In this joyful, exuberant, nostalgic ode to summer, beloved poet/word artist Sheree Fitch and highly acclaimed illustrator Carolyn Fisher capture the wonders of the season, from the moment our eager summer feet dare to burst forth in all their barenaked glory!  

These busy appendages run in the sun and play outdoor games, they climb trees and comb beaches, swim and make pictures in the sand. They frolic in puddles, lazily bask in the heat of the summer sun and zealously dig in the mud. They scoot and chase and dance and swing until they “shiver a little/in a sweater-time day” and realize it’s time to bring out the woolly socks and shoes. 

Sheree Fitch’s effervescent verse leaps off the page; it revels and romps in seemingly carefree abandon. Yet each word and phrase is carefully chosen and/or crafted, and unerringly creates a clear image in the mind’s eye:  

“somersault-silly, fantastic-gymnastic, bare-naked summer feet”;  

“wet-wormy, squeal-squirmy, gross-germy, our dirtiest EVERRRR, bare-naked summer feet.”   

Her obvious delight in words is infectious and inspiring—in the way she combines them and re-creates them in ways that are sweet sounding and evocative. While her words are playful, lively and exuberant, they also profoundly capture the essence of summer.   

Fisher’s warm and vibrant mixed-media illustrations are equally energetic, bringing an added layer of richness to these rhymes. Brilliant, swirling colours, expressive faces and lots of big and busy feet fill each page, vividly rendering the joy that is at this story’s heart.  

A magnificent pairing, this is a timeless celebration of summer’s magic.   

(Ages 3-7)