Welcome Summer

When Danitra leaves the city for a summer with her family in the country, she and best friend Zuri write to each other about their days. The free verse and softly hued, realistic illustrations convey the warmth of both summer and the girls’ friendship.

It’s summer vacation for Grace and her neighborhood friends, just the time for the fun to begin! Grace remains the imaginative, energetic girl first introduced in Amazing Grace (1991) as she involves all the kids in dramatic play. From helping an isolated older woman to creating a circus, Grace and her chums spend a delightful summer vacation close to home.

The poet remembers summers growing up in Mexico in poems presented in both English and Spanish. Readers meet his family and join them in the everyday joys of the sunny season. Illustrations are as colorful and evocative as the words.

Short poems and child-like illustrations framed on brilliantly white pages capture the splendor (“Morning glories/Campfire stories‡”) and sorrow of summer *(“Skinned knees/Ninety degrees‡). Readers will readily relate to all aspects of summer, seen in a short poem for the end of summer: “Three words/Most cruel:/Back to school.”

The summer Elisa finished first grade, not only did her 11-year old brother Russell go to a sleepaway camp but the entire family went on a vacation to the country. Sibling rivalry results in a competition with humorous results and a bit of insight.

Crisp illustrations fold out to illustrate the way Sam’s garden grows. Simply told in a familiar cadence, this cumulative tale may inspire young children to grow a garden while exploring their environment.

Something special about each season is shared in rhyming text and bright, bold yet simple illustrations on sturdy pages. The lines that open this short book end it in reverse: “Sing of seasons as we grow,/Mud, sand, leaves, snow.”

In this cumulative tale, Jack plants, tends and harvests his garden. Not only will readers follow Jack’s activities, they’ll learn about gardens and gardening in this informative and animated book through text and highly detailed and well-labeled illustrations. (The author’s background as a science teacher is pleasantly evident.)

Daddies do so many things, but on a summer evening one of the most special things is to catch a firefly. A gentle rhythmic text combines with soft illustrations, with flaps to lift, in this tender, appealing book.