet
47. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
48. Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach by Melanie Watt
49. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
50. Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems

What's on your must-read list of children's books this summer? Join the conversation on our Scholastic Parents Facebook page.