The days grow short, vacations end, college kids pack their bags, and youngsters, along with their parents ready themselves for another school year. Summer’s end is always bittersweet. Hopefully, you’ve made great memories and enjoyed some quality family time.

The prospect of a new school year, often calls forth varied emotions. New places and new experiences are a form of learning. If your child is nervous about the year ahead, remind them of the people, places and activities and how these opportunities will impact them in the coming year. If youngsters have continued with some academic activities, you can explain that these will set them up for success.

Life is busy. If your child has not been reading or being read to during the summer months, now is a good time to begin. Simple books can build confidence and refresh the skills and strategies they’ve learned. Here are a few books to help you ease into a reading routine and savor these final days of summer with your child.

Lights at Night by Tasha Hilderman is a wonderful picture book that explores some of the lights we see at night. The waning summer nights offer an opportunity to highlight the progression of lights that fill the evening. The illustrations by Maggie Zeng depict both man-made and natural light sources that appear at night. Savor this book with your children and then take a nice walk to find some light sources of your own.

Barbara Hirsch Lember’s, The Shell Book, offers an amazing non-fiction picture book that will fascinate children and adults alike. Each spread features a close-up photograph of a shell accompanied by a description filled with interesting information about each one. This work of art is sure capture your attention and your final visits to the beach may find you searching for some of them.

If you have an early reader in your home, Cynthia Rylant’s humorous tale of Mr. Putter & Tabby Row the Boat will offer an enjoyable way to practice their reading skills. The humorous illustrations will keep your child turning the pages and offer support as he reads.

As a retired educator, I urge you to delve into reading with your kids in these final week before school opens. It will build their confidence and help them to brush up on skills so they can return to school on a positive note. Please chime in with your favorite end of summer books.