Summer Solstice Wish

K-Gr 3–In this tribute by Fox and Paganelli (Winter Solstice Wish) to “the golden days of summer,/ when flowers explode like/ tiny fireworks of joy,” happy children outnumber the adults on each page. The children wake early to greet the longest day of the year, gather flowers from a community garden, and sit on a blanket in the grass to weave them into crowns, inspired by Scandinavian tradition. After an initial nod to the science behind the solstice, the text and art focus on the smiling people making crowns and enjoying each other’s company. Visually bursting with birds, butterflies, and flowers throughout, the illustrations also show the warm butter yellow of sunrise, the rich greens of the garden in midday, and the pink-orange of sunset when “the sunlight eventually fades./ Like summer itself,/ it’s gone too soon.” Rhythmic text and rich illustrations of people with various skin tones and physical abilities, including a wheelchair user, make this both a wonderful read-aloud and a book to pore over slowly. An author’s note explains the winter and summer solstice, and how to make a flower crown.