Customer Reviews

Summer Is Summer

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This picture book had an extra charm to it in that the author alluded to Gertrude Stein's "rose is a rose" line from Stein's incredible little book "The World is Round".

This gave a special sort of adult weight to the child-friendly mellifluous lilt of the text.

The book is lots of fun to read aloud and the repetitive nature of it is soothing and easy to grasp for children.

But if you view it from the perspective of someone who was inspired by a larger work by an incredible writer for adults, the text suddenly becomes all the more endearing.

It was a very nice surprise indeed.

Furthermore, your kids will probably love it.

For children there's a great deal to celebrate in the summer, and that's exactly what this book is about - all the fun things that can be done when the sun is warm and school is out. Of course, as the authors make plain fun is even better when it's shared so we follow four friends as they explore the wonderful world of summer.

Their days are related in simple rhymes for appeal to even the youngest readers.

"Cool in the shade,

Pink lemonade -

Summer is summer is summer."

In addition, all of the activities and observations are ones to which children can easily relate, whether it's planting seeds, taking a pail to the beach or catching fireflies.

Sophie Blackall's sun washed full page illustrations add to the spirit of carefree happiness expressed in Summer Is Summer.

- Gail Cooke

Whether she enjoyed the simple, repetitive yet evocative text or the lovely illustrations, this was the first picture book my daughter asked for again and again (and again...), beginning last summer at 1-1/2 years old. The images of baseball, crawdad creeks, fireflies and ferris wheels were fun to discuss in the middle of winter, and even more fun once the fireflies came out this June. This book has been a bedside staple all summer, so much so that by the 500th time reading it I spotted the nearly ubiquitous ladybug. There are a couple pages on which we haven't yet found it...but I'm certain it's there ;)