From transformative summer vacations and creating a home to discovering artists and celebrating individuality, the following picture books are great summer reading options that you may have missed when they were released earlier this spring. There’s something for everyone in this eclectic list.
LONE WOLF GOES TO THE LIBRARY, Book 4 of 4: Lone Wolf, by Kiah Thomas and K-Fai Steele, Neal Porter Books, May 27, 205, Hardcover, $16.99 (ages 6-9)
Wolf’s library book is overdue, and the librarian says if it’s not returned today, he will never ever be able to check a book out again. Wolf loves books. He can’t let this happen.
Even worse: the book is due by the end of story time. Story time means tons of children having noisy fun. Can Wolf get to the library in time while avoiding his nemeses—other people—and preserve both his books . . . and his sanity?
Move over, Elephant & Piggie! For readers who have had enough of the buddy duos, for kids who’d rather play by themselves—Wolf is the antihero you’ve been waiting for. Lone Wolf Goes to the Library is another hilarious early reader starring the completely lovable, chronically grumpy Wolf, a character who affirms kids who fly solo better than with friends. —Synopsis provided by Neal Porter Books
YOU MAKE THE WORLD, by Muon Thi Van , Huynh Kim Lien , Phung Nguyen Quang, Orchard Books, May 6, 2025, Hardcover, $18.99 (ages 4-8)
From the critically acclaimed author of Wishes comes a loving ode from a father to his young child about the inherent power they hold within themselves.
You Make the World is a fantastical journey between a father and child and the self discovery of the love and power within. Throughout their adventure together, the father describes his child’s contagious energy and range of strong emotions as having the same intensity and beauty as the natural world. Muon Thi Van’s acclaimed lyrical style shines in this poetic affirmation of one’s own power. Award-winning illustrator duo, Phung Nguyen Quang and Huynh Kim Lien’s stunning art captures the magic of imagination. Together, this book is a work of art in every sense of the way and truly sings from the pages. —Synopsis provided by Orchard Books
ANYTHING, by Rebecca Stead and Gracey Zhang, Chronicle Books, April 29, 2025, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 4-8)
What’s more powerful than a secret wish? A wish you say out loud.
Anything paints a tender picture of a father and daughter moving into a new home. Dad brings a birthday cake for the new apartment to celebrate their new beginning and tells his daughter she can wish for anything (or, more precisely, “three Anythings”). Over the course of the day, she wishes for some of her favorite things, including a rainbow and “the biggest slice of pizza in the whole world.”
But she keeps some of her wishes inside. Because what she really wants is to go back home to their old apartment, with its big blue bathtub and space in the closet for hide-and-seek. When she finally admits this last wish, her dad takes her on a journey, and by the book’s final pages, she is home . . . in every way that matters. —Synopsis provided by Chronicle Books
MIFFY AND THE ARTISTS, by Dick Bruna, Thames & Hudson, April 20, 2025, Hardcover, $16.95, Hardcover, $16.95 (ages 4-8)
Miffy the rabbit needs no introduction―she’s one of the best-loved bunnies in the world. Created by Dutch graphic designer Dick Bruna in 1955, Miffy will mark her seventieth birthday in 2025. To celebrate, Thames & Hudson will publish Miffy and the Artists―a delightful portrayal of the art that inspired Bruna’s own work and that continues to inspire the next generation of artists.
Miffy and the Artists is a joyful introduction to art for young children, featuring Bruna’s bold illustrations in combination with iconic artworks by Frida Kahlo, Yayoi Kusama, Henri Matisse, Vincent van Gogh, and Andy Warhol, among others.
Using clever pairings of Bruna’s Miffy illustrations with with these well-loved works of art, the book neatly captures the essence of each work. Combining a simple statement about each artist with questions that encourage children to look more closely at the artwork on the page, Miffy and the Artists is a warm welcome into the world of art for young children and their families. —Synopsis provided by Thames & Hudson
CITY SUMMER, COUNTRY SUMMER, by Kiese Laymon and Alexis Franklin, Kokila, April 1, 2025, Hardcover, $18.99 (ages 5-9)
Three Black boys form a deep connection during a transformative summer trip down South to visit family.
On the ground of that garden, covered in vegetables and dirt, coated in laughter, I want to say that the Mississippi and New York in our Black boy bodies were indistinguishable.
Three Black boys spend one special summer exploring the Mississippi woods and woulds and coulds of sharing the kind of freeing friendship that is love.
Watched over and given space to discover by Grandmama and Mama Lara, New York, Country, and little C find camaraderie in their contrasts and all the unspoken things between them while playing games of marco polo in the thick garden and sledding on cardboard by the underpass. —Synopsis provided by Kolika
*This post is part of a larger summer reading list, which consists of recommendations but not individual book reviews.
Copyright © 2025 Cracking the Cover. Unless otherwise noted, all books — digital and physical — have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer.
