Books to inspire children to get outside this summer

Summer Song

Written by Kevin Henkes and illustrated by Laura Dronzek

Greenwillow; 40 pages; $18.99; ages 4-8

You might already know “When Spring Comes,” “In the Middle of Fall” and “When Winter Is Here.” Well, the acclaimed husbandandwife team wraps up their yearround quartet with my favorite season.

Kids are invited right in: “If you lie in the grass,/ and you’re quiet and patient and lucky,/ you might hear a bug song.” Such easy free verse pauses over lush paintings that revel in pond life, leafy trees, foggy mornings and summer storms, in ice cream, sandcastles, an inflatable pool and a good book in the shade.

The “summer songs” of blue and green color this gentle sensory kaleidoscope of summer.

Heads and Tails Insects

Written and illustrated by John

Canty Candlewick; 40 pages; $17.99; ages 2-5

With only its tail showing on the right side of the page, a mystery insect offers clues: “I live in a hive. I make honey. I can sting you. I am … ” Turn the page to see if your guess is right. A bee, of course.

Nineteenth century natural history renderings inspire stylish modern renderings in this interactive import from Australia.

Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera

Written by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Eric Rohmann

Neal Porter/Holiday House; 40 pages; $18.99; ages 6-9

This stunning monograph lets young readers experience bees up close, with no chance of getting stung.

Apis Mellifera, a worker bee, is greatly magnified to show how she does it all in her short 35day life span. She must clean the hive, tend larvae, groom the queen, build the comb, defend against invaders, fly, search out nectar, transport pollen, communicate directions, and yield honey, all before literally wearing herself out. A sweeping gatefold shows Apis in her first flight, and the timely back matter tells us how to help threatened honeybees survive. They are, after all, vital to our survival.

Darwin’s Rival: Alfred Russell Wallace and the Search for Evolution

Written by Christiane Dorion and illustrated by Harry Tennant

Candlewick Studio; 64 pages; $24.99; ages 10-up

This eyecatching picture book wondrously focuses on oftenoverlooked Victorian naturalist Alfred Russell Wallace, who in 1858 simultaneously and independently developed a theory of evolution similar to that of the famous Charles Darwin.

Grand, digitally created art follows Wallace from humble beginnings to world travel and groundbreaking science. Despite challenges, he collects thousands of previously unknown specimens , studies variations, and finally sees what’s going on — natural selection and adaptation.