Tag Archives: Summer

Elem. – Our Pool

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Cummins, Lucy Ruth. Our Pool. Atheneum Books for Young Children, 2023. 978-1-534-49923-2. $18.99. 48 p. Grades K-2.

A city community pool is the focus of this refreshingly cool book. The unseen child narrator describes each step in the process of getting ready for a swim – the locker room, putting on sunscreen, playing in the pool, losing sight of Mom for a moment, worrying that a rain cloud will end the fun early, being cuddled in a warm towel, a visit to the ice cream truck, and heading home exhausted and happy. The glory of this book is that every reader can see themselves in it. Each illustration depicts adults and children of all races, ages, body-types, and family configurations without ever revealing which of these categories the narrator identifies with. A stunning tribute to the joy of a community pool on a hot summer day.

THOUGHTS: This is a beautifully illustrated book that is absolutely pitch perfect. The gouache, colored pencil, and digitally finished artwork is simple yet stunning in its ability to convey inclusivity. The narrative is joyous and full of kid fun. Highly recommended for all children’s library collections.

Picture Book 

Elem. – Oslo Learns to Swim

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Cushman, Doug. Oslo Learns to Swim. Simon Spotlight, 2023. 978-1-665-92648-5. Unpaged. $17.99. Grades 1-3.

Oslo Learns to Swim follows two best friends Oslo a bird and Rex a warthog on a hot summer day Rex is going swimming. Oslo has a lot of questions such as, are there sharks or giant squid?  Eventually it comes out that Oslo doesn’t know how to swim, so Rex teaches him. At the end of the story there are two crocodiles headed to go swimming as well.  One crocodile tells the other he is afraid of warthogs.

THOUGHTS: This book is perfect for fans of Elephant and Piggie or just funny easy readers. Must have for any elementary library collection.

Beginning Reader
Humor

Elem. – Seasons: Summer Shine! (Series NF)

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Murray, Julie. Seasons: Summer Shine! Abdo Kids, 2022. $21.95 ea. $131.70 set of 6. 24 p. Grades K-2.

Summer Adventures. 978-1-098-20930-8.
Summer Animals. 978-1-098-20931-5.
Summer Food. 978-1-098-20932-2.
Summer Holidays. 978-1-098-20933-9.
Summer Plants. 978-2-098-20934-6.
Summer Weather. 978-2-098-20935-3.

Summer Adventures is an early nonfiction book aimed at young readers. Bright photographs and bold primary colors are used throughout the book. Each two-page spread depicts a primary student enjoying a popular summer activity, including the beach, playgrounds, family barbecues, fishing, camping, and swimming and boating. Text is very simple, with only one sentence per page. Table of Contents, Index, Glossary, and suggestions for further summer adventures all are included in this nonfiction selection leveled for Kindergarten readers. A QR code at the end of the book enables teachers or parents to access free worksheets, coloring sheets, games, and more.

THOUGHTS: An excellent introduction to nonfiction text features. Photos depict diverse representations of children and families. Perfect for an early primary or preschool library or nonfiction section. Activities and lesson plans accessed through the QR code are developmentally appropriate and are a nice addition for easy lesson planning.

525.5 Natural Sciences and Mathematics         Anne McKernan, Council Rock SD

Elem. – Hot Dog

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Salati, Doug. Hot Dog. Alfred A Knopf, 2022. 978-0-593-30843-1. 40 p. $17.99. Grades PreK-2.

