June 21 – Summer Solstice

It’s Summer Solstice!

The longest day of the year is upon us. Let’s celebrate with some fun summer reading!

When a Dragon Moves In written by Jodi Moore and illustrated by Howard McWilliam (2011)

Imaginative story about what happens when you build the perfect sandcastle. The little boy in the story tries repeatedly to tell his family that a dragon has moved into his castle, but they ignore him until the dragon causes so much trouble that they have to banish him from the beach. Visit my full review here.

http://julianaleewriter.com/2014/05/20/when-a-dragon-moves-in/

Fireflies! written and illustrated by Julie Brinckloe (1985)

Spend the evening with a young boy who catches fireflies only to realize that he must set them free or they will die. It’s a heartwarming story about living in the moment and seeing beyond the present at the same time.

Those Summers written and illustrated by Aliki (1996)

This is a fun, nostalgic look back at those summers from our childhood. Aliki recounts how she spent summers with her cousins in a big house they rented at the seashore. On weekends, the fathers would return from their jobs in the city, and during the week, the cousins and aunts would spend days on the beach or on the boardwalk playing, splashing, picnicking, or walking on the docks.