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Books For Summer! - Bannor Toys

Books For Summer!

I love to read! I just wish that I had more time. My kids are too old to have me read to them anymore and I miss that so much!! I was off last week as my husband spoke at our summer camp so I read....A LOT!!! I generally had my nose in a book whenever we had any bit of downtime! And it was fabulous!! I am still trying to read now that we are home and back to our regular schedule, but it isn't as easy! 

Our Facebook Group, Bannor Toys Collective, has had a reading challenge the last few years and I love it! As a former teacher, I know how important reading is for everyone so I love it when it is highlighted in an activity! I will include some more information about the reading challenge at the end of this post! But before I do that, I wanted to highlight some books about Summer. Here we go!

The Whale In My Swimming Pool by Joyce Wan

"One sunny day, a little boy heads outside for a swim, but his pool is already taken. There's a big whale in the water and it's not budging! The boy tries everything to get the whale to leave. Nothing seems to work. Not fetch. Not tag. Not even offering his allowance. What's a boy to do? Luckily, he comes up with the perfect solution: he decides to chill out on a spray of water over the whale's spout. This colorful whale of a tale from the talented Joyce Wan is sure to inspire giggles from little guppies!" (Book description and photo from Amazon)

How to Grow a Friend by Sara Gillingham

"A lovely metaphor teaches valuable lessons in how to treat others and make friendships blossom! Making a friend takes patience, care, and room to bloom—just like growing a flower. Soon your little gardeners will have their very own green thumbs for this most important of life skills." (Book description and photo from Amazon)

Summer Walk by Virginia Brimhall Snow

"Ramble through the woods, as you join Grammy and her favorite grandkids on a summer walk. Beautiful illustrations and clever rhymes will guide readers as they learn to identify twenty-six different bugs, from grasshoppers to moths, snails to katydids. At day’s end, discover how to create a caterpillar habitat; observe over time as your caterpillar turns into a beautiful butterfly you can then release on your next summer walk." (Book description and photo from Amazon)

A Perfect Day by Lane Smith

"Today is a perfect day for Cat, Dog, Chickadee, and Squirrel. Cat is lounging among the daffodils. Dog is sitting in the wading pool, deep in the cool water. Chickadee is eating fresh seed from the birdfeeder. Squirrel is munching on his very own corncob. Today is a perfect day in Bert's backyard. Until Bear comes along, that is. Bear crushes the daffodils, drinks the pool water, and happily gobbles up the birdseed and corncob. Today was a perfect day for Cat, Dog, Chickadee, and Squirrel. Now, it's just a perfect day for Bear. Lane Smith uses perfect pacing and vibrant illustrations to emphasize the power of perspective in this hilarious picture book about the goings-on in Bert's backyard." (Book description and photo from Amazon)

The Sandcastle That Lola Built by Megan Maynor

"Lola is building her dream sandcastle--one with a tall, tall tower and sea glass that sends signals to mermaids. But the beach is crowded, and soon enough, a boy steps on her castle. Not to worry! Lola recruits him to build a wall. When a toddler with a bulldozer starts digging too close the walls, Lola decides he can be in charge of digging the moat. As the sandcastle grows, so does Lola's friendly group of helpers. There's only one thing that Lola doesn't want near the sandcastle: a wave! Will the new friends be able to salvage the mermaids' castle when their hard work is washed away?" (Book description and photo from Amazon)

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I hope you take some time to read some of these books and many other this summer. For some extra motivation, here is some information on our Reading Challenge in our FB group:

* Runs from June 1-August 31 (Even though it is past June 1st, jump in and see what you can do!) We challenge you & your kiddos (of all ages!) to read (or be read to) 100 books (or chapters).
* Download the Bannor Toys summer reading tracker from “files” in the Facebook Collective & either write down the book title, or put a check mark on the line, each time you finish a book. If you don’t want to print the tracker, a plain sheet of paper will work too!
* You do not need to read 100 different books, reading the same book multiple times counts!
* When you complete this challenge & have filled out your tracker, we ask you email a photo of your tracker to hello@bannortoys.com & you will receive a special code to use for a discount in the NEW educational toy section of the website!!
*** We ask that you please wait to email your tracker in August, after the big educational toy launch which is July 21st. ) ***
* Mothers & Others: We are inviting you to join the challenge this year too!!!! We challenge you to read 3 “adult” books over the course of the 3 months (June/July/August) You can just write your titles down on the top corner of the kids tracker - I didn’t want to give you more papers to print & keep track of!  Adults who complete this challenge will be entered into a lottery for a chance at winning a $20 gift card to your favorite local Starbucks/Dunkin/Caribou 
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Please comment with what book(s) are currently being read in your home!
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Comments

Stacey Russell - July 23, 2021

We love any of the “ordinary people who changed the world” series from Brad Metzler. I feel like it’s an incredibly interesting and relatable non fiction series and my boys love it. Classics we love: Ferdinand, The Boxcar children ( for nightly chapter reading) and they love the mustache baby series! We read it over and over!

Lauren Miller - July 16, 2021

Thanks for your list! I don’t remember seeing any of these, but they are now in my Amazon cart! We are reading If you Give a mouse of cookie!

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