The 100 best picture books to read this summer

When I put together my first list of 100 best picture books in 2015, I didn’t imagine it as an annual post.

Now, four years after that first list, it’s become one of my favorite traditions on Everyday Reading.

I love seeing families use the list to find new titles, help improve your library trips, and give a little structure to your summer reading. Nothing makes me happier than hearing from you about new favorite titles you’ve found, how you’ve discovered amazing authors, or helped your child expand their reading palette.

I love seeing you print it off and mark off the books as you read and sharing the ones you love most on Instagram.

As usual, I’ve tried to make this list a good mix of new and older titles, fiction and non-fiction (although, we all know my picture book lists are always going to skew more heavily toward fiction), funny and sweet, and short and longer.

I hope the 2019 list of 100 picture books will help make your summer reading with your children a little more fun this year!

The 100 best picture books to read this summer

1. People Don’t Bite People by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Molly Idle. Our family recited this book for MONTHS after we first checked it out of the library. The rhyming text about how we bite things like doughnuts and pizza and apples but people don’t bite PEOPLE is laugh-out-loud funny and I always love Molly Idle’s illustrations.
2. The Lumberjack’s Beard by Duncan Beedie. Jim is a very good lumberjack, heading out to chop down trees every morning. But it’s a downer for the animals who live in those trees, so Jim offers to let the displaced animals live in her beard. Which seems like a great solution for a while, until having a bunch of animals living in his beard gets to be a little too much.
3. Crunch the Shy Dinosaur by Cirocco Dunlap, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli. This interactive book is really delightful. Crunch is a shy brontosaurus who wants to play, but he’s going to need some coaxing from the reader. Can you convince him to come out and play?
4. Hungry Bunny by Claudia Rueda. You may already know Bunny from the earlier book, Bunny Slopes, and in this one, Bunny trades in his skiing adventures for that fall classic – picking apples. But whoa, those apples are hard to reach and he’ll need the reader’s help. This is a fun interactive book that my girls loved!
5. Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings. This was the first title I put on this year’s list because I accidentally left it off last year! In this book, a dog is searching for a new home and sends letters to every person on the street, requesting they be his owners.
6. Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall. This book was the 2019 Caldecott winner and I couldn’t be happier. I love the sweet story of a family that lived in a lighthouse and I never get tired of Sophie Blackall’s beautiful illustrations.
7. Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed, illustrated by Stasia Burrington. I love this spectacular picture book biography about Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel in space. Starting in her childhood, she dreamed of space, but her teachers thought it was a very unrealistic idea. Fortunately, her parents were incredibly encouraging and gave her the confidence to go after a far off dream.
8. Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal. Alma thinks she has too many names (six!). But when she asks her dad why in the world her parents gave such a little person such a big name, he tells her where each of the names comes from and she starts to think it might not be too big after all.
9. How to Code a Sandcastle by Josh Funk, illustrated by Sara Palacios. I was ultra dubious about this book, but it manages to cleverly convey computer coding concepts in a really fun, interesting way through a little girl who builds a sandcastle at the beach on a beautiful summer day.
10. Lovely Beasts by Kate Gardner, illustrated Heidi Smith. This book might go on my all-time best picture books list – I’m so in love with it! One page will have a black and white illustration of a fierce animal, but when you turn the page, the animal is now rendered in color with details about how there is more than meets the eye with these beautiful animals.
11. The Magic Word by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Elise Parsley. I mean, you can’t go wrong with a Mac Barnett book and this one is a big-time winner in our house. When Paxton C. Heymeyer’s babysitter tells him to say the magic word, she’s thinking please. But Paxton tries out a different magic word and it turns out that magic word actually grants all his wishes.
12. There’s a Dinosaur on the 13th Floor by Wade Bradford, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. When a tired gentleman stumbles into a hotel, all he wants is a cozy bed to sleep in. But that turns out to be hard to find because on each floor, the beds are occupied by various animals.
13. A Piglet Named Mercy by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. If you’re a Mercy Watson fan (and who isn’t?), you’ll love this picture book prequel that shows how a little piglet ended up on Deckawoo Drive.
14. Lola Dutch by Kenneth Wright, illustrated by Sarah Jane Wright. I basically couldn’t be more obsessed with Lola Dutch. She’s a little girl bursting with enthusiasm and life (maybe even a little too much!) and she can’t wait to explore the world around her. P.S. The dust jacket comes off to reveal a dollhouse and a set of little characters you can cut out.
15. A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin. Little Star loves making a tasty mooncake with her mother. And in the night, she sneaks in to nibble away a bit of it. This is such a clever story about the phases of the moon. I LOVE it (and so did the 2019 Caldecott committee) .
16. Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown. This companion book to Creepy Carrots follows Jasper on a trip to the store where he discovers a creepy pair of glow in the dark underwear. Which sounds very cool until those underwear take on a life of their own. Can he ever get rid of them?
17. Imagine! by Raúl Colón. This wordless picture book follows a young boy to the museum where the art dances off the wall and into the real world where it accompanies him on adventure around the city. It’s so full of life and color – I couldn’t love this book more.
18. The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach. We have probably read this book at least 100 times over the past year. It follows a dog who comes to the city from his home in the woods, finds himself at a park and eats a sandwich. A sandwich that does not belong to him. It’s so funny and the illustrations are so vibrant.
19. Mary Wears What She Wants by Keith Negley. Based on the true story of a woman from the 1800s, Mary decides she’d rather wear pants than a fussy long dress. The townspeople, naturally, do not approve of this decision.
20. Thank You, Earth by April Pulley Sayre. This spectacular picture book is all done in photographs with text that showcases all sorts of glorious aspects of nature, from colors and shapes to animals and plants. I could look at this book forever.
21. The Rough Patch by Brian Lies. The fox in this book loves two things. His pet dog and his garden. But when his dog dies, he gives up on his garden too, until a surprise convinces him to deal with his grief in better ways. 
    
22. The Good Egg by John Jory, illustrated by Pete Oswald. This companion book to The Bad Seed is all about a good egg who is VERY good. But eventually the pressure of trying to be perfect starts to get to him. Will he crack?
23. A Green Place to Be by Ashley Benham Yaazdani. I knew virtually nothing about the history of Central Park until this book and I loved seeing how the sad grounds in the middle of the city became one of the world’s most famous urban green spaces.
24. Earthrise: Apollo 8 and the Photo that Changed the World by James Gladstone, illustrated by Christy Lundy. I have a soft spot for anything about the Apollo program, so I was immediately interested in this picture book about the first photo taken of Earthrise by the crew of the Apollo 8 mission.
25. Hug Machine by Scott Campbell. We own the board book version of this book (thanks, Bookroo!) and I never get tired of this cute story about a little boy who declares himself the Hug Machine, offering hugs to anyone and anything who needs one. (What does a Hug Machine run on? Pizza, of course).
26. The Nice Book by David Ezra Stein. This is one of our favorite bedtime books – it’s a little rhyme about being nice and it’s incredibly not cheesy, but just clever and sweet.
27. Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora. Omu can’t wait for her delicious dinner. But when the smell brings in neighbors from all over that want to share her dinner, Omu ends up with none for herself.
28. Because by Mo Willems, illustrated by Amber Ren. I am OBSESSED with this newest Mo Willems book about how a string of events leads to a little girl attending a symphony concert and discovering that she loves music.
29. The Girl and the Dress by Camille Andros, illustrated by Julie Morstad. This picture book has the feel of an instant classic, about a little girl in Greece who emigrates and during the journey loses her beloved dress that accompanied all her adventures at home. And then, years later, the dress finds the girl again.
30. Otis and Will Discover the Deep: The Record-Setting Dive of the Bathysphere by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Katherine Roy. This non-fiction picture book is about two men who both loved the ocean and worked together to make the first deep-sea dive to see what was at the bottom of the ocean. The illustrations in this one are just SO good and make it feel like you’re right there.
