A young boy named Joe has just received a letter from his grandpa, asking how his summer is going and hoping his grandson will tell him all about what he has learned over the summer. Joe immediately writes back, telling his grandpa he is very busy. At the bottom of the page, Joe writes in simple declarative sentences what he has been up to so far this summer: he reads, he writes, he's making his own book, he does math, including word problems, he's learned to make a map in camp, he goes on field trips, and he's even doing so world history.
But this is a Peter Sís book, and in true Peter Sís style, it is a multilayered picture book, And so the reader's eyes must up from the words on the bottom of the page and look at the illustrations above the. Yes, Joe is reading - the names of the different flavors of hanging on the wall in the ice cream shop while he decides what flavor cone he wants. and yes, he is practicing math - 10 scoops of ice cream + 3 scoops = ?, and yes he has made a map, and the names of all the places on his map are ice cream flavors. His research - the history of ice cream beginning 8,000 years ago in China and working his way through the to the Founding Father, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, and including the invention of the cone and ice cream on a stick.
This is a fun book book for ice cream-loving kids, who will enjoy learning some history of this favorite treat. The pastel palette used for the watercolor illustrations will remind you of those big tubs of different ice cream flavors found in shops. And kids will no doubt have some fun combing the illustrations to see how many ice cream related images there are in each illustration. This is done so cleverly that it almost becomes a kind of Find-the-Hidden Object game. And kids are certain to love how Joe tells his grandpa the absolute truth about his summer, but leaves out the ice cream details (and yet, given the ending, perhaps grandpa knows more than Joe thinks).
Because there are some interesting facts to learn in Ice Cream Summer, Sís has included an A Note from the Author along with a short list of book about the history of ice cream for anyone who wants to know more about this delicious sweet summer treat.
Whether you like one scoop or two, a hot fudge sundae or a banana split, this is a book that is sure to give young (and old) readers some ice cream fun.
This book is recommended for readers age 4+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
I scream
You scream
We all scream
for ice cream!
I love ice cream and my very favorite ice cream comes from Springer's in Stone Harbor, NJ. My favorite flavor is Springer Chip (coffee ice cream with chocolate chips).
What's your favorite ice cream?
And to celebrate National Ice Cream day, you can get free ice cream at some pretty good places, click HERE to find out who is participating.
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