©DON TATE
ILLUSTRATION
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Summer Sun Risin'
Author: W. Nikola-Lisa
Published: April 2002
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Experience a day in the life of a 1950s farm family.
Wake to a beautiful sunrise as Ma prepares eggs and
fritters for breakfast. Sweat as the family tends
to chores under the hot Texas sunshine, then relax
as Pa reads bedtime stories at sunset.
REVIEWS AND HONORS
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"Sunny acrylic and oil paintings on textured paper coupled with verses featuring colloquial language portray a summer day in the life of a hardworking African American farm family. It's not all work and no play on this farm, however, the affectionate family makes time for "fishin'" and "readin'" after a long day spent milking cows, feeding animals, wiring a chicken coop, mowing, and hoeing in the hot sun. The folksy text is full of homespun details, like the description of a farm breakfast, featuring "Fritters in a pan, coffee in the pot." It's complemented by bright, stylized illustrations that inspire a virtual sweat as readers follow the family through their chores and feel their tired satisfaction at the end of the day. The rhythmic verses beg to be read aloud, and the colors and typeface are bold enough for group sharing. A cheery introduction to farm life and simple poetry."
-Kirkus Reviews
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"An African-American boy and his parents tend their farm while marking the transit of the ever-changing sun in this plainspoken paean to agricultural life. Tate's stylized full-bleed paintings, shown to advantage in the book's horizontal (10" x 8 1/2") format, exaggerate the expansiveness of the plains by rendering the horizon as a gentle but unmistakable arc. It's as if the farm were hugging the edge of a globe, the earth as round to the narrator's eye as the constantly visible sun. The characters' highly sculpted faces suggest the contours of the land, and their expressions radiate confidence and satisfaction. Adopting a...rural voice, W. Nikola Lisa...conjures up a compelling, comforting rhythm from the accumulation of small details: "Birds in the roost,/kittens in the yarn,/ Cows linin' up/ down by the barn./ Pa cracks the door,/ I swing it wide./ Summer sun's shinin',/floodin' inside."
-Publishers Weekly
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"As the sun rises, a young African American boy wakes up and begins his busy, enjoyable day on the family farm. Milking cows, feeding pigs, and plowing the field are some of the activities in which he takes part. A midday picnic and evening fishing with his father balance out the day, which concludes with bedtime stories, Pa playing his guitar, and Ma reading the mail. The story is told in a comforting, falling rhyme ("Bees in the hive/ fruit on the trees/Summer sun's stirrin'/A summertime breeze") that suits the wholesome setting perfectly. The illustrations, oil and acrylic on textured paper, are stylized and curved to reflect the lay of the land. A Texas farm served as the model for this book, expansively depicted on the double-page spreads. This is a nicely designed book, from its endpapers (saffron at the beginning, cobalt at the end) to its simple, homespun typeface. It truly conjures up a lovely summer's day on a farm, and can be used during storytimes or as a cozy, one-on-one bedtime story."
-School Library Journal
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"The cheerful young narrator tells us about a fine summerıs day on hard-working farm where everyone is busy from sunup to a quiet sunset."
-The New York Times
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"Tender, evocative poetry exuberantly chronicles a busy day on a farm in this lovely book that toasts African Americansı role in our nationıs farming community. Austinite Don Tate based his warm, expansive illustrations on an Austin farm. Kids ages 3-6 will treasure spending sunup to sunset on the farm with their young host."
-Austin American Statesman
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"From one of the country's best multicultural publishers comes this simple tribute to African American farmers. Don Tate's colorful, folk-art inspired illustratons lovingly embrace the concept through the smiling black faces, serene landscapes and fluid lines."
-The Midwest Book Review
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"Summer Sun Risin' is a song of praise to the wonderful ordinariness of a day. The illustrations are stylized and bright; they add important details about the life on the farm that delight the eye and contribute to the textıs details. The horizon is always rounded, and the reader is always aware of the position of the sun as it tends its rounds. The poetic text would make for a wonderful read aloud, but the book also has a quietness about it that would work well for individual readers."
-Library Materials Guide, Christian Schools International
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"Summer Sun Risin' is a lively picture book that captures the sights, sounds and activities of an African-American boy's day on his parentsı farm. Author W. Nikola-Lisa manages to cover a lot of ground in a small amount of space. Illustrator Don Tate pushes beyond Nikola-Lisa's verbal guidelines by including visual grace notes that add dimension to the characters."
-Black Issues Book Review
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