Told in spare text, this story of a woman and her long-haired dachshund is no trivial tale. The unnamed pair live in a city and set out on a hot summer morning to run errands. With a to-do list in hand, the woman leads her adorable pup along crowded and noisy sidewalks, and the urban chaos upsets the tiny canine. Refusing to budge another inch, the animal sits down in the middle of a busy street in protest. The guardian scoops up her pet and realizing their need to get away, they head to the seashore by train and ferry. They breathe in fresh sea air and with umbrella in hand proceed to the beach to spend the afternoon. Without a leash, the little dog runs free and enjoys digging in the sand, splashing in the waves, and collecting rocks, which the woman uses to make rock art. As sunset approaches, both of them board the ferry for home. The twosome exit the subway to streets that are now quieter, less crowded and cooler. Feeling refreshed, they return home for dinner and  a “deep ocean sleep.” The lyrical text is sprinkled with alliteration, onomatopoeia, and rhyme. What makes this story shine is the amazing artwork. For the initial city scenes, the images are vertically placed, each framed with a black border. This technique cleverly demonstrates the overcrowding, frenzy and din of the streets, and a few drawings give the dachshund’s perspective. The horizontal pictures at the seaside and of the city at night are unframed and are mostly full or double page spreads, which creates a sense of tranquility and openness. Salati uses pencil, gouache, and Photoshop to craft  illustrations that touch the senses. There are the familiar scents of the city on their return (dog-trash can; woman-vegetable stand). City sounds are portrayed by the overwritten words on the drawings of the traffic jam (Hawwnk…Honk…Beep) and the construction site (Tukka…Tukka…Tukka). The orange and yellow image of pedestrians in the sweltering heat looks almost too hot to touch. The artist creatively represents the wind in the flapping ears and ruffled fur of the pup on the ferry, and the reader can almost feel the gentle breeze as the sheer curtains in the bedroom billow out from the open window. 

THOUGHTS: This outstanding picture book reminds us to take time to relax and enjoy the beauty of the world with those we love. This is an essential purchase for elementary libraries. Young readers won’t be able to wait to take Hot Dog home.

Picture Book          Denise Medwick, Retired, PSLA Member

Elem. – The World Belonged to Us

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Woodson, Jacqueline. The World Belonged to Us. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2022. 978-0-399-54549-8. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-2.

In her latest picture book, Jacqueline Woodson has teamed up with Leo Espinosa to create an uplifting story of neighborhood children enjoying the carefree days of summer. The setting is Brooklyn “in the summer not so long ago,” although the illustrations seem to point to the late 1960s or early 1970s. It is the last day of school, and students run out jubilantly and get right to business by turning on the fire hydrant. And so it continues every day as the whole block becomes a playground for these youngsters of diverse backgrounds. Their days are filled with jump rope, basketball, building forts out of boxes, stick ball, tag, and waiting for the ice cream truck, only ending when their mothers call them in at dark. They cannot wait until tomorrow, which holds the promise of another day of freedom. Espinosa’s drawings are rendered digitally and with pencil. The images depict lots of chaotic action, and one almost can hear the shouts of delight from the children. 

THOUGHTS: This picture book is sure to bring smiles and is perfect for end of the school year story times. Pair this with MacLachlan’s Prairie Days to take a journey back to the happy-go-lucky days of summer past, when kids savored life with nary an electronic device in sight. Woodson’s message is “Go Play!”

Picture Book          Denise Medwick, Retired, PSLA Member

MG- Karthik Delivers

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Chari, Sheela. Karthik Delivers. Amulet Books, 2022. 978-1-419-75522-4. $17.99. 255 p. Grades 6-9.

The 2008 recession has hit Alston, Massachusetts, hard. The Raghaven Indian grocery store is not doing well, so Mr. Raghaven recruits thirteen-year old Karthik as a delivery boy, a perk for his customers during the sweltering summer months. Remembering the orders is simple for Karthik; in fact, he remembers everything, including the 50 ice cream flavors at Carmine’s where he and his best friends, Miles, a white crossword whiz, and Binh, a sensitive Vietnamese boy, hang out when they can. At Carmine’s, Karthik also can catch a glimpse of Juhi Shah, his crush, despite her puzzling affinity for brawny bully Jacob Donnell and his wing man, Hoodie Menendez. This summer before high school becomes one of challenges for Karthik: can he stand up to Jacob who addresses him as Kar-dick; can he resist his mother’s pressure to be a doctor; can he help his father’s store withstand the stiff competition of the popular take-out place, House of Chaats (Juhi’s family business); most of all, can he discover what he truly wants to be? When Boston University budding playwriting student Shanthi Ananth persuades Karthik to take a leading role in her twenty-minute play about a childhood incident in the life of Alston native and world-renown composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein, Karthik’s world changes. Like Bernstein, whose musical career started with the gift of a piano from his aunt, Karthik realizes he has some unmined talents as well. His delivery job shows him he has a gift for making people feel noticed and listened to; his relationship with Shanthi encourages his talent for acting and reveals that it is possible to follow one’s own heart’s desire, not one’s parent’s.  The only problem is, he has to keep this project a secret. Against the backdrop of hard financial times, Karthik juggles all the different aspects of his life–family, friends, acting, job, first love–with an authenticity that will touch readers. Chari’s writing, whether in narrative or action or plot movement, makes this story so real. Though the Raghaven family and other characters suffer some bumps in life’s course, they retain their senses of humor and compassion, giving the story a buoyancy and truthfulness. This novel immerses the reader in a diverse community, strong friendships, and the sacrifices made for family.

