Summertime

This is a gorgeous book of oil paintings depicting a rural African-American family during the summer. The focus of the paintings is an expressive little girl enjoying the natural world and the comforts of home with her family. I am surprised it hasn't won any awards, b/c it is a stunning book. My 17 month old daughter loves this book and requests it over and over.

I have always loved the song "Summertime," which my mother used to sing to my family when I was growing up. This book adds new layers of meaning to the song, with gorgeous illustrations depicting an African-American family living in the South. This is currently one of my thirteen-month-old daughter's top three favorite books, although it is not intended for her age group. She responds intensely to the images of the children in the swimming hole, the grandfather sleeping in his hammock, the mother baking an apple pie, and especially the last page where the baby is learning how to walk on the front porch. Although I have sung this book aloud to our daughter at least 100 times, I always look forward to singing it one more time. It's an absolute treasure.

I was completely charmed by the paintings in this book. They were skillfully done, and depict the summertime of an African-American family in the south. Very warm pictures of family life.

I am a second grade teacher who read this story to a group of second graders last fall. The students also had an opportunity to listen to the Louie Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald jazz rendention of the song. My students love the story and frequently read it along with the CD. I like the beautiful illustrations that accompany the story lyrics. The author did a wonderful job of combining vibrant illustrations with music lyrics to tell a wonderful story.