Looking for the perfect picture books to share with your little ones this summer? From an intrepid sheep and a fearless little girl, to a hapless peacock and a very beautiful cockroach, even the littlest fairy tale fans won’t be able to resist these entertaining reads. Check out our picture book picks and start your summer reading adventure!

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach
by Carmen Agra Deedy
illustrated by Michael Austin

Martina the beautiful cockroach doesn’t know coffee beans about love and marriage. That’s where her Cuban family comes in. But when suitor after suitor fails her Abuela’s Coffee Test, Martina wonders she can ever find true love. Soon, only the gardener Pérez, a tiny brown mouse, is left. But what will happen when Martina offers him café cubano?Author Carmen Agra Deedy delivers a deliciously inventive Cuban version of the beloved Martina folktale, and Michael Austin’s delightful illustrations bring this beautiful green cockroach and her suitors to life.

Explore Martina’s Cuban roots with this informative teacher’s guide!

Little Red

Little Red
by Bethan Woollvin

On her way to Grandma’s house, Little Red meets a wolf. Which might scare some little girls. But not this little girl. She knows just what the wolf is up to, and she’s not going to let him get away with it. In this updated fairy tale with a mischievous twist, talented storyteller Bethan Woollvin uses sly humor, striking visuals, and dark irreverence to turn a familiar tale on its head.

Download the teacher’s guide and activity kit for more fun with Little Red, and check out the rest of Bethan’s fractured fairy tales!

Lana Lynn Howls at the Moon

Lana Lynn Howls at the Moon
by Rebecca Van Slyke
illustrated by Anca Sandu

Lana Lynn is an intrepid sheep. She isn’t content to nibble grass in the pasture, sip water from the pond, and nap in the meadow. She wants adventure! So one night, when the moon is high and the other sheep are asleep, she finds a disguise and dashes into the wild woods to see what life is like as a wolf. It’s fun to run through the wild woods, stay up very late, and howl at the Moon—but is life with the wolf pack everything it seems? Rebecca Van Slyke’s charming depiction of experiencing new things is accented by Anca Sandu’s humorous illustrations.

Get to know the team behind this charming tale with our author and illustrator Q&As, and join Lana Lynn for more wild adventures with these activity sheets and reader’s theater!

Three Hens and a Peacock

Three Hens and a Peacock
by Lester L. Laminack
illustrated by Henry Cole

The Tuckers’ farm is a peaceful place until a hapless peacock falls off the back of a passing truck and stirs things up. The hens don’t like the newcomer getting attention while they do all the hard work, so the wise old hound helps orchestrate a job swap. What follows is the hilarious tale of three hens who get in way over their feathered heads, and one very distressed peacock who just can’t figure out how to lay an egg. Lester L. Laminack’s comical tale reveals what happens when some foolish farm animals decide to trade roles―and discover just how hard it is to do someone else’s job.

Download the teacher’s guide for more farmyard fun!