THOUGHTS: Chari has a gift for developing rich major and minor characters. Students may draw parallels between the recession happening now in 2022 and the financial crisis of the early 2000’s that Karthik’s family experiences. Characters are of different ethnicities, but Indian foods and dishes as well as customs and mores are dominant. Karthik’s play, Being Lenny, may pique interest in Leonard Bernstein, his life and works.

Historical Fiction          Bernadette Cooke, School District of Philadelphia

YA – The Lucky List

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Lippincott, Rachael. The Lucky List. Simon & Schuster, 2021. 978-1-534-46853-5. $18.99. 294 p. Grades 7-12.

Shunned by her high school peers for boldly kissing an underclassman at the junior prom in full view of her well-liked boyfriend, Matt, Emily Clark faces a lonely summer in Huckabee, her small Pennsylvania town. Her best friend, Kiera, is working as a counselor at a sleep away camp; Matt is kind but confused at her actions; her dad is as distracted by work as ever leaving Emily to pack up her deceased mother’s belongings. Still nursing her grief over her mother’s passing three years prior from cancer, Emily finds a bucket list her mother penned her senior year of high school. When her parents’ best friend, Johnny Carter, moves to Huckabee from Hawaii with his daughter, Blake, the two girls spend a special summer together. Both motherless, they bond easily, and Blake is supportive when the diffident, cautious Emily challenges herself to check off the twelve points on her mother’s list. Convinced this accomplishment will reveal the new and improved Emily, she finds herself—with Blake’s encouragement and help—jumping off cliffs, sleeping under the stars, fending off others to steal forbidden apples, picking a four-leaf clover, etc. until ultimately, she is faced with the final task: kissing Matt. Rachael Lippincott’s The Lucky List is a cozy coming-of-age novel with a LBGTQ+ theme. Narrator Emily relates the questioning, the fears, the missteps of discovering whom one really is authentically and satisfyingly. The relationship between Emily and Blake is gradual and fun; the soul-searching Emily is relatable. A pleasant read for any teen, but may strike a particular chord with those grappling with their sexual identity. 

THOUGHTS: The Lucky List is a light read, heavy on friendship and caring rather than sex. The awakening of a person to her sexual identity may be helpful addition on school library shelves.

Realistic Fiction          Bernadette Cooke  School District of Philadelphia

MG – Summer of Brave

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Parks, Amy Noelle. Summer of Brave. Albert Whitman & Co., 2021. 978-0-807-57660-1. 232 p. $16.99. Grades 4-8.

Lilla likes to make everyone happy, even if it means not speaking her mind. The Summer Wish is a tradition between friends Knox, Vivi, and Lilla – whoever blows off the most seeds of the dandelion gets to make a Summer Wish that the other two must do. When Vivi wins (again), she decides to make her wish for a summer of brave, where everyone is honest and shares their feelings in order to overcome a fear. For Lilla this will be a challenge at home since she spends half her time living on the second floor with her mother, a scientist, and the other half on the first floor with her father, an artist. When the trio apply for summer camp counselors, tensions mount when Vivi doesn’t get chosen and Lilla can’t tell her the truth (which equals not being brave). Add to that the decision on which school to attend in the fall (the private school for science or art? Or the public school for a more well rounded education?), Lilla struggles with finding her voice to tell both her parents and friends her true wish. Will the Summer of Brave truly work?

