June Book List for Kids of All Ages
Don’t miss my new monthly book list for June! It’s filled with picture books, graphic novels, and chapter books for kids of all ages. There’s something for everyone to get your kids excited about reading through the summer.
Get ready to grab your picnic blanket and find a warm spot in the sunshine or snuggle up on the couch to read aloud to your kids or read independently together. However you decide to enjoy reading this June, you’ll find some excellent new books to enjoy in my June book list for kids of all ages.
If you’re searching for titles to encourage reluctant readers or exciting new books to spark imagination with your kids this June, I know you’ll find lots of fascinating adventures in these June books. Whether you’re learning about D-Day, the summer solstice, Juneteenth, or preparing for a family vacation to the beach, there’s a great book for the occasion. Check out our favorites in the book list below!
Best Books For Each Month Of The Year!
Here at the Waldock Way, we love good books. Whether we’re reading side-by-side or I’m reading a new book aloud to Emily, great books have made all the difference in our homeschool adventures. There are so many fascinating mysteries, interesting characters, and wonderful worlds to explore in a good book! Our passion for discovering new books to read has inspired us to create these monthly book lists for kids of all ages.
We hope this June book list will inspire your family to fall in love with reading and encourage you to find new books that spark your imagination and curiosity. Get ready to meet some of our favorite June books!
30+ June Books for Kids of All Ages
These books cover lots of different topics for June. You’ll find summer reads for Father’s Day, road trips, and beach vacations. Plus, books to help you discover important events like Juneteenth, D-Day, and the Summer Solstice. Whether you’re searching for beautiful illustrations, inspiring chapter books, interesting graphic novels, or quirky characters, there’s something for everyone on this June list.
Are We There Yet?
June is the unofficial month of family vacations. It’s the perfect time to read a book about road trips with kids. Check out Dan Santat’s hilarious picture book Are We There Yet? to answer the question once and for all. The whole family will love reading about the possibilities in this June picture book.
Code Breaker, Spy Hunter: How Elizebeth Friedman Changed the Course of Two World Wars
On June 6, 1944, more than 150,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy as part of D-Day, the largest seaborne invasion in history. Learning about the history of World War II is fascinating and important. Meet Elizabeth Friedman and learn about the history of spies in World War II in this picture book by Laurie Wallmark and Brooke Smart.
Fatima’s Great Outdoors
Did you know June is National Camping Month? It’s the perfect time to explore the outdoors with your family. Fatima’s Great Outdoors by Ambreen Tariq is a beautiful picture book about an immigrant family’s first camping trip at a local state park.
This book is filled with discovery, s’mores, and the magic of the great outdoors. Plus, it pairs nicely with our Traveling the Parks Curriculum. Discover more about how we’re using traveling the parks in our homeschool for learning and fun.
Helen’s Big World: The Life of Helen Keller
June 27 is Helen Keller Day, a day to learn about Helen and honor her resilience and achievements. Helen’s Big World: The Life of Helen Keller is a beautiful picture book by Doreen Rappaport with inspirational quotes and a narrative story that will bring this important figure to life for children. Plus, it’s part of a series by Rappaport featuring other influential figures like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Theodore Roosevelt.
If Kids Could Drive
Another fun road trip picture book to share with your kids on a long drive is If Kids Could Drive by Marisa Kollmeier. What if roads had roller coaster loops and parking lots were for playing bumper cars? What if kids were the ones driving?
This adorable and silly picture book will send your imagination soaring! It’s the perfect picture book for entertaining kids on a road trip.
It Starts With a Bee
National Pollinator Week starts on June 17. It’s a week to celebrate pollinators, learn about their important role, and work to protect them. It Starts With a Bee is a Words & Pictures book by Jennie Webber with beautiful pictures and lyrical text to engage young readers as they learn about the importance of bees.
Pet Dad
This hilarious book is all about what happens when a little girl wants a pet and Dad says no. It’s a fun picture book to read together for Father’s Day on June 16. Pet Dad by Elanna Allen will have your whole family giggling as you read about how Plum trains Dad to be the perfect “pet.”
