The golden days of summer are celebrated in this beautiful collection of children’s stories and poems. Dive in to find all sorts of treasures by well-known New Zealand writers and illustrators, including Margaret Mahy, Joy Cowley, Gavin Bishop, Pamela Allen, Gwenda Turner, Fiona Farrell, Elena de Roo, Melanie Drewery, Sandra Morris, Sue Wootton, Brian Turner, Jenny Cooper, Vasanti Unka and David Elliot.
This beautifully produced hardcover with sunny yellow-edged pages will get the whole family into the spirit of summer. The delightful ice cream end pages, luxurious ribbon and bold cover leap off the bookshelf, infusing some summer fun into your days.
Whisper To Me by Patricia Grace was a particular favourite in our house. The bilingual poem, in both te reo Māori and English makes a lovely lullaby. Jenny Cooper’s gorgeous illustration to accompany the poem is perfect. Likewise, Pamela Allen’s Grandpa and Thomas is a wonderful beginning to the book. The alliteration and repetitive structure begs to be read over and over.
As well as some favourites, think Gavin Bishop’s Māui and the Sun or Gwenda Turner’s At The Beach, the book hides some new, to us at least, treasures. Pōhutukawa by Sandra Morris is a new delight, perfectly capturing the festive crimson tree.
Short biographies about both the authors and illustrators at the end allow both children and adults to learn more about those that created the book. Mentions of other titles created by the group allow the reader to further extend their reading.
This collection of seven stories and ten poems capture the quintessential summer feeling, and is perfect summertime reading to share with children.
REVIEWER: Rebekah Fraser
TITLE: Summer Days PUBLISHER: Penguin Random House RRP: $45.00 ISBN: 9780143771593 Purchase from FishPond