5 Story Books to Start Summer Reading with for Children

The Estonian Centre for Children's Literature recommends five storybooks to start summer reading. The books are intended for children and cover topics such as taking responsibility, climate change, and finding new friends.

Summer reading is here and the Estonian Centre for Children's Literature has compiled a list of five storybooks to help children start their summer in an exciting and educational way.

The main character of one book is Loore, whose mother ends up in hospital and whose father is waiting for a long-planned round-the-world sailing trip. Loore has no choice but to go with her younger sister and brother to their grandfather in Salmistus. The adventure becomes truly thrilling when the three children find themselves alone on Pedassaar, without a phone and with no hope of rescue. Loore must make her own decisions and take responsibility for her younger sister and brother.

The second story tells of twins July and August, whose summer break turns out to be unexpectedly thought-provoking. An extremely hot summer and violent thunderstorms prevent the young ones from sleeping at night or finding refreshing activities during the day. By experiencing the situation firsthand, the children begin to think about climate problems, melting glaciers, polar bears losing their habitat, and rising sea levels, which could leave Estonia with only a small island. The twins decide to reduce their ecological footprint, but the plan that seems simple on paper turns out to be much more complicated in reality.

The third book features Eva, who is forced to move to the city to stay with her aunt because of her mother's illness and to change classes mid-school year. Her strict aunt and new school make life difficult, but Lennart, a book-loving man living on the same floor, becomes a good friend to the girl. Together they discover that sharing worries makes it easier to cope, and they even manage to solve the mystery of the saxophone sounds coming from the ninth floor at night.

More book recommendations can be found on the Estonian Centre for Children's Literature website.