Summer is for Cousins

3.3

0.0 (0)

461 0

Write Review Add to favorites

Author(s)

Rajani LaRocca

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Abhi Alwar

Publisher

Harry N. Abrams

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

May 16, 2023

ISBN

978-1419757334

Buy This Book

From Newbery honor author Rajani LaRocca and illustrator Abhi Alwar comes a celebration of extended family and summertime fun expressed in a picture book full of joyful, color art.

Summer is for cousins.
Mom and Dad,
Two uncles, two aunties,
Thatha and Pati,
Seven cousins,
All of us are together.

Ravi can’t wait to spend summer vacation at the lake house with his family—especially his cousins! Summer vacation is for days at the beach, long hikes, paddleboarding, and—of course—ice cream. Ravi and his oldest cousin, Dhruv, had the same favorite flavor last year, but everything feels different now.

Dhruv’s much taller and his voice is deeper. Ravi’s worried that Dhruv won’t be interested in spending time with him, the little cousin. The ice cream shop doesn’t even have their favorite flavor this year. But on the last night of vacation, the cousins decide to make dinner, and Ravi’s in charge of dessert. He only has one special thing in mind!

This picture book all about summertime fun celebrates the resilient bond between extended family members.

Editor review

1 review

Strong Family Bond

November 03, 2023

Overall rating

3.3

Plot

3.0

Characters

3.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

3.0

Ravi gets together with his extended family at a lake house to spend the summer together. Having had vacations like this one I found myself smiling at all the fond memories it evokes. This family has all the fun together imaginable with older cousins taking care of younger cousins. This book is a positive ode to extended family and summer fun. The illustrations were not my favorite because some of the family looked exaggerated and not realistic. Overall, it was a fun story. The book was not overtly about a family from a multicultural background, but it was woven into the details of the illustrations and provided a positive representation of the family.