Laura Bush Shares Her 2020 Summer Reading List for Kids (and Yes, Her Daughters' Book Is on It!)
Laura Bush is sharing her most recent top book picks for children.
The former first lady has released her Mrs. Laura Bush's 2020 Summer Reading List for Kids, which is broken up into some of her favorite picks for youngest, elementary-school-aged and middle-school-aged readers.
Of course, Mrs. Bush, 73, includes Sisters First — written by her daughters Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush — alongside titles like Hair Love, Little Blue Truck and Mae Among the Stars for Youngest Readers.
For the Elementary School Readers list, Mrs. Bush recommends books like Separate Is Never Equal, The Wild Robot and The Year of Billy Miller, while for Middle School Readers, there's Best Friends, New Kid and Inside Out & Back Again, among others.
"Now, more than ever, it is important to keep children engaged in reading," says Mrs. Bush. "This summer reading list includes picks for the youngest readers through middle schoolers – with topics ranging from race and kindness, to staying true to yourself, to the special bond of sisterhood — ensuring all readers are kept entertained throughout the summer and into the school year."
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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Little Blue Truck
Scholastic Separate Is Never Equal
Macmillan Best Friends
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In her recent August cover story for Parents magazine, Bush Hager said that her parents passed down their love of reading to her — and it's something she now shares with her own children: son Henry "Hal" Harold, who turns 1 in August, plus daughters Poppy Louise, 5 in August, and Margaret "Mila" Laura, 7.
"Our mom made sure my sister and I were surrounded with wonderful books from the time we were babies," the Today co-host, 38, said of Mrs. Bush, who used to work as a librarian.
Bush Hager added that both her mother and father, former President George W. Bush, frequently read to her and Pierce Bush when they were children.
"Most often, my parents would read to us in their bed. The four of us would all be in there together while my mom and dad took turns reading out loud. That gave us such a cozy, secure feeling," she said, later noting that she also got her love of mystery novels from her dad, 74.
Slaven Vlasic/Getty Laura Bush and Jenna Bush hager
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Twin sisters Jenna and Barbara Bush discuss their new memoir, "Sisters First," and the books that have impacted them throughout their lives.
A book lover and former teacher, Bush Hager has written several books of her own, including the one she co-authored with Pierce Bush, Sisters First.
"The way women were talked about during the 2016 election was not what we saw reflected in our own lives and nothing we wanted girls to grow up with," she told Parents when talking about the nonfiction book, which features personal stories from the former first daughters.
"We wanted to write about women lifting each other up. It was also a love letter to each other because we feel that having a sister has made us braver, more confident and more daring," the mom of three added.
For Mrs. Bush's full summer reading list for kids, visit bushcenter.org.
