Summer Song: A Vibrant Celebration of Summer Sights, Sounds, and Tastes for Kids Ages 3-8 - An Exciting Summer Reading Book

by Kevin Henkes, Laura Dronzek (Illustrator)

“A vibrant and sophisticated ode to nature.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A wonderful read-aloud.”—School Library Journal (starred review)

From Caldecott Medal and Newbery Honor winner Kevin Henkes and acclaimed painter Laura Dronzek, the bestselling and award-winning creators of Winter Is Here, When Spring Comes, and In the Middle of Fall, this book about summer celebrates the sights, sounds, and smells of the season.

Bees buzz, birds sing, and children roll in the grass and feel the heat of the summer sun. With striking verbal imagery, repetition, and alliteration, Kevin Henkes introduces basic concepts of language and the summer season. Laura Dronzek's glowing paintings beautifully illustrate the wonders of summer.

In the Middle of Fall, Winter Is Here, When Spring Comes, and Summer Song make for a beautiful quartet of seasonal-themed picture books to share at home or in the classroom. Ideal for introducing the season, for story time, and for bedtime reading.

Genres: Picture Books, Summer, Storytime, Nature, Childrens, Animals, Poetry

40 pages, Paperback

Published May 24, 2022

About the author

Kevin Henkes is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. As an illustrator he won the Caldecott Medal for Kitten's First Full Moon (2004). Two of his books were Newbery Medal Honor Books, Olive's Ocean in 2004 and The Year of Billy Miller in 2014. His picture book Waiting was named both a 2016 Caldecott Honor Book and a Geisel Honor Book. It was only the second time any author has won that combination of awards.

Reviews

[Josiah]

Many author/illustrators have done picture books about each of the four seasons, but Kevin Henkes's collaborations with his wife, illustrator Laura Dronzek, have a little something extra. Their description of the seasons extends beyond elemental differences and into the spiritual, celebrating how each season uniquely nourishes and prepares us for the one to come. Summer Song takes us out and about in the languorous warmth of summer, when people try to pack in all the outdoor work and adventure they can before the leaves turn to gold and autumn arrives. What time of year is more full of potential than summer?

The sun is at peak brightness almost from dawn to dusk, and colorful flowers bloom. Summer is the verdant season, maybe even more so than spring; now is the time for life to flourish, to enjoy friends, family, or being by yourself in nature. The wind brings meadows of tall grass to melodious life, and our air conditioners and other electrical cooling devices play their own part in creating the music of the season. Birdsong and rain showers, cloudless afternoons and cozy nights spent chasing fireflies, all are part of summer's luminescent song. Taking your dog for a walk, soaking in the pool, or nibbling cold ice cream on a ferociously hot August day: all these things comprise the magic of summer. Sooner than you want to believe, the evenings will grow short, the air will catch a cold nip, and autumn will be here, but even in winter you'll still have your summer memories. Why not go make a new one right now?

It's easy to feel anxious when summer comes, to shy away from putting yourself out there and getting to know people. What if reality doesn't measure up to your hopes? What if you end up feeling excluded from the fun everyone else is having, as though summer were meant for their enjoyment and not yours? But summer doesn't last forever, and you'll never know what you missed out on if you don't gamble the status quo in anticipation of something better. Summer is for living life to the full, and if you do everything in your power to make that happen, you should have no regrets when the season ends. I might rate this book two and a half stars; of Kevin Henkes and Laura Dronzek's season books, I rank this one behind only When Spring Comes. Third would be Winter Is Here, then In the Middle of Fall. My favorite Kevin Henkes stories tend to be his novels, but his picture books are something to behold.

[Kathryn]

I am happy we have now read all of Henkes' "seasons" books. I've liked them all. In many ways, this could have been a book from my childhood and I mean that as a compliment as Henke manages to capture something very timeless about childhood and summer. I love the warm, soft illustrations and the feeling of old-fashioned summer joys while featuring diverse characters.

[Melki]

Henkes touches on all the things that make summer wonderful - from the cool green grass to fireflies, to playing with the hose.



A nice addition to his seasons series.

[Juli Anna]

A sweet idea, but not much substance.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance]

"If I had to pick one color,
I'd say Summer is green.
Green on green on green.
Summer is a green song."

Author Kevin Henkes walks us through all the sounds of summer---grass in the wind, sprinklers, birds, lawn mowers---and all the colors of summer---yellow summer sun, gray fog, blue beach---and returns to the idea that started him out...summer is a green song. And then he eases it out and as it changes, changes, into fall.

[Molly Cluff (Library!)]

Henkes' season books are so nostalgic and lovely. This one talks about the color green in association with summer and all the sounds associated with summer. Some of it gets poetic and not as easy to preschoolers to grasp for my storytimes, but it sould be fun to talk to them about what kinds of sounds they hear in summer.

[Janet]

Lovely picture book describing the joys of summer, especially the color green which really is the color green. This title completes the seasons book that Henekes has been publishing for several years which includes the titles, In the Middle of Fall, Winter is Here, and When Spring Comes. Love the titles Henkel has published in this series.

[Ashlee]

I like how Henkes captures not just the seasons but how they progress and transition from one to the next. Most of the time he’s a solid 3, but this one deserves 4 stars just for the line, “summer gets bored.”

[Lisa D]

Great book for summer!

[Peacegal]

The fleeting summer season is celebrated in bright pictures and poetic verse.

[Kaethe]

It's funny that where I am rereading these books, my rating is the same. I wouldn't expect my opinion to be quite so consistent.

Library copy

[K.L.]

This book is right. Summer is green on green on green on green 🍃

[Amy]

Another edition to Kevin Henkes' series of books celebrating each season. I love the illustrations and gentle text. All 4 of these books have been beautiful.

[Olivia]

See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfi...

SUMMER SONG is a book that captures the essence of summer in its lyrical text and images. Summer is a green song, with all the leaves, weeds, and grass, but it's also a song of air conditioning, lawn mowers, and more. Sometimes, the song is gray when it is foggy or blue when at the beach. There are also all the sounds of bugs that make up summer. This book captures the magic of summer through the rhythmic text and colorful illustrations.

What I loved: I really appreciated the inclusion of children of different skin tones and hair colors as well as little details like a woman mowing the lawn. There are also fun details in the bugs and animals that mark summer throughout the book. The text flows smoothly and is written in a large and clear text that makes this book easy to read aloud. The book could also inspire classroom activities about what summer means to children with illustrations and emphasis on color and sound.

Final verdict: A celebration of summer, this picture book is a fun ode to the season that captures the magic and delight of summertime.

Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter]

I love Kevin Henkes books and have especially enjoyed the season series. This one is nice and I enjoyed it but not quite as much as the Fall title, which is my favorite. In “Summer Song” Henkes focus is heavily on the presence of sound in the summer, from natural sounds of humming bugs to the man made noise of lawn mowers. Color is also a focus, especially the color green which is very present throughout the natural landscape during summer. I think I appreciated the book more after a second reading when I knew a little more what to expect, for some reason the first time I felt like it didn’t quite match up to the rest of the books in the series. I really liked the transition to Fall at the end of the book, and since I love this time in real life I think it’s more than coincidence.

[Sarah]

A beautiful ode to summer with brightly colored pictures. Wonderfully captures the feelings of the season. Great for teaching seasons to littles or metaphor/simile to older kids.

A great addition to the set:
In the Middle of Fall
Winter Is Here
When Spring Comes

[Stacy Renee (LazyDayLit)]

Summer Song is a lovely picture book all about summer, from the colors you may see during summer to the sounds and smells and activities you may partake in leading up to fall.

"...Summer is green. Green on green on green. Summer is a green song."

This picture book shares so many different things to love about summertime!
The green growing things, the bees, butterflies, dragonflies, and fireflies. The sounds of insects, air conditioners, and lawnmowers. The thunderstorms and rainbows and flowers.
It's a celebration of the season!

The illustrations are cute and might appeal more to younger listeners/readers.
Minimal text.

[Patti]

A beautiful poetic celebration of summer, this sweet picture book is filled with the sights, smells and sounds of the season. Henkes deceptively simple melodic words and Laura Dronzek’s bright cheery illustrations help the reader celebrate all of summer’s beautiful offerings. A wonderfully warm addition to a summer-themed storytime. This is the final book in the seasonal series that includes When Spring Comes, In the Middle of Fall, and Winter is Here by Henkes and Dronzek. Recommended preK-2.

