Inside Google Books: Summer reading for kids

Tuesday, June 20, 2006 at 11:02 AM

Posted by Arielle Reinstein, Associate Product Marketing Manager

My favorite thing about kindergarten was the books. Unlike preschool -- where people read to you -- in kindergarten you got to pick out your own books and read them by yourself. That was big. And to encourage us to read, every once in a while my teacher handed out leaflets we could take home to convince Mom and Dad to buy us our own copies. "I'll take one Caps for Sale and one Goodnight Moon," I'd say to myself as I put neat little "1s" on the order form. Then, sure enough, a few weeks later these books would magically appear on my desk. I couldn't believe how lucky I was that they were mine to keep. And my parents were especially generous right before school let out for the summer, letting me order more books than usual so I'd have extras.

While some children might cringe at the thought of "summer reading" -- imagining long, boring books assigned over those precious three months off! -- it doesn't have to be a chore. Here we've gathered recommended reading lists from a variety of sources: parent groups, library groups, teacher associations, reading groups -- you name it. Take a look -- you could discover something even a reluctant reader would enjoy, or find new books that your little bookworm will eagerly gobble up. And while you may not have a leaflet handy, you can still buy these books or borrow them from your local library. Happy summer reading!