Summer Color!

Murray offers a gentle tribute to the colors of summer, centering on two siblings who live in a verdant countryside rendered in vivid digital art. Murray writes in descriptive couplets: “The sparrows keep chirping a song, soft and mellow,/ and sunflowers reach up with petals so yellow.” As the children run past their yard, storm clouds gather; Persico’s sunny spreads are overtaken by moody grays, then “Rain batters down on the blustery scene,/ as cardinals fly into treetops so green.” The children pass a pond covered in pink water lilies, a white waterfall, and picnickers dashing for cover with purple blankets. Back at home and cozy, the siblings (with their cousin who, curiously, stayed behind) watch lightning strike before the sun returns. Murray (City Shapes) presents a lively color primer while conveying the building excitement of a summer storm. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Brianne Johnson, Writers House. Illustrator’s agent: Anne Moore Armstrong, Bright USA. (May)