I’ve got a bucketload of sweet summertime reads today.
Juneteenth is tomorrow, and Summer Solstice lands later in the week,
so let’s start there.
Juneteenth Is
written by Natasha Tripplett, illustrated by Daniel.J. O’Brien
published in 2024 by Chronicle Books
If you’re looking for a book about the origins of Juneteenth,
you can find my review of All Different Now here.
But we get to celebrate Juneteenth in the present day with this excellent book. Told from the perspective of one young girl, we walk through the holiday with her, her family, and community.
Starting with “the smoky smell of Daddy’s slow-cooking brisket” wafting into her window from the grill, we attend a joyous parade, congregate with a whole lot of folk at Grandpa’s house, cheer the uncles in their pick-up basketball game, feast on mouth-watering Southern cooking, take time to pray and to remember.
End pages tell about the significance of the color red for Juneteenth celebrations. I love the rich helping of Black American culture this book dishes up! Ages 4 and up.
Summer is Here
written by Renée Watson, illustrated by Bea Jackson
published in 2024 by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Here’s a cheerful, sunny ode to all the goodness of summer as told by one happy little girl.
Every page sings with joy, with appreciation for sunbeams and summer fruit, pool days and jump rope, cook-outs and ice cream trucks, long, lingering sunsets and the silvery moon shining through a bedroom window open to the night breeze.
Besides the lyrical text, I appreciate enormously the marvelous range of bodies Bea Jackson includes in her illustration work. These are real people, enjoying their families and friends and neighborhoods on fine summer days. Happiness in a book for ages 3 and up.
Looking for summer fare for the youngest of lap-readers?
These next two are toddler gems.
A Seed Grows
written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis
published in 2022 by Neal Porter Books, Holiday House
Antoinette Portis’s bold, arresting artwork tangoes with her marvelously clear, pared back text to brilliantly narrate the life of a sunflower.
This is top-notch children’s literature, bringing the subject matter into the forefront with vivacity and accuracy, telling a story bursting with wonder without overly narrating it.
One seed falls to the ground, sprouts, grows, buds, then blossoms into a ginormous flower full of seeds which feed the birds and, sometimes, fall to the ground to begin all over again. Outstanding for ages 18 months and up.
Bee
written and illustrated by Charlotte Voake
published in 2022 by Candlewick Press
Charlotte Voake’s masterful ability to tell stories for the very young has made me a huge fan for many years now. Here she conveys the wonder of the honeybee through a magical flight of fancy.
Imagine – two little honeybees named Bella and Beatrice bringing you a tiny, furry, striped, honeybee suit! And shrinking you down to just their size so you can go on a guided tour of their hive!
That’s what happens to this lucky little boy. During his time with the bees he hears about their home and jobs, meets the Queen, learns the special waggle dance, and flies with his new friends to a lovely patch of strawberries. It’s quite a day and it inspires him to do something nice for the bees the next day. Brilliant. Charming. Engaging. A gem for ages 2 and up.
Summer is made for happy outings with friends.
A Perfect Wonderful Day with Friends
written and illustrated by Philip Waechter, translated by Melody Shaw
originally published in German, English edition 2022 by Gecko Press
It all starts with Raccoon, who is feeling a bit bored and decides to bake an apple cake. He’s out of eggs, though, so he trots over to his friend Fox’s place to borrow some.
But Fox is busy trying to mend her roof so the two of them trot over to Badger’s to borrow his ladder. And so it goes, one need leading to another, one friend after another gathered, until before you know it a perfect, wonderful day is being had with a warmhearted group of friends.
Strolling, picnicking, climbing, fishing, swimming, lounging, crossword puzzling, repairing, baking, and eating. Charming illustrations. A whole lot of happiness. That’s what’s in store for kids here, ages 3 to 4 and up.
Cool Off and Ride: A Trolley Trip to Beat the Heat
written by Claudia Friddell, illustrated by Jenn Harney
published in 2023 by Calkins Creek
In the late 1930’s, Baltimore began offering reduced evening fares in their breezy street cars as a way for folks to escape the summer heat. That fact is the basis for this boisterous, fictional account.
The raucous rhythms of those delightful rides, the sweltering sizzle of a heat wave in the city, the hurry-scurry of an entire neighborhood hoping to cool off and ride – it’s all captured in this energetic book.
Back matter tells more about the old fashioned ways folks used to try to beat the heat, and all about streetcars, old and new. An unusual, joyous fling for ages 4 and up.
Baseball Around the World: How the World Plays the Game
written by Chris Singleton and Dean Burrell
published in 2022 by Bushel and Peck
Summer and baseball go hand in glove here in the U.S., and offer up a great way to spend time with friends. But baseball is truly a global sport and has even popped in and out of the Olympic Games.
This colorful book drops in on twelve countries, each getting a two-page collage of images and facts. How did baseball arrive there? How many teams do they have? Which country treats their umpires to lemonade after the fifth inning? Where can you buy octopus to snack on in the stands? Who else hosts a World Series besides the U.S.?
One last chapter is devoted to Little League. Peppered with color photos and snazzy graphics, this is a fascinating, breezy snapshot that’ll interest young fans ages 8 and up.
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Find gobs more summertime reads on my list here.
Happy celebrating to you all!
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