[Hannah Ford]

"Summer Song" is a soft, pleasant, easy-to-read book describing summer in lovely, poetic ways--it talks about how it looks and feels; about the activities of both nature and humans; and about how the progression from early summer to late. The illustrations are nice and similarly soft. While I love the general "feel" of this book, enough to seek out the rest of Henkes' seasons books, neither the text nor the pictures are quite enough to send it all the way to five stars. (It also does not seem to be a favorite of my toddler's, who has chosen it only occasionally.)

[Flossmoor Public Library (IL)]

3 stars

This is a perfect book for anyone who loves summer! As you flip the pages, you can experience the beauty of the season. The vibrant colors and the familiar sounds of crickets or the smell of fresh cut grass. Some nostalgia of catching fireflies and climbing trees will take you back to a simpler time in life and you can live it all over again through a child’s eyes. Absolutely a beautifully written and illustrated book.

- Miss Jenny

[Allie]

A picture book so meh I had to go through my Mock Awards shelf twice to find it, because somehow I just... missed it. The illustrations are cute, but stylistically very mediocre. The text is acceptable. If I needed a summer read aloud and all my other better choices were checked out, I'd read this. Or if I needed something unobjectionably bland. Meh.

[Rose Rosetree]

Everything you love about the summer is here, except for the mosquito bites.

Kidding. And you won't find totally everything in this book. But you'll find a lot that a toddler needs to know about life.

Including fireflies.

- The mastery of picture book poetry by Kevin Henkes...
- Once again it's supported by gentle, colorful, harmonious illustrations by Laura Dronzek.

FIVE STAR BEAUTIFUL -- that's this "Summer Song."

[A Allen]

The art in this book feels familiar and comforting to me. I especially love the fireflies spread, as fireflies are one of my favorite parts of summer. I love what Henkes writes about summer sounds, such as air conditioners, fans, sprinklers, and lawn movers, sounding like music. However, in general the wording doesn't flow as smoothly as I would have liked and at times I felt that the book was perhaps too abstract for the target audience. I do not intend to add this book to my library.

[Calista]

A beautiful Ode to Summer in it's many green ways. This book is able to capture some essence of summer. It's beautiful. He also uses the music of summer and reminds us of all the sounds of summer. The color of summer is green. We may have some blue too, but green is the color.

The verse is simple and clear. The artwork is nice. Acrylic paints were used for the artwork.

I think kids can enjoy this book, especially in winter when they are reminded that summer will come again.

[Christy]

Summer is a song.
A green song.
Green on green on green.
Summer also sings
with growing and glowing,
chirping and buzzing,
whirring and humming,
splashing and sprinkling,
and a breeze blowing
grass, leaves, and trees.

Have you ever noticed that everything in the summer sounds like music?

Listen! Listen!

But mostly, play along.

[Zan Porter]

Bees buzz, birds sing, and children roll in the grass and feel the heat of the summer sun. With striking verbal imagery, repetition, and alliteration, Kevin Henkes introduces basic concepts of language and the summer season. Laura Dronzek's glowing paintings beautifully illustrate the wonders of summer"

[Jenni]

This title completes Kevin Henkes look at the four seasons. Here he is sharing the lovely sounds, activities and colors of Summer. The lyrical text and beautiful paintings draw the reader into the season even as we transition to the next season of Fall. This is a highly recommended purchase to add to any picture book collection especially to help fill in series by Kevin Henkes.

[Mrs. Michael]

With lovely lyrical prose and lovely illustrations, Summer Song is the perfect description of a long, healthy summer. Summer is green and filled with beach trips under blue skies, and playing with the backyard hose, and seeing nature thrive under the sun. This book is perfect for story times, bed times, and anytime a family wants to read together.

[Hannah Engle]

Grade level: kindergarten-2nd
Lexile level: NA
Description: Henkes and Dronzek complete their seasonal quartet (beginning with When Spring Comes) with a joyful ode celebrating summer’s myriad natural wonders. Dronzek’s bright acrylic paintings, employing luscious greens and blues, reflect both the energy of summer and the gentle rhythm of the text. 40 pages.

[Becky B]

A simple picture book celebrating the sights, sounds, and feels of summer.

I like how this combines exploring the senses and a season book. The target age group studies both of those concepts during their school year. The illustrations are simple but transport you into the sights and feels of summer.