PINNY IN SUMMER

An agreeable young girl named Pinny enjoys her version of a perfect day near the sea.

Four extremely short chapters—generously illustrated with richly textured artwork—divide the tale, starting with “Pinny” and ending with “Pinny Has a Party.” The blonde, white girl skips along the shore, looking for a “wishing rock.” She accepts a skinned knee with equanimity, as it leads her to “the most perfect wishing rock she had ever seen.” Her contentment in solitude is matched by delight in her friends, a child with East Asian features and a white redhead. The three children enjoy blueberrying and cloud-gazing until a summer rain hastens them to their homes, with a promise of blueberry cake at Pinny’s home later that day. A sea gull enters and re-enters this gentle tale, in which adult humans are, happily, neither seen nor heard. Any children who have spent time in nature will relish the story, as will fans of such classics as One Morning in Maine. When a potentially dark moment arises in the final chapter, Pinny’s gracious, optimistic personality immediately turns clouds into sunshine. The tone of the book is sweet and reassuring, and the art perfectly catches the joy of pleasant, unstructured time. Particularly lovely: Pinny dancing around her kitchen upon completion of her blueberry cake.

Whether used as a read-aloud or a bridge between early readers and chapter books, a serene treat.