Join us for a WILD SUMMER of reading
The Read, Discuss, Do Summer Challenge starts on June 2!
Are you ready for a WILD SUMMER of reading and fun? If so, then the 2025 Read, Discuss, Do Summer Challenge is for you and the children in your life.
The point of the summer challenge is to pair books with summer fun to keep your kids reading, engaging, and staying active all summer long. Every week during the challenge we will be sharing themed book lists, prompts for discussion and connection, and ideas for activities to pair with books. Our theme this year is Wild Summer, so each week will feature a different wild animal as a “host” for that week! You’ll not only learn fun facts about each animal, but find out what books they have on their own summer reading lists! Plus, there will be opportunities to win prizes, including a big giveaway at the end of the summer.
Feel like joining the fun? Fill out this form to let us know you're in and to enter the End of Summer giveaway! Signing up is not mandatory to participate, but it is required to be eligible for the End of Summer giveaway. There will be other opportunities throughout the summer to gain extra entries, so be sure to keep up so you don't miss a thing! Follow us on Instagram, where we will share bonus content every day, and subscribe to our newsletter to get the weekly Summer Challenge posts.
The Read, Discuss, Do Summer Reading Challenge officially kicks off on Monday, June 2. We hope you’ll join us!
Read: Some wild books to get you started on summer reading
Enjoy this list of books that include a large cast of animal characters to get a kick-start on a wild summer of reading and fun!
Animalia by Graeme Base - A beautiful ABC book full of gorgeous detailed artwork that will encourage readers to find all the hidden items on the pages.
Out there in the Wild: Poems on Nature by Nicola Davies, James Carter, and Dom Conlon, illustrated by Diana Catchpole. A lovely work of poetry about nature that includes many poems about wildlife.
Eric Carle’s Animals Animals - A collection of animal poetry illustrated with Eric Carle’s vibrant illustrations.
Welcome Home by Amy June Bates - A very silly story about a couple that welcomes lots of animals into their home (including a snail, a whale, and a giraffe) until their home is full and they are, finally, perfectly content.
Creep, Leap, Crunch! A Food Chain Story by Jody Jensen Shaffer, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal. A delightful step-and-repeat style story about critters munching critters. A fun, educational read-aloud book.
A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead. A sweet story about a group of zoo animals who visit their friend Amos, a zookeeper, when he is home ill.
What About Moose? by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca J. Gomez, illustrated by Keika Yamaguchi. A group of animal friends get together to work on a project, but when one friend decides to take over, things go a little awry.
Solitary Animals: Introverts of the Wild by Joshua David Stein, illustrated by Dominique Ramsey. A striking book that introduces lots of different solitary animals.
MG: The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. The first in a trilogy. A sweet and exciting story about a robot who is stranded on an uninhabited island and learns to adapt and help the animals of the island thrive. Would be great for a book + movie night!
Discuss
What is your favorite animal?
If you could have a wild animal as a pet, which would it be?
Do you have a favorite animal book?
What is the last animal you saw in the wild (including your own back yard)?
Do you have more in common with solitary animals or animals that live in groups?
Do: Download the WILD SUMMER activity pages
All of these resources are free for you to print and reproduce for home, classroom, or library use.
Wild Summer BINGO Card - This BINGO game is full of activity ideas to pair with books. Fill it out for extra chances to win prizes! BINGO earns one entry. BLACKOUT earns five entries!
Wild Summer Bookmarks - Print on card stock for kids to cut out and color, then use in their books for summer reading and beyond.
Wild Summer Coloring Page - Watch for a coloring contest announcement!
Note: Some links will take you to the Read, Discuss, Do bookshop.org storefront. Purchasing a book from the storefront will support independent bookstores and help maintain Read, Discuss, Do at no additional cost to you.
Oh, I always forget about ANIMALIA! I’ll have to look for it for our summer reading! 😍