Summer in Three Voices

Summer reading lists are always popular with readers. This year I took the terms literally and created lists of picture books set in summer, chapter books set in summer, and non-fiction books about summer or summery things. Amy Hest’s The Summer We Found the Baby is the next book I will add to the chapter book list, but I will be recommending it to readers all year long. 

Told in three voices (an 11-year-old girl, her 6-year-old sister, and their 12-year-old neighbor boy), the story moves between a moment during World War II when a baby in a basket is discovered on the steps of the soon-to-be-opened library and glimpses from the past that inform the reader of each narrator’s personal experiences that make known the importance of the baby to them. Julie says, “It’s true. I loved her. I loved everything about her. Kissing her cheek. Rubbing my nose on her soft little neck.” Her sister Martha says, “All my life I wanted a baby sister now she was finally here!” Martha wants to name the baby Nancy. Bruno says, “Usually I don’t even care that much about babies. But this was different. This one came in an actual basket. With actual instructions.” How did that baby get to those steps?  Who was watching to be certain she got to the right people?  Who was the tall lady in the clunky brown shoes who arrived to celebrate the library and ended up feeding the baby on the beach? All is revealed as the three voices fill in details and endear themselves to the reader. 

Amy Hest’s other chapter books are equally poignant and charming (Remembering Mrs. Rossi and Letters to Leo), but this one is my favorite. 

Really. You Matter.

 

Sometimes I talk to the birds that visit our backyard. I tell them how glad I am to see them, how much I like the colors they add to the landscape, how I hope their families are fine. Perhaps it is silly, but I do like the daily connection with these creatures. I like that all living things exist and depend on each other for well-being. 

As the new school year approaches, there are so many issues that threaten our well-being and the connections we have to each other. And so I am drawn back to this place for sharing books that speak to readers and contribute to the ways we can foster understanding, grace, and acceptance in this world. A good friend is reading books to neighborhood families in her front yard every week. I will soon be reading to a thousand students every week. I decided to begin by reminding readers that they matter.

Christian Robinson’s new book You Matter begins with a girl looking through a microscope to see “small stuff too small to see.” The text tells readers that whether you are like everyone else or not, whether you lead or follow, whether you must get through things on your own or with help, you matter. You might be feeling lost or be missing someone or be far from home, but you matter. With acrylic and collage illustrations that move from small objects and landscapes to the wide universe and back to a neighborhood, the text is enhanced and broadened through the art. It’s a beautiful book that addresses the many emotions readers might be experiencing. And the cover, with smiling children playing parachute, makes me smile in unison as I remember doing the same thing as a child. 

Take time to read it yourself. Read it to someone you love. You matter.

Visit Christian Robinson’s website to learn more about him and get inspired: theartoffun.com