31. How to Give Your Cat a Bath: in Five Easy Steps by Nicola Winstanley, illustrated by John Martz. How hard can it be to bathe a cat? Turns out. . . pretty hard. You’ll definitely need some milk and cookies to keep you going because it’s not a task for the fainthearted!
32. The Panda Problem by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Hannah Marks. The panda in this book is perfectly happy. But the narrator insists he needs a problem because a book needs a problem to be solved.
33. Sun! One in a Billion by Stacy Mcanulty, illustrated by Stevie Lewis. This high-energy book about the sun is packed with facts that are presented in a really engaging and fun way.
34. Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs by Tomie dePaola. Are you going to cry in this book? VERY likely. You’ve been warned. This story, based on Tomie’s own life, is about a little boy with two grandmothers – his grandmother who spends most of her days downstairs cooking and caring for her home and his great-grandmother who lives upstairs.
35. Kitten and the Night Watchman by John Sullivan, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo. When a night watchman heads out alone to work in the evening, leaving behind his wife and small children, he doesn’t suspect that when he returns in the morning, he’ll have a new friend with him.
36. Spring after Spring: How Rachel Carson Inspired the Environmental Movement by Stephanie Roth Sisson. This picture book biography taught me all sorts of things I didn’t know in a very accessible, interesting way, like all the best picture book biographies should.
37. The Very Last Castle by Travis Jonker, illustrated by Mark Pett. In a small town, there is only one castle left. And no one goes in and no one goes out. Until one day, a little girl receives an invitation to come to the castle.
38. Little Whale by Jo Weaver. This beautiful, soothing book is about a gray whale and her baby who make the long journey north to meet up with other whales. The illustrations are quietly stunning and I loved the note in the back about whale migration.
39. The Bear, the Piano, the Dog and the Fiddle by David Litchfield. In this sequel to The Bear and the Piano (one of the best picture books!), a man retires from fiddling, only to discover that his dog is a proficient fiddler. He’s delighted until the dog is invited to tour with the piano-playing bear and suddenly he feels jealous. Is it going to ruin their long friendship?
40. Will You Help Doug Find His Dog? by Jane Caston. Doug has lost his dog and in this interactive book, you get to help him find it by sorting out the dogs that don’t fit the description Doug gives you. Can you successfully locate Doug’s missing dog?
41. I Have a Balloon by Ariel Bernstein, illustrated by Scott Magoon. Owl has a balloon and Monkey would really like it. It’s the only thing he’s ever wanted since right this minute. Owl isn’t convinced he should give up his balloon, so Monkey does his best to offer things that will convince Owl to trade. What will make Owl want to give up his balloon?
42. The Tiptoeing Tiger by Philippia Leather. Little Tiger can’t scare anyone. When his older brother challenges him to scare SOMEONE (anyone!), he succeeds in a surprising way!
43. Fear the Bunny by Richard T. Morris, illustrated by Priscilla Burris. In this reimagined version of the famous “Tiger Tiger Burning Bright” poem by William Blake, bunnies are the most terrifying animal in the forest.
44. I Want that Nut! by Madeline Valentine. When a nut falls from a tree, two woodland friends can’t agree on who should get the nut and resort to some pretty outrageous tricks to keep it to themselves.
45. Plume by Isabelle Simler. Each page of this gorgeous oversized book introduces a bird, ranging from familiar varieties like a chicken or robin to more exotic ones. And you won’t be the only one interested in these beautiful birds – there’s a cat lurking in each illustration, ready to pounce.
46. Amanda Panda and the Bigger Better Birthday by Candice Ransom, illustrated by Christine Grove. Amanda Panda cannot WAIT for her birthday and her party. Until her best friend has a birthday first and it looks like all Amanda will get is a leftover birthday.
47. Croc and Ally: Friends Forever by Derek Anderson. This new early reader series has been a big hit in our family – each book has three short stories that are silly and fun, with bright colorful illustrations.
48. They Say Blue by Jillian Tamaki. A little girl examines all the colors she comes in contact with. It’s a clever take on a typical color book, showing the importance of perspective and perfect for everyone who sees the world a little differently.
49. Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang, illustrated by Max Lang. Jim is a foul mood. His friends can’t quite understand – it’s such a beautiful day! They keep advising hm to smile and promise him that he’ll feel better. But it leads quickly to a meltdown for Jim who can’t quite seem to snap out of it.
50. Do you Believe in Unicorns? by Bethanie Deeney Murgula. This unicorn book never fails to make me laugh as you try to decide on each page if it’s really a unicorn or just a common horse.
51. High Five by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri. Adam Rubin’s books are extremely hit or miss for me, but this one is a hit (literally). As you train for the High Five competition, you get to high five the book getting ready for the big contest. Can you bring home the gold medal?
52. I Just Ate My Friend by Heidi Mckinnon. This book makes me laugh so much. It reminds me a bit of I Want My Hat Back and my girls go into gales of giggles every time we read it.
53. Sign Off by Stephen Savage. I’ve long been a fan of Stephen Savage (Where’s Walrus? was one of the picture books I fell in love with back when I started reading them again a decade or so ago) and his newest wordless one is a gem. On each page, you see a road sign and on the next page, the black silhouette has come to life, sometimes leaping right off the sign itself.
54. The Whale and the Fisherman by Jessica Lanan. This spectacular wordless book follows a boy and his father on a fishing vessel where the little boy spots a whale, trapped in fishing lines. After some persuading, the father dives in to the sea to rescue the whale.
55. Did You Eat the Parakeet? by Mark Lacolina. The simple text and line drawings with sparse colors are just delightful as the little girl in the story feels certain her parakeet has been eaten by the cat. Seeing the parakeet in the illustrations makes it extra fun for little readers to feel like they are in on the joke.
56. Bats at the Library by Brian Lies. When I was looking through our bookshelves a few weeks ago, I couldn’t believe I’d never included this one on any of my lists of 100 picture books.
57. Eat Pete! by Michael Rex. When a monster climbs in the window of a house, he cannot WAIT to eat Pete. But the monster and Pete have so much fun playing together that the monster might miss his chance.
58. I Don’t Want to Be A Frog by Dev Petty, illustrated by Mike Boldt. Frog does NOT want to be a frog. Everything else seems so much more fun. But maybe being a frog isn’t so bad after all.
59. The Brilliant Deep by Kate Messner, illustrated by Matthew Forsythe. This book about coral is absolutely beautiful and shares facts while maintaining the magic of the underwater world.
60. Big Tree Down by Laurie Lawlor, illustrated by David Gordon. This picture book seemed to float under the radar but I loved this story about a tree that dominated the neighborhood, serving as meeting place, playground and icon, until it is felled by a storm.
61. Secret Life of Squirrels by Nancy Rose. I was BLOWN AWAY by this book all done in photographs. The author/photographer stages elaborate little scenes in her yard and then hides nuts in them to get the squirrels to pose how she wants them to.
62. I Wrote You a Note by Lizi Boyd. A little child writes a note in a meadow and leaves it for a friend to find, but a whole slew of animals find it instead, each using it in other ways,  from a raft to a dock to a bridge. But eventually, thanks to the help of the wind, the child the note was written for receives it.
63. Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Beth Coulton, illustrated by Nate Wragg. We discovered this Goldilocks retelling through our Bookroo subscription and we all were instant fans. The three bears are starting a band and looking for just the right lead vocalist.
64. Barkus by Patricia MacLachlan, illustrated by Marc Boutavant. This easy reader book has a few short chapters about a little girl and her oversized dog, Barkus, and it’s delightful. Perfect for kids who can sit a little longer than a traditional picture book but aren’t quite ready for a full-fledged novel.
65. Who Done It? by Olivier Tallec. My girls are obsessed with this series of books where you look at a page and then when you turn it, try to answer the riddle without looking back on the previous page.
66. Just Being Jackie by Margaret Cardillo, illustrated by Julia Denos. I read this picture book biography to Star one night last year at her request, figuring she’d be bored by it, and was surprised when she asked to read it for many many nights in a row after that. This duo also wrote Just Being Audrey which is equally excellent.
