Summer Sun Risin' [Hardcover]

W. Nikola-Lisa (Author), Don Tate (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

From sunrise to sunset, an African American boy spends an activity-filled summer day helping his family on their farm. Feeding animals, mowing hay, picking vegetables, and eating freshly caught fish fill the hours. Set in Texas in the 1950s, Summer Sun Risin’ is Parenting Reading Magic Award winner W. Nikola-Lisa’s tribute to childhood, farm life, and family togetherness. Don Tate’s sun-drenched paintings depict the family’s daily activities and trace the sun as it travels across the sky.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An African-American boy and his parents tend their farm while marking the transit of the ever-changing sun in this plainspoken paean to agricultural life. Tate's (Say Hey: A Song of Willie Mays) stylized full-bleed paintings, shown to advantage in the book's horizontal (10" 8") format, exaggerate the expansiveness of the plains by rendering the horizon as a gentle but unmistakable arc. It's as if the farm were hugging the edge of a globe, the earth as round to the narrator's eye as the constantly visible sun. The characters' highly sculpted faces suggest the contours of the land, and their expressions radiate confidence and satisfaction. While the tweaked perspectives occasionally can be unsettling (in a view of the boy at breakfast, the dishes seem to slide straight down the surface of the tabletop), the pictures will immediately engage readers. Short verses comment on farm activities and the relative position of the sun. Adopting a laconic, rural voice, Nikola-Lisa (Bein' with You This Way) sometimes crosses the line into monotony. Still, he conjures up a compelling, comforting rhythm from the accumulation of small details: "Birds in the roost, kittens in the yarn, Cows linin' up down by the barn. Pa cracks the door, I swing it wide. Summer sun's shinin', floodin' inside." Ages 3-6.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

reSchool-Grade 1-As the sun rises, a young African-American boy wakes up and begins his busy, enjoyable day on the family farm. Milking cows, feeding pigs, and plowing the field are some of the activities in which he takes part. A midday picnic and evening fishing with his father balance out the day, which concludes with bedtime stories, Pa playing his guitar, and Ma reading the mail. The story is told in a comforting, lulling rhyme ("Bees in the hive fruit on the trees. Summer sun's stirrin' a summertime breeze") that suits the wholesome setting perfectly. The illustrations, oil and acrylic on textured paper, are stylized and curved to reflect the lay of the land. A Texas farm served as the model for this book, expansively depicted on the double-page spreads. This is a nicely designed book, from its endpapers (saffron at the beginning, cobalt at the end) to its simple, homespun typeface. It truly conjures up a lovely summer's day on a farm, and can be used during storytimes or as a cozy one-on-one bedtime story.
Anna DeWind Walls, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Lee & Low Books; 1 edition (April 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584300345
• ISBN-13: 978-1584300342
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,754,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

W. Nikola-Lisa's interest in writing books for children began as an elementary school teacher. He is the author of numerous picture books, including the award-winning Bein' With You This Way (Lee & Low), Shake Dem Halloween Bones (Houghton Mifflin), The Year With Grandma Moses (Henry Holt), Setting the Turkeys Free (Hyperion), and How We Are Smart (Lee & Low), a Christopher Award recipient. An accomplished storyteller and musician, Mr. Nikola-Lisa enjoys sharing his writing experiences with audiences--young and old--whenever possible. For more information about Mr. Nikola-Lisa go to www.nikolabooks.com or visit his storytelling blog at nikolabooks.blogspot.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars time to get up!, May 9, 2005

By 

Melissa Sack (georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Summer Sun Risin' (Hardcover)

Days on the farm start as soon as the sun risies. There are always chores to do. Animal must be fed and crops tended to. This family in the book workd ahrd and works together. At the end of the day there is even time for fishing and relaxing on the porch. The theem of the book is hard work always pays off in the end.

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute gem!, January 31, 2009

By 

Reader from California (los angeles) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Summer Sun Risin' (Paperback)

This book is one of my son's absolute favorites, and mine too. It's very well written with great illustrations and depicts a wonderfully close family that shares work, meals, fishing and music.