another splash of summer…a list of five

Don’t let those back-to-school sales fool you.  It’s still full-on summer, with sunny days plum perfect for outdoor fun. Here are five happy books to keep you in summer-mode!

Run Wild, written and illustrated by David Covell
published in 2018 by Viking, Penguin Young Readers

I was gobsmacked by the wild beauty of this book beckoning us to free-wheeling outdoor exploration.

Energetic, lean, rhyming lines literally call us to run wild into a world of wonder, of breezes blowing, fiddleheads growing, waves rolling.

The artwork in this book is stunning. Vivacious, robust images, swashes of color in a palette of woodsy greens, earthy browns, oceany blues. Fabulous. Grab it for ages 2 and up!

Cycle City, written and illustrated by Alison Farrell
published in 2018 by Chronicle Books

Oh dear! The committee in charge of the Starlight Parade hasn’t delivered all their invitations yet! What to do?

Recruit Mayor Snail. He bustles around Cycle City finding everyone from Polar Bear on his gelato bike to the Bunny Family on their “super loooooong box bike” making sure everyone is welcomed to the dreamy nighttime festivities.

You get to scope out all these folks as well in these vivid, bike-a-licious scenes. So many bikes — big and small, ordinary and wildly inventive — and colorful characters with their own small stories to trace, all winding up in a splendid, midnight-blue, starry extravaganza!

I wish I lived in Cycle City! You will, too! Coming from a Portland author…no surprise there 🙂 Fantastic choice for ages 3 and up.

No Swimming for Nelly, written and illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev
published in 2018 by Holiday House

Nelly has a brand new, cherry-polka-dot, cute-as-punch swim suit and she’s excited to wear it absolutely everywhere…

…except in the water. Nuh uh. No way. Never. No swimming for Nelly, she declares. Cold water, and scary waves are not her cup of tea.

It takes Grandma to coax Nelly and her marvelous swim suit into the pool in this charming story, cram full of affection and one pink pig with pizzazz. A delight for ages 2 and up.

Saturday is Swimming Day, written and illustrated by Hyewon Yum
published in 2018 by Candlewick Press

Here’s another little peanut with a fear of water. On Saturday mornings — swimming lessons mornings — she wakes up with a big ol’ stomach ache. Poor little dear.

Thank goodness for one swell swim instructor named Mary who gently eases this little gal into the pool over the course of several weeks.

Waves of honesty, bravery, empathy, and victory wash through this sweet story, just right for ages 3 and up.

Sun, written and illustrated by Sam Usher
published in 2018 by templar books, Candlewick Press

Here’s the third of Sam Usher’s vigorous, imaginative spins on the weather as experienced by one boy and his ever-loving granddad.

It’s hotter than blazes outside. “Hotter than broccoli soup, hotter than the Atacama Desert, hotter than the surface of the sun.” But Granddad says it’s the perfect day for a picnic, so off the two troop.

Feel the heat of that sun beating down as these two search for that elusive, perfect spot, then plunge into playful, imaginative piratical adventures, the unexpectedly perfect end to their journey.

Be sure to check out Usher’s take on Rain and Snow and prepare for the fourth book in the series, Storm, coming soon!

Lots more sunny, summery reads can be found at the link here.