67. My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by Zeke Pena. You know that magical experience where a picture book, both through words and illustrations, pulls you into a new world? This book, about a little girl and her father riding his motorcycle through the streets of their Southern California community of immigrants, did just that. It’s already getting tons of buzz as one of the best picture books this year and I think it deserves it.
68. Little Red Gliding Hood by Tara Lazar, illustrated by Troy Cummings. Little Red is in need of some new skates but the only way she can get some is by winning the skating competition. She’ll need a partner to compete, though, and the only person still available is the Big Bad Wolf.
69. Life by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Brendan Wenzel. This gorgeous book shows life in many different forms and how it changes over the lifecycle of different animals and through different stages of life.
70. I’ll Wait, Mr. Panda by Steve Anthony. Everyone in this book is wildly impatient and unable to wait. Except for one small character who is happy to wait pleasantly for what Mr. Panda has to reveal.
71. The Crocodile and the Dentist by Taro Gomi. With a dentist for a dad, this picture book made me giggle as the Crocodile goes to the dentist to get a tooth fixed and his reluctance about the visit is matched only by the dentist’s fear of performing the dental work.
72. Tumble Bumble by Felicia Bond. A friend gave this to me at a baby shower for Ella and I’d never heard of it, but I loved this bouncy rhyming book immediately.
73. Corduroy by Don Freeman. How have I never included this beloved little bear on one of these best picture books lists before? I’ve read Corduroy probably 150 times to my girls and it never gets old for any of us.
74. Dreamers by Yuyi Morales. This beautiful book about an immigrant mother and her small child who make their way in a new land and discover the magic of a public library hit all the right notes for me. I don’t think I could possibly love it more.
75. How to Be a Hero by Florence Parry Heide, illustrated by Chuck Groenink. A little boy longs to be a hero, reflecting on his favorite fairy tales and how those heroes became legend. The moment where he finds himself in the right place at the right time completely caught me off guard and made me laugh out loud.
76. Brown Rabbit in the City by Natalie Russell. Ralphie sent me this book shortly after we moved away from Texas and I’ve loved this story about a rabbit coming to visit her friend in the city ever since.
77. Saturday Is Swimming Day by Hyewon Yum. Saturday is swim lessons and for one little girl, this is very bad news. For every child terrified of going in the water, especially as summer swimming season approaches, this book is the perfect antidote.
78. Now! by Tracy Corderoy, illustrated by Tim Warnes. A little tiger’s favorite word is “Now!” and it becomes especially pronounced when the family prepares to leave on a trip.
79. Rice from Heaven by Tina Cho, illustrated by Keum Jin Song. This book, based on a true story, follows a little girl and her father who send rice balloons over the mountains from South Korea into North Korea where people are starving.
80. The Great Puppy Invasion by Alastair Heim, illustrated by Kim Smith. In the town in this book, there is no fun and certainly no cute. So when puppies, anxious to play and sporting big VERY cute eyes, appear in town, everyone goes crazy with fear. How can they get rid of these dogs?
81. The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld. When the main character of this story, a young child, is sad, all the other animals come along offering solutions. But the rabbit listens quietly.
82. The Wall in the Middle of the Book by Jon Agee. The middle of the book has a wall and the knight is VERY happy about it because that wall protects his side of the book from all the dangerous things he is sure lurk on the other side. But it turns out that what is on the other side of that wall might save his life.
83. Drawn Together by Minh Lê, illustrated by Dan Santat. A grandson resents having to go spend afternoons with his grandfather. The time drags, their tastes are very different and a language barrier makes things even more challenging. Until they discover a shared love of flying.
84. Daddy Sitting by Eve Coy. While the mom is gone, a little girl cares for her daddy. Naturally, he wants to get up early, needs breakfast immediately, and needs a lot of exercise because he has so much energy. As a parent to young children, this book made me laugh quietly to myself.
85. How to Two by David Soman. This simple book about children on a playground who keep welcoming in additional friends to their games is so sweet. And the ending, where the original little boy returns home, is so sweet.
