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It's Summer Time and the Reading is Easy!

© Holly Gumpher

Ahhh, summer! Long, lazy days spent relaxing, lying in the hammock, drinking iced tea, staring at the clouds, the world slipping silently by! Well, ok, all of our summer days may not be quite as tranquil as that! But on those days when the living is easy arises the perfect opportunity to share a good book with your child. Lie under the beach umbrella, sit cross-legged under the shade tree, or dip your feet into the pool, and open a good book. I consulted an expert (age 4)on what constitutes good summer reading for preschoolers this year, and here are her top picks! Enjoy!

1. Anything by Kevin Henkes. Our special favorites include: Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Weekend with Wendell, Bailey Goes Camping, Chrysanthemum and Sheila Rae the Brave. Published by Greenwillow Books.

2. If You Give a Pig a Pancake, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, If You Give a Moose a Muffin. All by Laura Numeroff. Published by Harper Collins.

3. The Berenstain Bears by Jan and Stan Berenstain. They have loads of books out, but some of our favorites include: The Berenstain Bears Trouble With Money, The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room, The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food, and The Berenstain Bears Forget Their Manners. Published by Random House.

4. Emma's Lamb, by Kim Lewis. Published by Candlewick Press. Ok, this is actually one of my favorites. I guess I just relate really well to this book because I used to keep orphaned lambs in a box in our kitchen when I was a little girl! But, that's a story for another day!

5. The Tale of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter. Published by Allan Publishers, Inc. All of the Beatrix Potter stories are great reading, this just happens to be my daughter's favorite. Don't be surprised if your child starts yelling "Stop! Thief!" every time they see a rabbit!

6. A Baby Sister for Frances and Bread and Jam for Frances, by Russell Hoban. Published by Harper & Row. Again, there are more Frances books out there, but these two are our favorite.

7. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, Lovable Lyle and Lyle and the Birthday Party, by Bernard Waber. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. The adventures of Lyle and the Primm family are classic reading for kids!

That's our hot list of books for the hot summer days ahead! All titles have been both parent and child tested for enjoyment and rate a 10 out of 10! Happy Reading!