Why I love summer by Michael Wagner
Ill. by Tom Jellett. Puffin Books, 2018. ISBN 9780143783749
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Family life. Summer. Beach. A delightful
story of an Australian family sharing their summer holidays will
appeal to everyone as they wait for the end of the last term at
school before the long break for summer. All the fun of summer is
shown in the glorious illustrations: backyard cricket, bbqs,
swimming in the local pool, the sprinkler on the back lawn, and
sharing the days with the neighbourhood families. Reminiscent of
days gone by, the book represents a nostalgic look at when every
household had loads of children to play with and no screens to
divert their interest and attention. The book promotes a lifestyle
full of the outdoors, interacting with others, playing in the
backyard and street, until the family moves to the beach for their
holiday. The same outdoor fun continues, but here the family widens
to include aunts and uncles, cousins and friends, all piled around
the groaning, food laden table.
All the way through the emphasis is on family, the adults playing
with their children, the group doing things together, reinforcing
the place parents hold in their children's lives. Food plays a
prominent part in their days, the tables are always covered with
food, the bbq plate seems to hold enough for the whole
neighbourhood, the shop down the road has an endless supply of ice
cream, while people coming to the caravan at the beach walk in with
plates of food and an esky.
Adults reading this to their kids or a class will have fond memories
of holidays at the beach, and for many a caravan at the beach is
still a top holiday, while others now go further afield. This will
make a fabulous read aloud, and a great introduction to the idea of
holidays and who goes where, and what is taken with them as a matter
of priority.
Jellett's wonderful illustrations will bring smiles to the faces of
all who read of this family holiday, checking out the detail he
includes, rather like a Where's Wally illustration with lots
of things to find. His humour lies in the small things that people
do, their everyday lives and interactions with others around them. I
love the unadorned image of Dad and his son looking at the beach
when they arrive at their caravan site. It speaks volumes about the
relationship between father and son, and the following page
contrasts the same scene as the families descend onto the beach for
the day. What a shock.
A joyous celebration of families and holidays together.
Fran Knight