20 Titles for Young Artists – Summer Reading 2020

I’ve been mulling around the idea of creating summer reading lists this year. It’s been slow going as so much of m energy is put into figuring out how to run a library during a global pandemic! But, I didn’t want to re-create the wheel offering “Summer Reading for 5th Graders” either. Those types of lists can be found all over the Internet! And although they’re super helpful for parents looking for a great starting point for summer reading plans, I wanted to go a different route.

This year, I decided to focus on creating lists around different interests – sports, the arts, gaming, etc. Each list will include 20 books and will be all ages from board books to young adult titles. The lists will also include various formats and hopefully both fiction and nonfiction titles.

Today we’re focusing on art! I know there is no way I can highlight absolutely every kind of artistic expression in just 20 books, but I’m going to give it a try. Here are 20 titles for kid (and adults!) alike to be inspired by.

20 Titles for Young Artists

1. Art for Baby
2. Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle
3. Chasing Vermeer by Blue Baillett, illustrated by Brett Helquist
4. Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick
5. The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
6. From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon
7. I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont, David Catrow
8. Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts
9. I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
10. Inkling by Kenneth Oppel, illustrated by Sydney Smith
11. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
12. Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell, illustrated by Rafael López
13. Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
14. Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets by Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth, illustrated by Ekua Holmes
15. Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge
16. Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older
17. Swatch: The Girl Who Loved Color by Julia Denos
18. A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman
19. When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop by Laban Carrick Hill, illustrated by Theodore Taylor III
20. Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman

More Resources

If you’re looking for more great titles, especially biographies, check out 9 Picture Books All About Artists or if you’re looking for a great art mystery for teens, see my review on the book – Mad, Bad & Dangerous To Know by Samira Ahmed. You can also find more inspiration, check out Artsy Crafty Mom’s post – 20 Picture Books to Inspire Young Artists!

Check back every day this week for a new summer reading list:

• Activists
• Gamers
• Outdoor Enthusiasts
• Readers
• Sports Stars
• STEM Enthusiasts