Summer in the Country

When I was a kid we went camping on weekends – took to the road in our Ford station-wagon, sang car songs, played the license plate game, probably drove our parents nuts with our chatter. Hours after the start, we would pile out at our campsite in the woods and spend a couple of days swimming, hiking, singing around the campfire. Here are a couple of kids books that remind me of those days.

Oldie But Goodie

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

Sal and her family live in a small town in Maine. Sometimes on summer days Sal and her mother go into the countryside to pick blueberries, dropping them into their pails: “kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk.” Also on summer days, a little black bear follows his mama through the countryside eating blueberries. One day on Blueberry Hill, the mamas and their children get mixed up with each other. In prose that matches the ambling nature of walking the hills picking blueberries, McCloskey sets up the timeless parallel between mothers and their children of all species. A classic! Pegged for ages 3-7.

New and Fabulous

Wake Up, Island by Mary Casanova, woodcuts by Nick Wroblewski

Some of us take our kids to summer homes in the woods or near a lake or… on an island. This book is written in simple poetry, introducing the reader to the wonders of animal life on an island. It gives us a bird’s eye view as an introduction to the various birds, insects and mammals waking up each morning on this particular island. The vacationing boy in this lovely book quickly downs his maple syrup, berry pancakes. And away he goes to explore! Pegged for preschool to 2nd grade.

Share your favorite children’s books about summer in the country!