Get a jump on summer reading with this crop of outdoor-themed kid reads.

"And Then Comes Summer" by Tom Brenner; illustrated by Jaimie Kim; Candlewick Press; 32 pages; $16.99.

From decorating bikes for the Fourth of July parade, to setting up a lemonade stand, to asking, "Are we there yet?" on the road trip to the lake on a hot day, Tom Brenner's retro-looking ode to summer is spot on. The narration flows, "When daylight pushes back bedtimes, and crickets crick-crick in the evening air, and bugs as big as thumbs bang against windows ... Then play hide-and-seek until darkness wins." The tale doesn't rhyme, but it does read like a lively poetic adventure with the campground, hopscotch sidewalk and oh-so-refreshing beach.

Jaimie Kim's active illustrations are very mod and very vintage at the same time, making "And Then Comes Summer" the perfect vacation picture book.

"Jabari Jumps" by Gaia Cornwall; Candlewick Press; 30 pages; $15.99.

Swimming is a huge part of summer, and some kids need a little confidence-builder at the pool, especially on the diving boards. Jabari begins feeling strong; he's just passed his swimming lessons and test. He watches the other kids jump and is filled with excitement and apprehension, so he squeezes his dad's hand a little harder. He decides he's a little tired and, for a moment, thinks tomorrow may be a better day to dive. But Jabari decides to go for it after his dad tells him to take a deep breath and that "sometimes it stops feeling scary and feels a little like a surprise."

Gaia Cornwall's step-by-step chronicle of Jabari's thoughts and actions will inspire hesitant young kids to emulate his scare-busting technique and remind them that surprises are usually empowering and fun. They'll love how thrilling Cornwall makes the end result, with lots of refreshing green-blue splashy water, big words like "Whoosh!" and the infectious joy felt by the boy, his father and his little sister.

"There Might Be Lobsters," by Carolyn Crimi and Laurel Molk, published by Candlewick, is another tale of initial apprehension that turns into joyful beach swimming when dog Sukie is finally empowered to join her girl in the waves.

"Hooray for Birds!" by Lucy Cousins; Candlewick; 36 pages; $15.99.

Lucy Cousin's iconic Maisy is absent from this oversized bird-filled extremely colorful picture book. With large childlike text and an invitation to flap your wings to "fly, higher and higher, up, up in the sky," Cousins focuses on action terms and friendly birds hopping, pecking, swimming, and saying, "Hello, darling" and then "swooping like a starling." With simplistic but charming birds of all kinds catching flies and scratching the ground and singing "tra-la-la" and "cheep, cheep, cheep," "Hooray for Birds!" is a bright and boisterous introduction for young children to one of nature's most amazing wonders: birds.

"The Summer of Bad Ideas" by Kiera Stewart; HarperCollins; 296 pages; $16.99.

This is another ode to bravery, aimed at kids ages 10 to 13 or 14. Kiera Stewart's fun summer read stars a girl named Edie who spends the summer with a cool and daring cousin. Before this, Edie was always a rule follower, but she is inspired by her more adventurous cousin and their bold grandmother's book "Good Ideas for Summertime," which was penned back when she was their age. Edie thinks their new goals are actually bad ideas — reckless and foolish and even ridiculous. Still, she longs to be bold and brave like Petunia and decides to aim to catch a snake barehanded, dance in the hurricane, cross Corkscrew Swamp under a full moon and "hug the person you least want to."

With an abundance of refreshingly timeless outdoor adventures, a little wishful romance and an aim of slightly growing up, Stewart's "The Summer of Bad Ideas" is truly an exciting, funny, wonderful new novel.

"Do Princesses and Super Heroes Hit the Trails? A National Park Adventure" by Carmela LaVigna Coyle; illustrated by Mike Gordon; Muddy Boots Publishing; 32 pages; $15.95.

Get out and enjoy the national parks while you can! In this whimsical fun installment of Muddy Boots' "Do Princesses" picture book series, the unconventional princess and her super hero little brother explore America's national parks and highlight fun features. They visit the Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park, Zion, volcanoes in Hawaii and many other locations. There is rhyming bouncy text, and there are cartoonish illustrations with lots of detail and humor. Besides the reminder to families to get outside and enjoy America, the best aspect of all is that our princess is rather tomboyish, with her own personality shining through, and her super hero brother goes nowhere without his purple cape.

To find out more about Lee Littlewood, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.