Top summer reads for kids: 2026

A beautiful look at the summer season, featuring lovely activity ideas to enjoy among the wildlife.

A wonderfully tactile and accessible board book. Find the objects on the page using your senses!

Clever, playful and exuding warmth, this mouth-wateringly magnificent picture book focuses on words beginning with the letter M and, of course, mangoes!

Ready, steady, go, go, go! Join Ada and her animal friends for a fun-filled race to remember!

Join Zeki and mum as they enjoy quality time around food and friends at the Saturday market!

Featuring a sweet father-son relationship, this highly illustrated book is great for adventure seekers and fans of dinosaurs and superheroes.

A hilarious mystery takes place in this bright, bold picture book! Is Stella the Cat really Stella?

This beautiful picture book shows that the biggest adventures can sometimes start in your own back garden!

Will Dad learn to swim and overcome his fears, and can he too be a mermaid?

Nature offers up a profusion of colour in this stunning, fun, and inclusive representation of a day at the local park.

A slice of charming and delightful family life, both at home in Nigeria and away in Canada.

Step into the world of Maggie Sparks, a mischievous young witch determined to seek adventure at every turn!

Yet another wonderful book in this magical series, where we investigate who kidnapped all the fairy-tale princesses!

This engaging, illustrated chapter book is perfect for animal lovers, touching on themes of pets, friendship and honesty.

Delve into the world of John Agard, exploring his playful poetry across the decades.

A funny, heartfelt rescue mission that celebrates friendship, inclusion and big imaginations!

A fun, fast and frantic story that is also well observed, achieving incredible subtlety in its potrayal of one neurodivergent child’s experiences.

Supa Nova loves inventing things, but can she invent something that eats plastic? A vibrant, fun graphic novel from a new series.

A beautifully illustrated graphic novel, full of charming and resourceful characters.

This fun chapter book, featuring a diverse cast, is great for emerging sleuths and lovers of detective fiction.