And Then Comes Summer

by Tom Brenner, Jaime Kim (Illustrator)

Overview

A joyful, sun-drenched tribute to the anticipation and adventures of the warmest season of the year.

When the days stretch out like a slow yawn, and the cheerful faces of Johnny-jump-ups jump up . . . then it’s time to get ready for summer! From flip-flops and hide-and-seek to fireworks and ice-cream trucks, from lemonade stands and late bedtimes to swimming in the lake and toasting marshmallows, there’s something for everyone in this bright and buoyant celebration of the sunny season. Tom Brenner’s lovely, lyrical ode to summers spent outdoors will strike a chord with anyone who’s ever counted down the days until school gets out, and Jaime Kim’s jubilant, nostalgia-soaked illustrations leave little doubt that summer is indeed a time unlike any other.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763660710
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	05/09/2017
Series:	And Then Comes
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	789,360
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Tom Brenner is the author of the picture books And Then Comes Halloween, illustrated by Holly Meade, and And Then Comes Christmas, illustrated by Jana Christy. Tom Brenner lives with his wife, children, and grandchildren on Vashon Island, Washington.

Jaime Kim was born and raised in Korea and moved to the United States when she was eighteen. She is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art and her work has received numerous awards and accolades from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Jaime Kim lives in North Carolina.

Editorial Reviews

03/01/2017
PreS-Gr 2—With this sunny celebration of the season, readers will find themselves eagerly anticipating June. Brenner and Kim have created a nostalgia-inducing suburban setting whose cheerful residents are treated to an endless stream of fireworks, games of hide-and-seek, Fourth of July parades, and trips to the lake. As in his previous titles (And Then Comes Halloween; And Then Comes Christmas), Brenner relies on a "Then…when" structure ("When the days stretch out like a slow yawn,/and leaves and grasses sparkle with dew/…. Then throw on flip-flops and breathe the sweet air") for another ode to a beloved time of the year. Featuring evocative, concrete images—"bugs as big as thumbs bang against windows"—the lyrical verse captures all the exuberance and simplicity of a childhood summer. Kim's illustrations, rendered in acrylic paint with digital tools, depict a rosy-cheeked, diverse array of children as they gleefully sell lemonade, cycle down the street, and indulge in ice cream. Buoyant and infused with energy, these picturesque images call to mind an idyllic time and place without electronics or screens and where kids are free to roam with minimal supervision. VERDICT An enchanting purchase for most library collections, especially those seeking additional seasonal materials.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

★ 2017-03-06
Summer's smells, sounds, rhythms, and rituals unspool luxuriantly in this tribute to the season when "days stretch out like a slow yawn," when "bumblebees bumble," and "every day is like a Saturday."An elementary school-age boy with light-brown skin and a shock of dark hair giddily greets summer's markers: the final day of class, a lemonade stand, neighborhood hide-and-seek, July 4th parade and fireworks, camping and cooling off at a lake. He relishes summer's free-wheeling ease alongside a swirling pack of friends, a group of children with delightfully ambiguous skin tones—tan, taupe, medium brown, dark brown—but all scarlet-cheeked from sunny afternoons. In gleeful acrylic illustrations, their eyes crinkle and pop with joy, their arms fly skyward, their legs extend midstride. These exuberant motions and feelings, uncomplicated but deeply understood by children, appear atop soft summer scenes in gauzy greens and cotton whites. Looking at these fantastic freeze-frames of fun, young readers see their desire to halt time during summer months fulfilled. Hearing lush phrases that capture summer's ethos ("daylight pushes back bedtimes, and crickets crick-crick in the evening air"), they can almost smell freshly mown lawns and taste campfire s'mores. A perennial read that radiates summer's heady glee. (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews

Summer's smells, sounds, rhythms, and rituals unspool luxuriantly in this tribute to the season...Looking at these fantastic freeze-frames of fun, young readers see their desire to halt time during summer months fulfilled. Hearing lush phrases that capture summer's ethos ("daylight pushes back bedtimes, and crickets crick-crick in the evening air"), they can almost smell freshly mown lawns and taste campfire s'mores. A perennial read that radiates summer's heady glee.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

The language is stunning in its descriptiveness...and Kim’s artwork is steeped in sunshine. The overall effect is a celebration of playing outdoors in front yards with bare feet on those special, cherished days that “stretch out like a slow yawn.”
—Booklist Online

With this sunny celebration of the season, readers will find themselves eagerly anticipating June...Buoyant and infused with energy, these picturesque images call to mind an idyllic time and place without electronics or screens and where kids are free to roam with minimal supervision.
—School Library Journal

The smells, sounds, sights, and activities of summer are presented in lyrical text and cheery acrylic illustrations...The activities the boy enjoys, including selling lemonade, marching in the fourth of July parade, and camping at the lake, will have young children thinking about their own anticipated summer pastimes.
—Literacy Daily

From lemonade stands to family vacations, this is the perfect ode to the joys of summer.
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

From the Publisher