Summer vacation is a great time to get kids into the habit of reading. Rude Cakes is deliciously imaginative and witty. Writer/illustrator Rowboat Watkins introduces us to the title pastries who are indeed very rude. They do not say please or thank you and they do not share. But a surprising and very funny encounter with some very large creatures turns out to be instructive. It is brilliantly designed, with wonderfully tactile old-school typefaces and subtle details to reward close attention.

Lil’ Pauline Creates a Curious Concoction is the first in a new series about the early lives of creative, dynamic, accomplished women. With text by “five dynamic women at Harvard Business School” and charming illustrations by Charlotte Fassler, this one is about Pauline Brown, the Chair of Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey. When Pauline was “lil'” she loved to visit her grandmothers. One inspired her to want to invent and the other taught her to think about recipes with just the right mix of ingredients. She puts it all together to create a new fragrance.

For more ideas, check out this great list from my friends at Common Sense Media. And older kids can make money reading and writing book reports this summer! Visit the summer reading challenge.