Summer reading programs are a wonderful incentive for reluctant readers. Most if not all libraries have some sort of a summer reading program. These programs encourage kids to pick up a book this summer and in some cases are rewarded for reading a certain number of books. If a library in your area does not have a summer reading program you can participate in an online reading program. I am sure there are many online options available, but the two I am familiar with are the Scholastic Summer Challenge and the Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program.

You can also create your own summer reading program for your children. Help them set a goal for how many books they should read this summer and reward them in August with an ice cream cone, mini pizza or some other treat they will enjoy. Summer is a great time for kids to develop a habit of reading every day.

Here are some of our favorite books from the week.

The Button Box by Margarette Reid Cute book about a boy who discovers his grandmother’s button box. If your kids like to play with buttons they will enjoy this book. This book can also be used to improve counting skills for higher numbers. Be prepared to break out the buttons if you read this book!
Animal Stackers by Jennifer Belle When I was in school I loved to write acrostic poems. This book is full of animal acrostics. A great way to introduce this form of poetry to your elementary aged child, but younger children will love the colorful illustrations and fun poems too.
The Storm Book by Charlotte Zolotow My children enjoyed the pictures more than the story in this book. What I did not like about it was that you have two pages of words and then two pages of pictures. My little kids could not sit through the long reading sections, but loved looking at the pictures. Finally about half-way through I gave up reading and we just talked about the pictures.
Hank the Cowdog by Jon Erickson Have your elementary aged boys discovered Hank yet? My boys love Hank the Cowdog and look forward to reading every book in the series. Hank is a farm dog, although he calls himself “Head of Ranch Security.” Your boys will love reading about Hank’s misadventures on the farm with his partner Drover, Pete the barn cat, and a hilarious cast of characters. One of the funniest aspects of this series is that the author has recorded many of these books on cd, using a variety of “voices” for all the characters in the book. These audio books are perfect for long road trips and will keep kids and parents laughing all the way to grandma’s.

Now it is time to link up your book basket post. Please link to the actual post and not your blog homepage so people can easily find your post. Then visit the other participants and see what they are reading!

In order to celebrate summer let’s link up next week with our summer reading lists. Feel free to link up with your book reviews too, but I will be posting our reading lists.

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