This sweet and gentle picture book celebrates summer in Japan, as one little girl shares her love for bugs with her cousin who is visiting from America.Two young cousins who are separated by language, continent and culture meet for the first time when Jill's family travels from America to Japan to stay with Natsumi's family during the summer holidays. Natsumi's nervousness about meeting her cousin from across the sea quickly disappears when she discovers that her cousin is a lot like her: they both love summertime's hot sandy beaches, cool refreshing watermelon, festivals and fireworks. Then Jill asks Natsumi about the strange buzzing sound that comes from the nearby trees, and Natsumi is nervous once again. What if Jill is frightened of Natsumi's cherished cicadas, the insects that sing the music of summertime?
This is a tender, evocative story that celebrates the special pleasures of summertime and of reunions with faraway family and friends.
ROBERT PAUL WESTON was born in Dover, England, but did most of his growing up in the small town of Georgetown, Ontario. Since then, he's also spent time living in the US, Japan, Switzerland and the UK. He holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and has been nominated for the Journey Prize and the Fountain Award for Speculative Fiction. He has written several novels for young readers, including
Zorgamazoo,
Dust City and
Blues for Zoey, and
Sakura's Cherry Blossoms.
Natsumi's Song of Summer is his second picture book. He currently lives in London, England.
MISA SABURI was born in Sleepy Hollow, New York, and raised in Tokyo, Japan, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. She is the illustrator of a series of board books --
Rapunzel,
Snow White and
Cinderella -- as well as
Bearnard's Book and
Monster Trucks. As well, she is the illustrator of
Sakura's Cherry Blossoms.
Named one of Kirkus Reviews’ hottest summer reads
One of CCBC’s Best Books for Kids and Teens Fall 2020
A 2021 Bank Street Book of the Year
PRAISE FOR Natsumi's Song of Summer:"Immersive illustrations and rich poetry urge young readers to slow down and appreciate nature."
--STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews
“The vitality of Jill and Natsumi bubbles through on every page.” --
CM Reviews
"A pleasant choice for a summer or insect-themed storytime."
--Booklist
“Natsumi’s cross-cultural friendship with Jill centers on a shared love of natural life and models openness to new experiences.”
--Publisher's Weekly
