Every summer I have to fight what I call “School-Year Slide”. My kids, who couldn’t get enough outside time last fall, now just want to sit around looking at screens. Unstructured outdoor play is so important to child development, that I consider it a top priority. When the best days of summer are as short as they are in Minnesota, we don’t have a lot of time to re-train our outside muscles. That is why I gathered, 60 Fun Summer Outdoor Games for Kids and that is why Run Wild by David Covell is a great addition to our summer bookshelf.
The text of this book is a rhythmic and rhyming and it flows nicely off the tongue — something I look for in anything I’m going to be reading repeatedly. However, you may have a hard time getting the rhythm going as the pictures are fun to look at and kids will want to stop and talk about each page.
The story runs through a variety of fun things kids can do in nature on a summer day, from running to getting muddy to swimming and ending with playing by moonlight.
The jam-packed day of fun reminds me of my kids when we are camping.
Trailer for Run Wild by David Covell
The trailer for this beautiful book really speaks for itself. Watch it here.
Craft to go with Run Wild by David Covell
The beautiful watercolor and ink illustrations make me want to try to make my own. I’m not an artist, but watercolor and ink seems like one of the most forgiving art forms. I found this video for instructions on how to get started.
More Books for a Summer Bookshelf
These are a few other books we’ve reviewed that I like to pull out a read on a summer day (or evening).
- Rhoda’s Rock Hunt by Molly Beth Griffin
- Hungry Coyote by Cheryl Blackford
- One North Star by Phyllis Root
This article contains Amazon affiliate links to the book and art supplies. Family Fun Twin Cities receives a small commission on sales made through our site.