The Dad Break
Another silly picture book for Father’s Day is The Dad Break by Poe Avondet. In this funny book, the kids begin to get suspicious of Dad’s very long potty breaks.
The children decide to investigate why Dad needs to spend so long in the bathroom. Dad becomes the fearless hero in all their scenarios and your family will love reading along as they imagine all the crazy “reasons” Dad might take so long.
The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian’s Art Changed Science
Bees aren’t the only pollinators to celebrate during National Pollinator Week. Learn more about butterflies and Maria Merian, one of the first naturalists to observe live insects in this award-winning picture book by Joyce Sidman.
The Juneteenth Story: Celebrating the End of Slavery in the United States
Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States every year on June 19. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas after the Civil War. Since then, it has become an important celebration all over the United States.
The Juneteenth Story: Celebrating the End of Slavery in the United States by Alliah L. Agostini is an important picture book for kids all about the holiday. The illustrated timeline featured in this book is perfect for summer history lessons and exploration with kids of all ages.
The Sandcastle That Lola Built
Many families travel to the beach during the month of June. If you’re planning a family beach vacation this June, check out The Sandcastle That Lola Built from your local library or grab it at the bookstore.
This picture book by Megan Maynor is a fun read for young children. It’s a modern spin on the classic House That Jack Built story featuring sandcastles and mermaids.
The Solstice Badger
June 20 is the Summer Solstice. It’s the longest day of the year and historically celebrates the official beginning of the summer season. Learn more about the history and significance of Summer Solstice with the picture book The Solstice Badger by Robin McFadden. It’s a retelling of one of the oldest solstice myths with beautiful illustrations your kids will love.
The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles
Another perfect read for an upcoming beach vacation is The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles by Michelle Cuevas. This picture book is perfect for kids of all ages! The whole family will love this magical tale about a man who lives alone on an island collecting and opening ocean bottles that drift to him from the waves.
Coyote Lost and Found
If you’re searching for a chapter book to read aloud this May or the perfect independent book for more advanced readers, don’t miss Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart. This New York Times Bestseller is the perfect June book for kids ages 9 to 12.
Coyote and her dad are gearing up for an epic road trip across the country. They plan to scatter her mom’s ashes in her chosen resting place, but there’s a problem. Coyote doesn’t know where the secret resting place is and all the clues are hidden in a book she sold last year.
Want to find out if she can track down the book and discover the secrets her mom hid inside? Then, this is the perfect summer book for your kids this June.
D-Day Dog
Remember D-Day and learn about the importance of animal soldiers during World War II in the book D-Day Dog by Tom Palmer. This book tells a very important story about a paratrooper and his dog who landed on the beaches of Normandy.
Fortunately, The Milk
If you’re searching for a fun Father’s Day chapter book, don’t miss Neil Gaiman’s Fortunately, The Milk. This imaginative book follows a whimsical story one dad invents about time travel, breakfast cereal, and all the hilarious things that can go wrong.
Freewater
Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson is a Newberry Award Winner and a winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award as well as a New York Times bestseller. It’s also an important chapter book to read aloud with your kids this June. Freewater is a historical middle-grade novel about the ways two enslaved children escape life on a plantation and find freedom.
Lily’s Crossing
Lily’s Crossing is a middle-grade novel by Patricia Reilly Giff that’s perfect for families learning about World War II. This Newberry Honor book helps kids understand what it was like to be on the home front in America while our soldiers were fighting overseas during the Second World War. Lily’s summer at the beach leaves her forever changed after meeting and befriending a Hungarian refugee named Albert.
Magic On the Map
If you’re planning a road trip across the United States this summer, don’t miss this fun June book series! Magic on the Map is all about twins Molly and Finn who travel around the states in a camper.
Each book in the series features a different state, so you can find all the chapter books for the states you plan to visit. Pair this fun book series with our Traveling the States Curriculum for even more fun this June!
Out of Range
Heidi Lang’s book Out of Range is a fun novel to read with your family for National Camping Month. In the book, sisters must spend the summer trying to become friends again. Abby, Emma, and Ollie have gone from being best friends to mortal enemies, so their parents send them away to a summer camp with no internet and no cell phone coverage.
