Summer is Here by Renee Watson is a bright, colorful ode to summer days. A gorgeous book that I believe could be a Caldecott 2025 contender.
Author: Renée Watson
Illustrator: Brittany Jackson and Bea Jackson
Publication date: May 7, 2024
Genre: picture book
Recommended for: PreS-Grade 2
Setting: one perfect summer day
Themes: summer, sensory language, personification, joy, seasons, onomatopoeia, rich vocabulary, alliteration
Protagonist: young Black girl; background characters are diverse
Starred reviews: Kirkus and Publishers Weekly
Pages: 40
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY
Summer is finally here, and she’s bringing the most perfect day! From sunup to sundown, there’s so much to do on this lovely summer day.
With summer comes fresh fruit, sweet and tangy, jump ropes for leaping and dancing, and friends at the pool swimming and floating.
Summer brings family cookouts under shady trees, gardens overflowing, and the familiar song of the ice-cream truck.
This beautiful ode to all the season’s sensations follows one girl’s perfect day in an exploration of joy, family, friendship, sunshine, and wonder.
AWARDS AND KUDOS
- Publishers Weekly starred
- Kirkus starred
DOWNLOAD A FREE QUOTATION POSTER FOR SUMMER IS HERE
Click the image below for the Canva link. Go to File – Make a copy in Canva to create an editable copy in your Canva account. If you don’t have a Canva account, you can also download the uneditable PDF of this poster in my free Shared Google Drive.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT SUMMER IS HERE
Summer joy! This book captures the simple joys of a gorgeous summer day full of play and sunshine!
There is not a cell phone or TV in sight. This reminds me of my own carefree summers in the 1980s. We didn’t do much, honestly, but we most definitely played outside. The freedom and joy of summertime were palpable. Maybe this book will encourage readers to get outside and play.
I love the diverse body shapes and ethnicity in background characters. Two are overweight adults that look exactly like regular people doing regular things.
So many smiles! This is a book about joy, friendship, and love.
Lots of rich vocabulary, sensory language, onomatopoeia, and alliteration. For example:
–“Two jump ropes leap and move and tap, tap, tap on the pavement.” (the words “tap, tap, tap” are dancing within the sentence)
–“Summer sings me a song, serenading me from the ice cream truck.”
–“Her stars shimmer like spilled glitter across the sky.”
This book is exactly as advertised. It’s about the joy of summer, and that’s what it is. Nearly every page has smiles and joyous characters having fun. Only the last three pages show the protagonist in quiet reflection.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I like everything about this beautiful book!
DIVERSITY
Main character is a Black girl with beads in her hair. Background characters, family, and friends are Black, white, and brown. Characters have a variety of body types and ages.
ARTWORK/ILLUSTRATIONS
Joyous, bright, and colorful! This could be a Caldecott 2025 contender!
LIBRARIANS WILL WANT TO KNOW
Would adults like this book? YES, it’s gorgeous and will remind some adults of their own childhood summers.
Would I buy this for my high school library? NO – It’s a picture book meant for young children.
Would I buy this for my middle school library? NO – Again, it’s not meant for middle schoolers.
Would I buy this for my elementary school library? 100% YES, with no reservations! This is gorgeous and may encourage readers to get outside and play this summer.
MATURE CONTENT
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: none
Drugs/Alcohol: none
Other: no other concerns