by Lindsay Leslie (Author) Ellen Rooney (Illustrator)
It's that special time of evening, when the hours and the possibilities seem endless: Light is fading. A buzz of excitement and wonder takes over the neighborhood....What outdoor adventures await?
Join a diverse group of suburban kids as they dash and dodge in classic street games like tag and kick-the-can and reconnect with nature's simple pleasures catching frogs, hunting fireflies, and climbing trees. These explorers play, laugh, and make the most of their own front yards right up until their parents call out that It's time to come home! But when the sun begins to set tomorrow, they'll be back for more evening excitement! This ode to the timeless magic of summer evenings spent outside will remind kids of the fun and friends that wait just outside their doors and leave adults smiling with nostalgia for their own dusk explorations.
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This awesome, visually rich story will captivate adults who once played outside until the street lights came on as well as their kids, who will now want to.
In this old-fashioned story, summer evenings are a time when children play games with their friends in the neighborhood, climb trees, discover worms, find toads, and catch fireflies. Set in a suburban neighborhood, a diverse group of kids and an eclectic array of insects and other animals enjoy roaming around their neighborhood as the day comes to a close. The bold, two-page illustrations in bright colors enhance the themes of exploration and tech-free play. VERDICT This title will bring back childhood memories of innocent play for adults and spark interest in children to go out in nature and enjoy technology-free time with friends and family.—Noureen Qadir-Jafar, Syosset Library, NY
Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Leslie describes the jewel of neighborhood playtime--the hour when the sun sets and dusk falls, before parents call their children inside. Free verse celebrates tag players who "love to sprint between huddled homes," nature explorers who give the toads they catch "funny matching names," and "curbside whisperers" who "snicker at the stories they dare not/ share with anyone else." Collage-style spreads by Rooney feature crisp-edged figures frolicking against backgrounds of painted texture. Gradually, the sky dims as the sun sets in washes of purple and gold. "TIME TO COME HOME!" parents call. In Leslie's lyrical narrative (a child finds "courage in the roughness of bark"), children are observed in a work that is as interested in poetry as it is in the busy, unencumbered experience of exploratory play. Ages 4-8. (June)
Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Lindsay Leslie, author of This Book Is Spineless and Nova the Star Eater, enjoys spending evenings outdoors. She graduated from the University of Texas and has more than fifteen years of writing experience in marketing and public relations. She lives with her husband and two boys in Austin, Texas.
Ellen Rooney, who also illustrated Her Fearless Run, loves illustrating and designing nature-related work. She has her BFA from the University of Victoria. A painter, printmaker, and collage artist, she resides in British Columbia, Canada, with her husband.