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Summer
Is Summer
co-author, David Gershator
illustrated by Sophie
Blackall
Holt,
2006
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*
Best New Books, Scholastic
Parent and
Child,
June/July 2006
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Art featured on the cover of
Booklist, July, 2006
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Starred review, School Library
Journal
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CCBC Choices, 2007
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| From
the book jacket: |
A
rose is a rose
And
everything
grows--
When
summer is summer is summer.
What
is summer? For many children
summer is lemonade and salty
air, baseball and ice cream,
fireflies and starry nights, and
much, much more. Join four
friends as they explore the
outdoor world of summer and all
its sensory pleasures.
The
Gershators’ evocative language
and Sophie Blackall’s
imaginative pictures celebrate
this fun-filled season.
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| A
little about the book: |
Says Phillis--
We wanted to
write an ode to summer--and thought
of roses: “A rose is a rose is a
rose,” and the rest followed.
Baseball, seashore, ice cream....
Thank you, Gertrude Stein, for the
inspiration. And thank you, Christy
Ottaviano, for helping us get the
words and rhythm just right.
Says David--
It started
with a rose is a rose. I think
Gertrude would be pleased with this
echo of her famous rose for
children.
We both say--check out our CD
featuring Summer
Is Summer set to music!
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| From
the reviews: |
“The lovely image [on the cover] sets
the tone for this picture book
celebration of friends having fun in
the summer.... The sophisticated poet
Gertrude Stein’s famous line, ‘A rose
is a rose is a rose,’ is quoted on the
frontispiece, and her very simple
words are echoed in the book’s
chanting text....The simple, joyful
sounds and sunny artwork will appeal
to young listeners.” Booklist
“In this very unique picture book the
authors have brought together a
collection of images and memories to
create a warm, salty, sandy, sticky,
grassy portrait of a summer as seen
through the eyes of children. A
minimal rhyming text with plenty of
repetition give the text a sing-song
quality which makes this book perfect
for reading aloud. Watercolor
paintings fill every double page
spread with sharp and often luminous
color. The artist makes dramatic
shifts, showing large objects in the
foreground set against wide and
expansive backgrounds. Her folkloric
style perfectly captures the magical
and nostalgic feeling that runs
throughout the book.” www.lookingglassreview.com
“The rhyming text is bouncy and brief
and captures the exhilaration of this
time of year with its seemingly
endless days and opportunities for
fun....Whimsical watercolor
illustrations feature a dreamy world
of fantasy and reality, with layered
perspectives and strong patterns that
undulate across the spreads.... This
offering is perfect for one-on-one
sharing and for early readers, who
will delight in the scenes of summer.”
School
Library Journal, starred
review
"There's a lot to like about this one,
from its sunny, playful cover art
to the clever use of shifting,
changing perspective throughout. No
surprise there, with Sophie Blackall
as the illustrator––I just love the
way she draws children, sweet and
soulful and mischievous all at
once....That the boys and girls, all
friends and happily enjoying the best
of the season, reflect diversity is an
added bonus." Sprout's
Bookshelf
"...a catalog of summer sights,
sounds, and activities in a lyrical
picture book featuring trees and bees,
holes and moles, logs and frogs,
clouds and crowds, and much more
summer fun. Some children won't be
able to to resist coming up with their
own summery observations. A pool is a
pool is a pool perhaps? Cool is cool
is cool? Sophie Blackall's inviting
illustrations picture a quartet...of
children, two white and two black." CCBC
Choices
Art
by Sophie Blackall
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