Summer Reading Grade-by-Grade

Why Summer Reading Matters

Most parents know about the importance of reading to their children. But did you know that summer reading has its own concrete back-to-school benefits? "Research has shown that kids who read during the summer and participate in summer library programs do better at the start of the new school year," says Carole Fiore, a library program specialist in Florida and president of the Association for Library Service to Children. The reason: Once back in the classroom, summer readers don't have to relearn their study skills and kids who took the summer off from reading may have to. "If kids are used to sitting down and reading every night for 20 minutes, then sitting down to do homework when school starts is just an extension of that," Fiore explains.

Whether you are going on vacation or spending the rest of the summer at home, there is still time to break out the books and help your child get back in the reading habit. Here is a list of books -- some classics, some new arrivals -- guaranteed to get your youngster (even those too young to go to school!) hooked on books.

Special thanks to the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, and the Westchester (New York) Library System for helping us compile this list.