Summer Days and Nights

The same Asian American girl who explored winter in Tracks in the Snow and spring in Who Likes Rain? here celebrates summertime. She tries to catch a butterfly, drinks lemonade, jumps into a pool, picnics with her parents, then takes a walk before bed. The colored-pencil art's meticulously layered and blended colors convey both the warmth of sunshine and the coolness of tree shade.

From morning ("As cat naps in a patch of sun, / My summer day has just begun!") to night ("Summer nights, moonlit skies, / Winking, blinking fireflies"), the young Asian American girl who explored winter in Yee's Tracks in the Snow (rev. 11/03) and spring in Who Likes Rain? (rev. 3/07) celebrates summertime. In the previous books, she wondered, respectively, about whose tracks were in the snow and what kind of animals like rain; this time her questions refer to various insects and animals, including a bumblebee, ants, and an owl. Here, the narrative and art offer less of a guessing game for young viewers, but the story will still draw them in, as the girl heads outside with a butterfly net, enjoys cold lemonade, jumps into a little pool, has an evening picnic in the park with her parents, then takes a nighttime walk before bed. As in the earlier books, the colored-pencil art outshines the occasionally awkward rhyming text; meticulously layered and blended colors in grainy textures convey both the warmth of summer sunshine and the coolness of shade beneath trees. Fans of these books will no doubt look forward to a story about fall, and -- since Mom appears to be expecting a baby -- a sibling with whom the little girl can share her love of the seasons. jennifer m. brabander