Summer Reading 2026

Can You Dig It?

This year's summer reading is going to be fossil-tastic. We asked educators and librarians across the United States to share their favorite books for school-age readers—and the recommendations stomped in faster than a racing Velociraptor! 🦖 Now it’s your turn to make the book list and dino-sized activity kit all yours!

A girl with books stacked on her head and a graphic of dinosaurs and books hidden in the earth flowing from the books..

Download Your Activity Kit

Use our book list and assortment of printables to supplement your summer reading plans. After submitting the form, check your download folder for your digital kit (a ZIP file). You’ll also receive an email with the direct link.

What you’ll get:

📚 Reading recs for all ages (with dinosaur-themed options!)
🌴 Bonus Britannica School and Britannica Library links
🎨 Coloring activity sheets:
- ▶︎ Jurassic puzzle
- ▶︎ Bookmarks
- ▶︎ Bookish Bingo card
- ▶︎ Word search with leveled vocab lists and quizzes
☀️ Four Teach Britannica graphic organizers for K–12 independent reading (in English and Spanish)
🦕 Social media graphics
👑 Certificate for chomp-ion readers

Keep the Learning from Going Extinct

Encourage readers to grab a book, nest in a comfy spot, and dig into their summer reading using these bonus resources to keep the learning alive—no fossil brush required!

Video: How Do Scientists Learn About Dinosaurs?

Give readers some context for any prehistoric story with this video all about how scientists study fossils.

Featured Lesson Plans & Activities

Use these curated resources to promote independent learning and spark curiosity, no matter what books readers are digging into.

Museum Discovery and Exploration Lesson Mini
(Grades 6-8)

Teach students all about museums: their purpose, careers there, and the ways they enhance human knowledge.

Making Predictions Graphic Organizer
(Grades 3-12)

Boost focus and engagement during solo reading time by prompting students to predict what happens next.

Annotating Text Codes Graphic Organizer
(Grades 3-12)

Help students process and retain what they read by teaching them to mark up the text using these codes.

Paraphrasing & Original Thinking Graphic Organizer
(Grades 6-12)

Coach students to paraphrase text or quotes and form their own conclusions about what they read.

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