THOUGHTS: A great coming of age story about being honest with yourself and others while finding out who you are. These middle school students are relatable and each bring a special connection to the story. Lilla struggles with self doubt, and readers at this level will connect with her in more ways than one. A wonderfully written and brave story of finding the courage to speak up for what you believe in.

Realistic Fiction          Jillian Gasper, Northwestern Lehigh SD

MG – The True Definition of Neva Beane

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Kendall, Christine. The True Definition of Neva Beane. Scholastic, 2020. 978-1-338-32489-1. $17.99. Grades 3-7.

While Neva Beane’s parents are on a summer singing tour abroad, she and her sixteen-year-old brother, Clay, are staying with their grandparents in West Philadelphia. The new girl across the street, Michelle Overton, is only a year older than Neva, but Michelle’s full figure and bikini outfits has Neva feeling inexperienced and babyish. In addition, Clay is preoccupied with the community organizing Michelle’s father is spearheading, and Neva’s best friend Jamila is busy preparing for her family vacation in Ghana. It’s a hot time in the city this summer, though. People are protesting unfair practices in housing and wages.  Against his grandparents’ orders, Clay is surreptitiously leading the youth branch of the protests. Although they were activists when they were younger, Nana and Grandpa now believe their duty is to protect their grandchildren which means keeping them away from the protests. Neva feels left out, but so does her grandmother—especially when her grandson forges her signature on the permission slip for a protest. Twelve-years-old and on the cusp of being a teen, Neva grapples with many conflicting feelings: she’s intimidated by Michelle but admires her, too; she values her friendship with Jamila, but they seem out of step; she’s homesick for her parents but doesn’t want her selfishness to stop their success; she’s wants to support the good cause but is anxious about protesting. Christine Kendall has produced a middle grade novel that recreates a Black American neighborhood against the backdrop of a tumultuous summer. Not only is the appealing character of Neva well-developed and identifiable to other readers her age, but the other characters are equally as genuine. Neva’s fascination with words is an added bonus to the book. This page-turning book will be a favorite and also boost the reader’s vocabulary!

Realistic Fiction    Bernadette Cooke  School District of Philadelphia

THOUGHTS: With the mention of familiar street names and places and the extremely relatable main character and timely setting, this book will fly off the shelves at my library. This book is an incentive to learn how to use the dictionary and improve one’s vocabulary and spelling. Food for thought in classroom social/emotional discussions is Neva’s processing of social activism.

Elem. – Prairie Days

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MacLachlan, Patricia. Prairie Days. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2020. 978-1-442-44191-0. $17.99. Grades K-3.

This beautifully illustrated picture book is an ode to carefree summer days on the prairie. Told in the voice of a young girl, this semi-autobiographical work is set in a farming community around the late 1940s. The author’s lyrical text describes how the girl and her friends spend their days playing kick the can, swimming in the farm pond, riding horses, and buying candy at the general store. MacLachlan’s verse is a delight for the senses, as she writes about the smell of “the cattle and bluegrass and hyssop,” the taste of cold drinks, the sight of prairie dogs, the feel of grain that “sneaked into our pockets,” and the sound of dogs barking as they herd sheep. The illustrations are colorful collages reminiscent of the work of Ezra Jack Keats. To make this artwork, Archer uses acrylics, ink, textured and homemade paper, stamps, origami and newsprint and even includes what appears to be real lace for  the curtains.  Children will enjoy poring over these imaginative drawings. The text and images work together to take the reader back to a happy-go-lucky time, when children played outside all day until their parents called them home at night.

THOUGHTS: This engaging book should be a contender for the Caldecott Award. The story will leave young listeners yearning for summer vacation and mature readers nostalgic for the summers of their childhood.

Picture Book          Denise Medwick, Retired, PSLA Member