Mama, Is It Summer Yet?

Nikki McClure
Picture Book
For ages 3 to 5
Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2010   ISBN: 978-0810984684

A child looks out of the window and he asks his mother if it is summer yet. His mother explains that summer is not here yet, but leaf buds are swelling, animals are building nests, the earth is ready for planting, swallows are singing, baby animals are appearing, flowers are blooming, and soon enough, when the strawberries “are juicy and sweet,” it will be summer.

With a minimal lyrical text and delightfully cut-paper art, this charming picture book reminds children to watch what is going on around them, to see the changes taking place outside the windows of their schools and homes. If they do, they will see the kinds of things that the little boy in this story sees, and they will be the richer for it.

Review Written by Marya Jansen-Gruber