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Summary
Summary
Set on a Texas farm in the 1950s and told in Nikola-Lisa's distinctive and catchy style, this loving tribute to childhood, farm life, and family togetherness will resonate with readers of all backgrounds today. Sun-drenched paintings by Don Tate mirror the family's daily activities and trace the sun as it travels across the sky from sunrise to sunset. The story also subtly introduces young readers to the subject of African American farmers.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-As the sun rises, a young African-American boy wakes up and begins his busy, enjoyable day on the family farm. Milking cows, feeding pigs, and plowing the field are some of the activities in which he takes part. A midday picnic and evening fishing with his father balance out the day, which concludes with bedtime stories, Pa playing his guitar, and Ma reading the mail. The story is told in a comforting, lulling rhyme ("Bees in the hive fruit on the trees. Summer sun's stirrin' a summertime breeze") that suits the wholesome setting perfectly. The illustrations, oil and acrylic on textured paper, are stylized and curved to reflect the lay of the land. A Texas farm served as the model for this book, expansively depicted on the double-page spreads. This is a nicely designed book, from its endpapers (saffron at the beginning, cobalt at the end) to its simple, homespun typeface. It truly conjures up a lovely summer's day on a farm, and can be used during storytimes or as a cozy one-on-one bedtime story.-Anna DeWind Walls, Milwaukee Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
An African-American boy and his parents tend their farm while marking the transit of the ever-changing sun in this plainspoken paean to agricultural life. Tate's (Say Hey: A Song of Willie Mays) stylized full-bleed paintings, shown to advantage in the book's horizontal (10" 8") format, exaggerate the expansiveness of the plains by rendering the horizon as a gentle but unmistakable arc. It's as if the farm were hugging the edge of a globe, the earth as round to the narrator's eye as the constantly visible sun. The characters' highly sculpted faces suggest the contours of the land, and their expressions radiate confidence and satisfaction. While the tweaked perspectives occasionally can be unsettling (in a view of the boy at breakfast, the dishes seem to slide straight down the surface of the tabletop), the pictures will immediately engage readers. Short verses comment on farm activities and the relative position of the sun. Adopting a laconic, rural voice, Nikola-Lisa (Bein' with You This Way) sometimes crosses the line into monotony. Still, he conjures up a compelling, comforting rhythm from the accumulation of small details: "Birds in the roost, kittens in the yarn, Cows linin' up down by the barn. Pa cracks the door, I swing it wide. Summer sun's shinin', floodin' inside." Ages 3-6. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
An African-American boy rises early in the morning and goes through an idyllic farming day, his eyes on the position of the sun. The rhyming text is a little singsongy (Pa by the shed / rollinÆ out wire. / Summer sunÆs climbinÆ / higher and higher), but the rich, restful illustrations of the farm and the stylized, geometrically planed depictions of the family provide texture and movement. From HORN BOOK Fall 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Sunny acrylic and oil paintings on textured paper coupled with verses featuring colloquial language portray a summer day in the life of a hardworking African-American farm family. It's not all work and no play on this farm, however; the affectionate family makes time for "fishin'" and "readin'" after a long day spent milking cows, feeding animals, wiring a chicken coop, mowing, and hoeing in the hot sun. The folksy text is full of homespun details, like the description of a farm breakfast, featuring "Fritters in a pan, coffee in the pot." It's complemented by bright, stylized illustrations that inspire a virtual sweat as readers follow the family through their chores and feel their tired satisfaction at the end of a productive day. The rhythmic verses beg to be read aloud, and the colors and typeface are bold enough for group sharing. A cheery introduction to farm life and simple poetry. (Picture book. 3-6)
