School’s out: Parents, get the books out
Get a jump on summer reading with this crop of outdoor-themed kid reads.
“And Then Comes Summer” by Tom Brenner; illustrated by Jaimie Kim; Candlewick Press; 32 pages; $16.99.
From decorating bikes for the Fourth of July parade, to setting up a lemonade stand, to asking, “Are we there yet?” on the road trip to the lake on a hot day, Tom Brenner’s retrolooking ode to summer is spot on. The narration flows, “When daylight pushes back bedtimes, and crickets crick-crick in the evening air, and bugs as big as thumbs bang against windows ... Then play hide-and-seek until darkness wins.” The tale doesn’t rhyme, but it does read like a lively poetic adventure with the campground, hopscotch sidewalk and ohso-refreshing beach.
Jaimie Kim’s active illustrations are very mod and very vintage at the same time, making “And Then Comes Summer” the perfect vacation picture book.
“Jabari Jumps” by Gaia Cornwall; Candlewick Press; 30 pages; $15.99.
Swimming is a huge part of summer, and some kids need a little confidence-builder at the pool, especially on the diving boards. Jabari begins feeling strong; he’s just passed his swimming lessons and test. He watches the other kids jump and is filled with excitement and apprehension, so he squeezes his dad’s hand a little harder. He decides he’s a little tired and, for a moment, thinks tomorrow may be a better day to dive. But Jabari decides to go for it after his dad tells him to take a deep breath and that “sometimes it stops feeling scary and feels a little like a surprise.”
Gaia Cornwall’s step-by-step chronicle of Jabari’s thoughts and actions will inspire hesitant young kids to emulate his scare-busting technique and remind them that surprises are usually empowering and fun. They’ll love how thrilling Cornwall makes the end result, with lots of refreshing green-blue splashy water, big words like “Whoosh!” and the infectious joy felt by the boy, his father and his little sister.
“There Might Be Lobsters,” by Carolyn Crimi and Laurel Molk, published by Candlewick, is another tale of initial apprehension that turns into joyful beach swimming when dog Sukie is finally empowered to join her girl in the waves.
“Do Princesses and Super Heroes Hit the Trails? A National Park Adventure” by Carmela LaVigna Coyle; illustrated by Mike Gordon; Muddy Boots Publishing; 32 pages; $15.95.
Get out and enjoy the national parks while you can! In this whimsical fun installment of Muddy Boots’ “Do Princesses” picture book series, the unconventional princess and her super hero little brother explore America’s national parks and highlight fun features. They visit the Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park, Zion, volcanoes in Hawaii and many other locations. There is rhyming bouncy text, and there are cartoonish illustrations with lots of detail and humor. Besides the reminder to families to get outside and enjoy America, the best aspect of all is that our princess is rather tomboyish, with her own personality shining through, and her super hero brother goes nowhere without his purple cape.