Enter a new world this summer--read a book

by Jennifer Galvin

Summer brings long days of sitting in the sun reading great books and sipping lemonade. My childhood is full of fond memories of worlds full of story characters that kept me company during the summer. My children are now meeting some of these same characters and making some amazing new book character friends as well. Here are some wonderful characters to keep you reading through the summer and some fun projects to do after you turn that last page.

Read...

"Wemberly's Ice-cream Star" (HarperCollinsPublishers, $6.99; ages baby-preschool) by Kevin Henkes is a gem. Wemberly gets an ice-cream star and worries about dripping ice-cream on her dress and not having enough to share with her stuffed animal friend, Petal. Instead of worrying too much, she simply grabs two bowls and waits for the ice-cream to melt into them and then eats ice-cream "soup" with a spoon. A delightful and innovative summer sharing solution!

If your child is going to be going away for the first time this summer and is worried about being homesick, try "The Secret Remedy Book" (Orchard Books, $16.95; ages 4-8) by Karin Cates. When Lolly finally persuades her parents to let her visit Auntie Zep all by herself for a whole month, she is excited, at first--then sad. Auntie Zep comes to the rescue with a book that contains seven remedies that must be performed before the first hoot of an owl. Dreaming of great things is the last remedy and it sends Lolly off to sleep, completely at ease at Auntie Zep's and ready for a month full of fun and adventure.

"Princesses are not Quitters" (Bloomsbury Children's Books, $16.95; ages 4-8) by Kate Lum could come in quite handy this summer when children are looking for a way out of summer chores. When three princesses decide they are bored and want to take over the jobs of their servants, they are astonished at the amount of work they are expected to complete. However, rather than complain, they do it all, because, "Princesses are not quitters." After the princesses finish their day of work, they realize how much their servants do for them and proclaim many improvements for their servants.

"Punctuation Takes a Vacation" (Holiday House, $16.95; ages 5-9) by Robin Pulver is full of bright, bold illustrations and bouncy text. When it gets hot in Mr. Wright's class, he gives his class a break on the playground and says, "Let's give punctuation a vacation." The punctuation marks in the classroom take his remark literally and pack up for Take-a-Break Lake. Children will have so much fun, they may not even realize they are learning about punctuation as they read this silly vacation story!

"An Ant's Day Off" (Simon & Schuster, $15.95; ages 4-8) by Bonny Becker is a great summer read about friendship and enjoying time together. When Bart realizes that he has never had a day off, he notices the blue sky way above him. Bart climbs up to see what is out in the world besides work and has quite an adventure. A sympathetic guard lets him back in to the nest and Bart shares his experiences with his friend Floyd. Floyd is happy just hearing about the adventures, until one day when Bart finds him staring up at the sky and they begin to climb. Delightful!

For a book you won't be able to put down once you pick it up, open up "The City of Ember" (Random House Books for Young Readers, $15.95; ages 10 and up) by Jeanne DuPrau. As the lights begin to flicker and the black outs become more and more frequent, readers will pull for Lina and Doon to figure out the mystery of the locked box that mysteriously clicks open in the first chapter, making for furious page turning for the reader ever after. A must read for this summer!

...and play

Paint a hand print summer sun book bag

Materials: A white canvas bag, yellow fabric paint, cardboard, and a paintbrush.

Directions: Put a piece of cardboard inside the bag to keep the paint from bleeding through to the back. Paint a circle in the middle of your bag. Paint your child's hand with yellow paint and print it fingers out several times to create the "rays" of the sun.

Design a book wall hanging

Materials: Construction paper, yarn, old magazines, yarn, glue, a hole punch, markers, and a 12" dowel rod.

Directions: Brainstorm four favorite books to use for your wall hanging. Cut out four 3" by 4" rectangles and write the title of a book and its author on each rectangle. Decorate your "book covers" with markers or pictures cut from magazines. Punch a hole in the top of the rectangles, tie yarn through the holes, and tie them on the dowel rod. Balance your wall hanging by making some of the "book" rectangles hang down lower than others.

Make a hand print chain to keep track of summer reading

Materials: Construction paper, tape, tempera paint, a paintbrush, and permanent markers.

Directions: Tape five sheets of construction paper together on the back sides to create a long piece of paper. Use markers to create a border and write "Hand me Some Great Books This Summer" at the top. Every time your child reads a book, paint his hand with tempera paint and print it on the construction paper, connecting the hand prints as you add more. Then let each print dry and write the title of the book and the author inside of the hand print with permanent marker.

Jennifer Galvin reads and plays with her children whenever they allow her to join in. You can reach her at readandplay@jennifergalvin.com with any comments or questions.