Writing Our Summer Bucket List with I See Me! Books

We are in the final few weeks of the school year over here, and the countdown to summer fun is ON! Since we’ve decided to enroll #thebigone in fewer weeks of camp this summer, I wanted to get an idea for just how he hoped to spend his long free days. The beautiful book we received from I See Me! provided the perfect inspiration for us to create a summer bucket list. Read on to find out just what we loved about this unique book. Then grab a few free printables to help create your own summer bucket list.

(Clearly, from these photos you can tell- the area where we live is still waiting for summer to officially make an appearance!)

Standard Disclosure: Although I recieved a free copy of this book to facilitate my review, as always- all opinions are my own.

I See Me Books

I’ll admit, I was a little hesitant about checking out the products from I See Me!. My parents had given #thebigone a personalized book from a local vendor in the past. Although he liked the novelty of it, because his name was only inserted into the text, he couldn’t really see himself in the book. With I See Me!, your child will truly find themselves in whatever book you choose. In addition to including your child’s name, some books like We Go Together Like… allow you to personalize the gender, skin tone, and hair color of the main characters. Although we didn’t choose one, there are even options to include your child’s face in the illustrations! How cool is My U.S.A. Road Trip?! (And just in time for summer vacations!)

I chose I Wish You More, from Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Tom Lichentheld for #thebigone. I’d heard about the book often, but had never actually read it… Even the biggest kid lit nerds can’t read everything out there! The book is a sweet love letter to a child, told in the form of a series of wishes for a fulfilling like. The tale became even more poignant after I learned of Krouse Rosenthal’s recent death following a fight with cancer. It was definitely the right choice for me to share with my kiddo.

Even though #thebigone is a (mostly) independent reader now, he still loved finding his name seamlessly included in the illustrations. Seeing his name on the cover and in the dedication was thrilling, and made him feel important. I See Me! definitely picked a winner offering this particular book to their customers. My oldest loved all the fun activities the kids in the book were participating in, which prompted us to start discussing all of our ideas for a fun summer.

Writing Your summer Bucket List

 I’ve put together 2 free printables to help your family write your own summer bucket lists. (See below to grab yours!) One is a pre-made list of fun ideas, inspired mainly by the activities depicted in I Wish You More. After reading through the book and the pre-made list, #thebigone was ready to come up with some ideas of his own. He used the blank bucket list form to record his plans. (Bonus, he got some ‘hidden’ writing and spelling practice with this activity!) Younger kids can dictate ideas to have parents write them out. Then we cut the ideas apart and filled our bucket. As soon as school is out for the summer, we’ll be ready to tackle our plans.

Check Out I see Me!

Personalized books make a great gift for any kiddo, so be sure to check out everything I See Me has to offer. In addition to beautiful produced books, they also offer great gift ideas as well, including placemats, ornaments, lunchboxes, and more. Ordering is simple- just answer a few questions, and your goodies will be on their way. And they have a surprisingly extensive selection of books to choose from, so finding the perfect choice for your little bookworm won’t be a problem.

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So, what’s on YOUR family’s summer bucket list? I’d love to hear about your ideas in the comments!

Free Summer Bucket List Printables