Book Description
for Summer Is for Cousins by Rajani LaRocca and Abhi Alwar
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
An extended South Asian American family enjoys a delicious summer together. Every year, all 15 of them gather at “a house that’s not any of ours, near the ocean and a lake.” Now that baby Leela has arrived, narrator Ravi is no longer the youngest of the family. But he still looks up to his oldest cousin, Dhruv. Feeling shy, Ravi is pleased when Dhruv kindly includes him, inviting Ravi to paddleboard and encouraging him as Ravi takes a turn on the rope swing. (He was too scared to swing last summer.) Ravi wonders if Dhruv remembers that they have something in common: their favorite ice cream flavor, which unfortunately is never available at the ice cream stand. The cousins’ days are filled with summer fun: They swim and swing, hike and bike, and play mini golf. When it rains, they read or nap or piece together a jigsaw puzzle. The days end with drive-in movies and, of course, ice cream. When it’s the cousins’ turn to make dinner, Ravi’s contribution is … a blue plastic ball? The kids roll it around, confused, until Ravi opens it to reveal a treat: ice cream! Dhruv takes the first spoonful. “‘Banana,’ he says. He puts an arm around [Ravi’s] shoulders. ‘Our favorite!’” Colorful, saturated digital illustrations show cousins of all ages playing together in a sweet and joyful story that celebrates personal growth and the enduring love of extended family. (Ages 4-8)
CCBC Choices 2024. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2024. Used with permission.