6 Chill Picture Books to Keep You Cool This Summer

Ice Boy, by David Ezra Stein
This funny and imaginative story takes readers into the world of Ice Boy, who lives in the freezer with his family of fellow ice cubes, who caution him never to go outside, and say that one day he will be “chosen”—removed from his freezer home and plopped into a drink or ice pack. Ice Boy is burning with curiosity, however, and he makes his way into the world, where he discovers that he doesn’t cease to exist—instead he transforms into Liquid Boy and Vapor Boy. This story will cool kids off while teaching them the wonders of the water cycle.

Tacky the Penguin, by Helen Lester
If you want to laugh while thinking of the cool waters of Antarctica, the Tacky the Penguin series is a sure bet. Tacky is an “odd bird,” who lives with his companions, Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect. Each of them wears a bow tie and behaves in orderly, penguin-like ways, while tacky wears a loud shirt, completes raucous cannonball dives, and squawks horribly when he tries to sing. But when hunters come around and Tacky turns on his tackiness to fend them off, all the penguins conclude, “Tacky was an odd bird but a very nice bird to have around.”

Archie the Daredevil Penguin, by Andy Rash
Speaking of icy penguin books to cool down with, Andy Rash’s newest is the funny tale of a penguin named Archie who is trying to devise a way to fly over to Iceberg Nine for the penguin fish fry, rather than swim there. Archie, who wears a red crash helmet, is the most daring penguin on the iceberg, and almost none of his penguin friends suspect his real reason for wanting to fly around rather than swim: he’s “afraid of the water and the strange creatures who lurk in the briny deep.”

Best in Snow, by April Pulley Sayre
This book features eye-catching photos of feathery ice crystals, snow-laden branches, and animals braving snow flurries that will make you feel as if a cool breeze is wafting over you while you read it. Its spare, descriptive words bring you right into the cold hush of a snowy day as Sayre explores the freeze/thaw cycle.

White Snow, Bright Snow, by Alvin Tresselt and Roger Duvoisin
This Caldecott Medal winner from 1947 will cool you down with its sweet snow rhymes and illustrations. “Softly, gently in the secret night, /Down from the North came the quiet white. / Drifting, sifting, silent flight, / Softly, gently, in the secret night,” it begins. The townspeople watch the flakes fall, and deal with winter’s joys and stresses until spring returns.

The Thing About Yetis, by Vin Vogel
“Yetis love winter,” Vogel writes. Well, of course they do! They love cold, snowy days and the hot chocolate and ice-skating that comes with them. But even Yetis can grow tired of winter and long for the summer, when they can build sand castles and camp out among the fireflies. So if you’re growing weary of the sweltering heat, this book will remind you to enjoy the benefits of the hottest days—because snowy ones will be back before you know it.