86. Anya’s Secret Society by Yevgenia Nayberg. Inspired by the author’s own experiences, this book is about Anya who loves to draw, but in Russia, everyone from her neighbors to her teachers disapprove of her left-handedness and Anya learns to use her right hand. Except her right hand never can learn to draw as well as her left.
87. Giraffe Problems by Jory John, illustrated by Lane Smith. A giraffe is deeply embarrassed by his long neck until a turtle shows him how useful (not to mention handsome) a long neck can be.
88. The Pink Umbrella by Amelie Callot, illustrated by Genevieve Godbout.  Adele has a beautiful little cafe where all the community is welcome. But on rainy days, Adele stays home in bed, unable to face the gray weather. Until her one of her customers decides to give back to Adele the happiness she’s shared so freely with everyone. The illustrations in this one are SO sweet – I love Genevieve Godbout’s style.
89. Niblet and Ralph by Zachariah Ohora. Niblet and Ralph are two cats who look very similar and live in nearby apartments and one day, the two of them switch places. Their owners know something is different but can’t quite put their finger on it.
90. Waiting by Kevin Henkes. A row of toys are lined up on the windowsill of a child’s room, all waiting. Each waits for something else – but what are they waiting for? I love this sweet book about childhood.
91. The Bear’s Sea Escape by Benjamin Chaud. We’ve read all four books in this series (I think we actually own them all, now!) and I love these oversized books where a Papa Bear searches for his Baby Bear on each page. My girls love finding both bears in each spread as well as the story that always has a many twists and turns before arriving at a delightful ending.
92. A New Home by Tania de Regil. This book shows two children both preparing to make a move – one from New York City to Mexico City and one from Mexico City to New York City. I love how beautifully it shows the excitement and worry about a big change.
93. I Got a Chicken for My Birthday by Laura Gehl, illustrated by Sarah Home. The main character in this book wants to go to an amusement park for her birthday, so you can imagine her disappointment when she is presented with a chicken by her grandmother instead.
94. Stumpkin by Lucy Ruth Cummins. A pumpkin is so excited for Halloween, waiting anxiously to be chosen by a family to take him home and make him their jack-o-lantern. But as the holiday approaches, no one chooses Stumpkin and he starts to worry no one will before it’s too late.
95. Neck and Neck by Elise Parsley. A giraffe at the zoo is one of the most popular attractions and he knows it, soaking up the attention. Until a child appears with a giraffe balloon that seems to be stealing the spotlight.
96. Blackout by John Rocco. I LOVE this book about a neighborhood blackout on a summer night where, when all the computers and televisions shut off and it’s hot indoors with no AC, everyone comes outside and has a pretty magnificent neighborhood party together.
97. Nelly Takes New York by Allison Pataki and Mayra Myers, illustrated by Kristi Valiant. When Nelly wakes up on morning in her New York City apartment, she heads out to explore, hoping to find the Big Apple she’s heard about. But for every famous landmark she visits, she can’t seem to find the elusive Big Apple. The spreads of the city from Empire State Building observatory are STUNNING.
98. Tomorrow Most Likely by Dave Eggers, illustrated by Lane Smith. Most bedtime stories talk about bed and going to sleep. This one focuses on all the amazing things tomorrow might bring, from the expected (the sun rising) to the whimsically surprising.
99. Lena’s Shoes are Nervous by Keith Calabrese, illustrated by Juana Medina. Lena can’t wait to go to the first day of kindergarten. But her shoes? They’re a little nervous about the whole thing. Lena and her father carefully talk the shoes through it and eventually they happily walk her into a new chapter of childhood.
100. Grandma Gatewood Hikes the Appalachian Trail by Jennifer Thermes. Grandma Gatewood had a very regular life and then in her 60s, when all her children were grown, she decided she wanted to walk the Appalachian Trail. All by herself. She was the first woman to do so, and the girls and I loved this book about her adventures along the way (and now I kind of want to hike the whole Appalachian Trail too).

If you need even more picture book recommendations, you can check out the 2015 list, the 2016 list, the 2017 list, and the 2018 list too!