Skip to main content

Summer Reading Challenge 2025 is ON!

June 3, 2025

It's June 3, and Summer Reading Challenge is ON! Keep track of every day you read between June 1 and July 31 for a chance at prizes, including: 

  • coupons for local businesses
  • NPL branch trading cards (these are new—ask your local librarian about them!)
  • entries into a grand prize drawing for a $150 gift card to a local bookstore! 

This year's theme is "Color Our World." Art is all around us, and it enriches our lives. Whether we draw, paint, sing, or tell stories, art helps look at the world in new ways. What will you create this summer? 

Summer Reading Challenge "Color Our World"

Summer Reading Challenge is for everyone—kids, teens, and adults. And remember that all reading counts: reading by yourself, with someone else, listening to an an audiobook, reading graphic novels, and more! You can register and keep track of your reading online or on a paper log. Find one at your local library branch, or print one out from our website. 

Summer Reading Challenge Event Highlights 

And of course we will be having all sorts of programs to celebrate Summer Reading Challenge. Check out the online events calendar, or pick up a branch specific calendar at your local library. But we got some highlights below!

Madison 

Friday, June 6 at 5 PM: join the Madison branch at Amqui Station (behind the library!) for a Summer Reading Kick-Off Party! There will be food trucks, book giveaways, a magic show, and a foam party to kick everything off. What the what?! For more information, call the Madison branch at (615) 862-5868.

Richland Park 

Join the Richland Park branch for a Summer Reading Kickoff: Kids Foam Party on Saturday, June 7 from 10 AM to 12 PM! Kids can dance, play, and splash around in a giant foam pit while enjoying music, games, and treats. Call the Richland Park branch at (615) 862-5870 for more information. 

Pro Tip: more than one library branch will be having a foam party this summer. Visit our events calendar for more! 

Inglewood

Saturday, June 7 is a busy day indeed at NPL. At 11 AM, visit the Inglewood branch in East Nashville for a Summer Reading Kick Off Party with The Science Guys! Explore the world of color, light, and prisms through lasers, optical illusions, and more! Contact the Inglewood branch at (615) 862-5866 for the full scoop. 

Looking for Reading Recommendations? 

Ask us! NPL Librarians are always more than happy to share our favorite books. Our Library Concierge service can tailor a reading list just for you. Under "Books and More" on our website, you can peruse the Children's page for tons of booklists and direct links to our eBooks and downloads for kids. 

But if you are looking for a summer-centric picture book list, we've got you covered! Check out the catalog widget below. We've got some picture book classics, and also some brand new books published just this year. What will you read this summer? 

Picture Books for Summer Reading Challenge 2025

Klem-Mari Cajigas

Klem-Mari

In a former life, Klem-Marí was a Religious Studies scholar. She much prefers being the Family Literacy Coordinator for Bringing Books to Life! She wants you to read and share books with the children in your life, and for those children to see you to read as well. Originally from Puerto Rico, Klem-Marí also enjoys her cat, baking, yoga, and the works of Octavia Butler.