Summer & Construction Booklist

In addition to picnics, parades, rodeos, camping, popsicles, swimming, and travel, Summer in Wyoming is also Construction Season! 

This can be frustrating for drivers, but children often find the enormous, powerful equipment, bright signs, and busy workers fascinating! Currently, construction projects on roads and around parks and schools are happening in many Wyoming communities. Houses and buildings are also being constructed throughout our state. Summer provides early childhood programs with unique opportunities to integrate learning activities focusing on all there is to love about all things summer, including construction! Grab a popsicle and head to your local library or bookstore. Books are an important companion to active learning. The following lists can get you started!

Featured Summer Favorites

Summer is Here

Summer is Here by Renee Watson Illustrated by Bea Jackson (2024)

Reading like a poem filled with sunshine, Summer is Here is a beautifully illustrated celebration of playful experiences during this special time of year. What does a “perfect day for play” look like in the summer? Spending time picnicking with family and friends, swimming, blowing bubbles, and jumping rope. Even seasonal treats like fresh fruit and ice cream are a reason to celebrate!

Ages 3-6 years

After the Story

The phrase “Nothing Without Joy” is attributed to Loris Malaguzzi, the founder of the Reggio Emilia educational philosophy. Summer provides opportunities to playfully and joyfully share experiences with young children. This book provides a starting point for talking with children about the “Joys” or activities they most want to include in their summer plans.  Their joys may be the same as those in the book but give them opportunities to dream and share their ideas about what makes summer special.  See how many joys you can include in your plans.

Summer in Wyoming is a time we cherish and enjoy to the fullest.

Remember to stop at as many kid-owned and operated lemonade stands as possible throughout the summer. In my community, we have Lemonade Day in June to kick off the season, but the stands pop up until school starts!

The Boy who Invented the Popsicle

The Boy Who Invented the Popsicle by Anne Renauld, Illustrated by Milan Pavlovic (2019)

Frank Epperson was a bright, curious, and determined boy who wanted to be a great inventor. One of his favorite experiments was creating and sharing flavored soda water with his family and friends. Once, when the temperature dropped below freezing, he left a glass of soda water outside, which froze solid.  In the winter, this might not seem extraordinary in Laramie, Wyoming, but Frank lived in San Francisco, California! Frank’s frozen drink stayed in his memory until, as an adult, he decided to produce fruit juice frozen treats, and the popsicle was born!  This is a perfect biography for summer!

Ages 4-9 years

After the Story

This engaging book will provide some history (Frank was born in 1894), chemistry and scientific inquiry, and positive examples of determination and entrepreneurial spirit. The experiments in the book can easily be shared with children, even in mixed-age groups. For example, you can make lemon soda water, observe how salt lowers the freezing point of water, and, of course, make a frozen treat in just five minutes!

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More Summer Favorites

  • And Then Comes Summer by Tom Brenner, illustrated by Jaime Kim (2021).

    Ages 3-8 years.

  • A New Green Day by Antoinette Portis (2021)

    Ages 3-7 years

  • Belly Button Book by Sandra Boynton (2023)

    Ages Baby to 4 years

  • Flashlight by Lizi Boyd (2014)

    Ages 2-5 years

  • Hot Dog, written and illustrated by Doug Salati (2022),

    Ages 3-6 years

  • Let’s Go Outside Ekaterina Trukhan (2020)

    Ages 0 and Up!

    (From the Indestructibles Book Series for babies and toddlers)

  • Splash by Ann Jonas (1995)

    Ages 2-6 years

  • We All Play by Julie Flett (2021)

    Ages 3-7 years

Featured Construction Season Favorites

Kyle with Knife Construction Casper, Wyoming

Road Crew Coming Through by Sherri Duskey Rinker, illustrated by AG Ford (2021)

“Rumbling, revving, shaking ground, all the trucks now gather round. They’ll make a route from here to there with careful planning, thought, and care. The team will build it, load by load: A SUPERHIGHWAY MEGA ROAD!”

~Construction Site: Road Crew Coming Through! By Sherri Duskey Rinker

Ages 2-5 years

Construction Site:  Farming Strong All Year Long By Sherri Duskey Rinker and AG Ford (2022)

Ages 3-5 years

After Reading Books About Construction:

Add books about construction, building, tools, heavy equipment, and engineering to a classroom or home library.  

Move the blocks and trucks to your outdoor spaces. Add some different kinds of materials for children to use when building roads. Better yet, have a planning meeting like the Road Crew Coming Through team and let the children decide what rocks, dirt, and other materials (like maybe glitter) they need! 

Children are imaginative creators and builders, so encourage and support their ideas.  Books can help provide vocabulary and extend their ideas. What do you need to add to their play spaces?  They can probably tell you.  After reading Old MacDonald Had A Truck or Construction Site: Farming Strong, All Year Long, you may need to add a Crane Truck, Skid Steer, Bulldozer, or Monster Truck!

Many construction areas are fenced so children can safely observe the project. Check with the construction company; a friendly worker might take a few minutes to visit with the children.

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More Construction Season Favorites

  • Alphabet Under Construction Written and illustrated by Denise Fleming (2006)

    Ages 2-5 years.

  • Carpenter’s Helper by Sybil Rosen, Illustrated by Camille Garoche (2021)

    Ages 3-7 years

  • Construction by Sally Sutton, illustrated by Brian Lovelock (2014)

    Ages 3-6 years

  • Cranky by Phuc Tran illustrated by Pete Oswald (2024)

    Ages 4-7 years

  • Jack’s House by Karen Magnuson Beil Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka (2008)

    Ages 2-5 years

  • Machines At Work by Byron Barton (1997)

    Ages 1-3 years

  • Old MacDonald Had a Truck by Steve Goetz Illustrated by Eda Kaban (2016)

    Ages 2-5 years.

  • Someone Builds a Dream by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Loren Long (2021).

    Ages 3-6 years.

  • Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia (2013)

    Ages 1-3 years.

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Ideas for Sharing Books with Children

  • Check out books from your local library and keep them in the backseat for children to enjoy while watching actual construction happen outside the car's window! Be sure to bring books along on a picnic or trip to the park. Reading books together outdoors is one of the best things about summer!

  • Look for travel books for children if your family is going on a vacation or exploring around Wyoming.  Here are two examples:

    • Little Wyoming by Eugene Gagliano Illustrated by Helle Urban (2010)

      Ages baby-6 years

    • National Parks of the USA by Kate Silber Illustrated by Chris Turnham (2024 paperback) Ages 5-9 years

      This book won the 2019 Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students: K-12 National Science Teachers Association and the Children’s Book Council. It would be a resource for classrooms, programs, or families to share with multi-age groups. 

  • Libraries around Wyoming are busy with fun and innovative programming for children throughout the summer months.  Take time to get on your local library website and “Check Out” all the free activities for kids (and adults). 

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Library Connections

Check Out the local library in your Wyoming community.  Librarians are an excellent resource and can help you find the perfect books for your classroom, program, or home.  If you can’t get to your local library, try the Libby App!

Use your local library card and access the Libby App for children’s books on your phone, tablet, or computer. 

https://library.wyo.gov/find-thousands-of-e-books-and-audiobooks-in-gowyld-with-libby

Summer & Construction Booklist Printable PDF

Printable Version of the Booklist Here!