Summer Days and Nights

This lilting picture book stars the same winsome heroine as Yee’s previous seasonal outings, Who Likes Rain? and Tracks in the Snow. Nostalgic and old-fashioned, it envisions a place where a child can tiptoe through a meadow of daisies, observe insects, hear a mouse rustle, and spot a barn owl in a tree. The first-person narrative nicely encourages readers to discover these natural treasures along with the main character: “Buzz-buzz-buzz!/ What’s this I see?/ A black-and-yellow bumblebee!” Yee’s hazy and delicate colored pencil illustrations are gemlike (a quality enhanced by the book’s small trim size) and suffused with the warm light of summer. A dazzling yet quiet introduction to the world of nature experienced by an inquisitive toddler. Ages 2–6. (Apr.)