We’re excited to share our 2020 printable summer read-aloud list with you all! With pools closing or limiting attendance, camps cancelled, and so many other disappointments for our kids this summer, we’re trying to look for the silver lining…and (ahem) some activities that will keep them busy during these long days.

So, we’ve created this printable list for you to hang up on your fridge or take along to the library. Print one for your child’s summer reading journal, or keep a copy in your car. Make it a challenge to see how many you can check off before the summer is over.

Note: We have both picture books and chapter books on this list, so be sure to read the descriptions of those chapter books to make sure they’re appropriate for your child’s age and sensitivity level. We always go to Common Sense Media before we watch or read.

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Download: Our 2020 Summer Read-Aloud List (PDF)

The Books

Classic books for kids

• • Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
  • Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
  • Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
  • The Borrowers series by Mary Norton
  • The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
  • Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
  • Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Social Justice books for kids

• • The Journey by Francesca Sana
  • Migrant: The Journey of a Mexican Worker by José Manuel Mateo & Javier Martínez Pedro
  • Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
  • Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai & Kerascoët
  • Sylvia & Aki by Winifred Conkling
  • The Bell Rang by James E. Ransome
  • Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers & Shawn Harris
  • Separate Is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh

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Picture Books for kids

• • The Hat Box series by Jon Klassen
  • Last Stop on Market Street by Christian Robinson
  • Chapter Two is Missing! by Josh Lieb & Kevin Cornell
  • Time for Bed, Miyuki by Roxane Marie Galliez & Seng Soun Ratanavanh
  • You Belong Here by M. H. Clark & Isabelle Arsenault
  • Help! We Need a Title! by Hervé Tullet
  • The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

Christian Faith books for kids

• • The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones & Jago
  • God’s Very Good Idea by Trillia Newbell & Catalina Echeverri
  • Indescribable by Louis Giglio
  • The World Jesus Knew by Marc Olsen and Jem Maybank
  • Dinner Table Devotions by Nancy Guthrie
  • When God Made You by Matthew Paul Turner & David Catrow

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Black Lives books for kids

• • Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o & Vashti Harrison
  • The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander & Kadir Nelson
  • Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison
  • So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth’s Long Walk Toward Freedom by Gary D. Schmidt & Daniel Minter
  • Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Boy by Tony Medina & 13 artists
  • Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson & Frank Morrison
  • Crown by Derrick Barnes & Gordon C. James
  • The March series by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin & Nate Powell

Heroes books for kids

• • Stand Up Guys: 50 Christian Men Who Changed the World by Kate Etue & Caroline Siegrist
  • Lightkeepers by Irene Howat
  • Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan
  • Myths of the Norsemen by Robert Lancelyn Green
  • Women Who Dared by Linda Skeers & Livi Gosling
  • Celtic Tales by Kate Forrester

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Science books for kids

• • The Element in the Room by Mark Barfield & Lauren Humphrey
  • Wild Animals of the North & Wild Animals of the South by Dieter Braun
  • The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth by Rachel Ignotofsky
  • What We See in the Stars by Kelsey Oseid
  • Don’t Let Them Disappear by Chelsea Clinton & Gianna Marino
  • The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper and Carson Ellis
  • The Keeper of Wild Words by Brooke Smith and Madeline Kloepper

Art & Beauty

• • Vincent’s Starry Night by Michael Baird & Kate Evans
  • Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg
  • Everything You Need for a Treehouse by Carter Higgins & Emily Hughes
  • Parker Looks Up by Parker Curry, Jessica Curry & Brittany Jackson
  • Swatch: The Girl Who Loved Color by Julia Denos
  • Me & Uncle Romie by Claire Hartfield & Jerome Lagarrigue

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Hispanic Lives books for kids

• • Be Bold, Be Brave! by Naibe Reynoso & Jone Leal
  • Between Us and Abeula by Mitali Perkins & Sara Palacios
  • Dancing Hands by Margarita Engle & Rafael López
  • Carmela Full of Wishes by Matt de la Peña & Christian Robinson
  • La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya & Juana Martinez-Neal
  • My Brigadista Year by Katherine Paterson

Books about the World for kids

• • This Is How We Do It by Matt Lamothe
  • Maps by Aleksandra Mizielinska
  • The Story of the World series by Susan Wise Bauer
  • Folktales for Fearless Girls by Myriam Sayalero
  • Ancient Wonders by Iris Volant & Avalon Nuovo
  • National Parks of the USA by Kate Siber & Chris Turnham
  • Mountains of the World by Dieter Braun

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Books about Asian Lives for kids

• • The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
  • Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein & Ed Young
  • The Only Child by Guojing
  • In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord & Mark Simont
  • Hana Hashimoto, Sixth Violin by Chieri Uegaki & Qin Leng
  • Drawn Together by Minh Lê and Dan Santat
  • A Scarf for Keiko by Ann Malaspina & Merrilee Liddiard

For Mom

• • The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali
  • The Architect’s Apprentice by Elif Shafak
  • Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  • Educated by Tara Westover
  • Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren
  • Listen, Slowly by Thanhhà Lai
  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee