I thought I’d do a few posts on our beach reads, starting with this one of F’s. I picked it up at the bookstore right before we left town, and slid it into the suitcase to give it to her once we got there. The title, Ice Cream Summer, seemed like a great vacation read, but it was really the author, Peter Sis, that sold me on it. We love Peter Sis’ books, and have read all the Madlenka books until they are dogeared. I love his illustration style, and all the details to explore on each page. Sis covering ice cream – we’re in.
The story begins with a letter exchange between a grandfather and his grandson on the topic of summer vacation. The grandfather has asked how summer is going, and his grandson details all of his adventures in a letter back to him – that letter is the book. It doesn’t take long to see that everything he’s up to relates somehow to ice cream. Sis moves beyond the basics of new vocabulary and ice cream scoop math and dives into the history of ice cream (including the stories and debate about the invention of the ice cream cone – St. Louis and the 1904 World’s Fair gets a mention here). The book is playful and fun, and F loves finding all of the ice cream references in the illustrations as well. She’s a whiz at the math too.
This book would be a great gift for a summer birthday – I think the perfect age might be between 4-7. Gorgeous illustrations, and a lot of colorful fun. We especially love our ice cream in this family, so the theme is familiar and feels like summer. And the beach. Even little kids need a good beach read in their suitcase.
Find this title at your favorite local independent bookstore. Happy reading!