It’s heating up so cool off with these great popsicle and ice cream books for kids. Of course, consuming a cool treat while you read is mandatory. Which begs the question- What is your favorite flavor?
I even have a complete resource guide for you to turn these yummy reads into a Family Dinner Book Club. Scroll down below for a free printable book list, conversation starter and a themed menu.
Ice Cream Books for Toddlers
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I’m Your Ice Cream Truck by Hannah Eliot allows little ones to ride along in the ice cream as it makes stops around the town. (board book)
Books About Popsicles and Ice Cream for Kids
For our youngest ice cream lovers, try the board book, Wemberly’s Ice Cream Star by Kevin Henkes. Wemberly receives an ice cream star, but with that comes lots of worries. Will it drip on her clothes? Will her sidekick feel left out? Well, Wemberly has a plan.
Do your kids go running when they hear the ice cream truck? Travel around town delivering ice cream in The Little Ice Cream Truck by Margery Cuyler.
Another toddler pick is Vanilla Bean by Katie Turner. Bean only likes vanilla ice cream and no other foods will do. But, one day there is a sprinkle explosion and Bean’s ice cream gets covered with them. Turns out sprinkles are pretty good. Maybe Bean will venture into trying new things after this discovery!
Gorillas and ice cream star in Gorilla Loves Vanilla by Chae Strathie. If an animal ordered an ice cream sundae, what flavor would they like? Perhaps squirmy wormy for chicken. But, what would a gorilla like? And, this one works on rhyming.
You can do all sorts of learning themed around ice cream and that’s just what Joe does in Ice Cream Summer by Peter Sis. Joe recounts all the skills and things he learned to his grandfather. And, you guessed it. It all centers around ice cream.
Saffron Ice Cream by Rashinis isn’t entirely about ice cream, but it does make an appearance. This book is a neat pick because it compares going to the beach in Iran and the United States. A good pick for talking about similarities and differences.
Dinosaurs star in Groovy Joe Ice Cream & Dinosaurs by Eric Litwin. Really, what preschooler doesn’t love the combos of dogs, dinosaurs, and ice cream? This one is highly recommended as a whole group read-aloud for circle time. Students will love to join in singing the repetitive chorus. You can listen and watch the Spanish version.
Imagine being the king of an ice cream castle. Well, that’s just what the character in The Ice Cream King by Steve Metzger dreams about. But, the best thing about ice cream is getting two spoons and sharing with someone else.
Imagine a group of animals raiding an ice cream truck. Oh, what a sight that would be. Join the forest animals, as they do just that in The Ice Cream Vanishes by Julia Sarcone-Roach.
Elephant and Piggie fans will love Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems. Elephant debates all the pros and cons about waiting to share his ice cream with his best friend. But, what do you think happens when you wait to eat an ice cream cone?
Early readers will also enjoy The Giant Ice Cream Mess: An Acorn Book by Tina Kügler. How do you decide on a flavor when you can only get one scoop?
Ice Cream: The Full Scoop by Gail Gibbons covers the history of ice cream, how it is made, all the different flavors and how it is sold. I really like that this book can be enjoyed by all ages. Younger children will enjoy going on a picture walk of the book while older children will enjoy all the fact nuggets and detailed diagrams.
The Sweetest Scoop: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Revolution by Lisa Robinson takes a look at the creators behind the famous brand of ice cream that features flavors like Chunky Monkey, Phish Food, and Cherry Garcia.
Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz is the story of a child on a mission to find the palatero man. He grabs his money and races through the neighborhood greeting neighbors along the way. But, when he reaches his destination for a cool treat, he discovers that his dinero has been lost. Now, how will he pay for his paleta?
What Can You Do With a Paleta? by Carmen Tafolla is filled with things you can do with an icy treat for sharing with friends to turning your tongue colors. But, the best thing to do is to gobble it all down.
Ice Cream Family Dinner Book Club
Use the books above to create your very own Family Dinner Book Club. I have everything you need to have a successful book club.
- Great Book List
- Conversation Starters
- Themed Menu
Ice Cream Books
Our featured read-aloud for Family Dinner Book Club is The Sweetest Scoop: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Revolution by Lisa Robinson, but you could also read a different book from the list above or even more than one. A printable list of books is included below.
Conversation Starters
Here are a few discussion starters to jumpstart your dinner book club conversation. These are also included in the printable below.
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Which FROZEN TREAT was featured in this book?
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What was your favorite part of the book? Why?
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What is the difference between POPSICLES AND ICE CREAM?
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How many different KINDS OF ICE CREAM have you enjoyed? Which one is your favorite?
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Which ICE CREAM OR POPSICLE would you like to try and grow?
Ice Cream Themed Menu
Enjoy these menu ideas and recipes for a fun and festive dinner while you discuss the book of the month. All of the recipes are either served on a stick, in a cone, or sundae style in a bowl. The menu and links are also included in the free printable below.
Printable Ice Cream Book List and Family Dinner Book Club Resource Guide
Grab a printable copy of the book list of all the books above along with your Family Dinner Resource Guide.
RELATED RESOURCES
Put a Cherry on Top Beginning Sound Activity
This post first appeared on Growing Book by Book on 6/30/21 and has since been updated.