One Hot Summer Day [Hardcover]

Nina Crews (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 1995 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

"An effervescent city child dances through a hot summer day until a thunderstorm brings welcome relief. Executed in collages made from color photographs, imaginatively redefined in unexpected juxtaposition....A wonderful concept book, grounded in ordinary events yet touched with magic, that will strike a familiar chord with preschool audiences while enlarging their perceptions. An auspicious debut!"--Horn Book.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS?Clever, colorful photo-collage illustrations feature a cheerful African American girl in an appealing urban landscape. Her summer day activities include an unsuccessful effort to fry an egg on the sidewalk (it's not quite that hot), a brief visit to the local playground (it's definitely too hot to sit on the shiny metal swings), and the messy fun of eating two grape popsicles in a row. The first-person narrative is filled with short, declarative sentences that are convincingly childlike. Changes in the placement of the text as well as in the art keep the book interesting and fresh. Particularly effective double-page spreads include one in which "...mother tells me to play inside games." The accompanying collage is cut into jigsaw-puzzle shapes, and another features splashing raindrops in various shades of blue. A simple story of a child's everyday adventures, told in an innovative, yet accessible style that will be enjoyed by young listeners no matter what the season.?Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Ages 2^-5. Using collage, Crews translates the mental images of her own hot childhood summers into a sensorial feast for preschoolers. "It's summer, and it's hot," the book begins, "Dogs pant. Hydrants are open. Women carry umbrellas for the shade." Crews illustrates these symbols of summer using cutout photographic images mounted on related scenes. For example, for the above quote, clipped shots of an African American girl (the protagonist), a panting dog, and two women holding umbrellas in front of a store are superimposed on a street-scene photo of a spewing hydrant. Although the connections are predictable, the jumble of perspectives is refreshing. Finally, the day's sizzling images give way to the relief of grape popsicles and a cooling rainstorm. Especially relevant to urban libraries, this book provides many opportunities to discuss the senses and the unique experience of summer in the city. Julie Yates Walton

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1st edition (May 31, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688133932
• ISBN-13: 978-0688133931
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 9.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #458,874 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delilghtfully Hot Book!, May 4, 2000

By 

Judith E. Pavluvcik (Dreaming of the beach in Hawaii, but living in the reality of the desert in Arizona!!) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Hot Summer Day (Hardcover)

I loved Nina Crews' collage artwork depicting the hotness of summer in the city. The images were incredibly colorful and I wanted to explore all the details in the pictures. The little girl in purple whom the author used as the subject is absolutely adodrable! Her smile just lights you up and you can just imagine all the fun she is having.

Nina lets the reader experience many emotions while reading this book! One cannot help it!

This is a delightful book for pre-schoolers and a first grader could read this with maybe a tad bit of help with some of the words.

This mother thoroughly recommends this book for your pre-schoolers!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great summer treat for your 3-5 year old!, September 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: One Hot Summer Day (Library Binding)

Nina Crews' photographs combine the beautiful with the mundane to create a story to which all children can relate. We loved the contrast of the urban blacktop with the bright crisp green leaves, the little girl floating/dancing on raindrops, etc. There's always something new to discover in the photos. This is a talented new children's writer. It's evident that such talent is in her blood!

5.0 out of 5 stars awesome book, December 2, 2008

By 

G. Ballard "yogagirl" (texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: One Hot Summer Day (Hardcover)

My daughter is 3 and has loved this book for about a year now. It's simple but captivating. The artist had the right idea when creating this book. This is one of my daughter's favorites.