Summerhouse Time
Summerhouse Time by Eileen Spinelli tells the story of Sophie and her adventures on the annual summer vacation for her extended family. It’s a fantastic book for families planning a similar adventure this June. Kids will enjoy reading along as Sophie navigates changing relationships with her cousins and comes to terms with growing up.
The Midsummer Mouse: Midsummer Tales of Tiptoes Lightly and the Summer Queen
If you’re searching for a read-aloud book all about Summer Solstice, don’t miss The Midsummer Mouse by Reg Down. The book explores solstice mythology as a group of mice prepare for their Midsummer celebration.
Who Was Helen Keller?
We love Who Was? books here at The Waldock Way. This series is ideal for learning about historic figures and events with your kids. Who Was Helen Keller? by Gare Thompson tells the story of Helen Keller for kids ages 7 to 10 in narrative form.
Want to learn more about Helen Keller as you read? Check out my Helen Keller Mini Unit Study filled with printable activities and original illustrations to make learning fun for kids of all ages.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is an excellent story to explore with older children this June. Historically, Midsummer is the name given to time near the Summer Solstice. Explore the magic and wonder of the solstice with this classic comedy.
One of the best ways to explore Shakespeare’s plays with kids is through graphic novels. Graphic novels are perfect for quirky kids and reluctant readers. Plays are meant to be seen so reading a graphic novel of Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream makes perfect sense. Plus, graphic novels are excellent for helping kids learn to use context clues and develop strong reading comprehension skills.
Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller
Looking for a fun graphic novel for Helen Keller Day on June 27? Don’t miss Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller by Joseph Lambert. This book presents a new take on the story of Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller’s famous teacher. It’s a graphic novel biography that will help kids understand the struggle Helen faced and the remarkable feats of both Keller and Sullivan.
Camp
Are your kids attending summer camp in June? Whether you’re planning a week at summer camp or celebrating National Camping Month as a family, don’t miss Camp by Kayla Miller. It’s an important read for any kid who is nervous about summer camp or struggling with the idea.
In the book, Olive and Willow go to summer camp together, but Willow struggles to make friends. She latches on to Olive and the whole situation becomes overwhelming. Olive doesn’t want to be Willow’s “living security blanket.” Read along to find out if they can maintain their friendship during and after summer camp.
I Survived the Battle of D-Day
The I Survived book series is an excellent way for kids to learn about important events in history from the Revolutionary War to 9/11. In I Survived the Battle of D-Day by Lauren Tarshis, a French boy named Paul finds himself in the middle of the Normandy invasion. It’s an excellent book for kids to read and learn about D-Day this June.
Saving Sunshine
Author Saadia Faruqi and illustrator Shazleen Khan team up in the graphic novel Saving Sunshine to tell the story of two Muslim American siblings learning to get along. The book takes place during a family trip to Florida when the sibling arguments are at an all-time high. It’s the perfect June book for families planning a summer vacation.
Shark Summer
If you’re taking a summer trip to the beach this June, or if you’re a big fan of the movie Jaws, check out the graphic novel Shark Summer by Ira Marcks. Shark Summer follows a group of friends as they enter a film contest with a big cash prize. The kids are about to have the best summer ever filming with a big mechanical shark on Martha’s Vineyard and uncovering the truth about the island’s “phantom shark.”
The Underground Abductor
Finally, don’t miss Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales book series. The fifth book in the series, The Underground Abductor, follows the famous abolitionist Harriet Tubman. It’s the perfect graphic novel for kids who want to learn more about the history of slavery in America, abolition, and the reason we celebrate Juneteenth.
More Activities for Learning this June
If you want to discover more June learning activities, don’t miss my collection of June Homeschool Printables That Are Absolutely Free. These worksheets and activity pages are easy to add to your lesson plans, pull out on rainy days, or take along on your next carschooling adventure.
Do you have a favorite picture book, read-aloud, or graphic novel for kids to enjoy this June? Share your favorite June books in the comments. Emily and I can’t wait to check them out!