Summer is here! It signals long, languorous days spent in a variety of pursuits.

Perhaps for your child it includes time away from home at camp, trips to scenic getaways with the family, visits to relatives or just hanging out at the beach. Or just maybe some down time where schedules and car pooling is abated for a couple of months. Wouldn’t that be a welcome change for dad and mom.

One thing’s for sure, there’s a bunch of free time inviting itself into your child’s world  each summer day.

It’s the perfect time to encourage your young reader to explore reading in ways that they may not have had time for in the academic crunch of the school year. There are many books out there, especially the “classic reads” as I call them, or for want of a better term, the “essentials” of children’s literature, that you won’t want your young reader to miss. Summer is the perfect time to begin filling in the reading gap.

How, you may ask, can I pick from the book store rack what is “essential” and what is just so-so? Sometimes in a book store there’s a dizzying array of titles and authors to choose from. Well, to help in that direction of choice, here are some guides in children’s book selection. Some are broken down by age and subject matter, and one is a type of book-a-day almanac that gives selections that may dovetail with the day’s importance And here they are:

The Read-Aloud Handbook – Jim Trelease

What To Read When: The Books and Stories to Read with Your Child and All the best Times to Read Them – Pam Allyn

Children’s Book-A-Day Almanac – Anita Silvey

Children’s Books: A Practical Guide to Selection – Phyllis J. Van Orden and Sunny Strong

Picturing the World; Informational Picture Books for Children – Kathleen T. Isaacs

So this summer, while watching your child dip their toes in the sand, have them dip into some of the “essentials” as well. They’re just as satisfying and may sustain them long after the passage of summer.

One last important point; because of the pandemic that has played havoc with our culture on so many levels, schools have had to adapt to hybrid versions of instruction. Some schools have been fortunate to have been able to continue in class learning, while other have had to function with a combination of virtual instruction and, when possible, in class.

Whatever version your young readers has been adapting to this year, reading often and reading challenging materials may help to close that learning gap they have encountered.

At the same time, it provides a break from technology’s devices, fuels a longer attention span and drives the creative imagination; these are all good skills to have on hand when school commences in September.

Let the summer reading commence now too!