Cute lil book about meeting a cousin from far away and bonding over insects during a hot humid summer. ( )

Natsumi's Song of Summer is a lovely, little book about friendships and family.

Natsumi and Jill are cousins, but they are wildly different. When Jill comes to visit, Natsumi shows her everything about her life. The festivals, their ancestors, the beach, and watermelon! The cousins are very different, but embrace each other fondly. They are curious, friendly and loving.

The unique part about this book (that I didn't notice until the ending comments in the book pointed it out) was that this book was written in tanka poems. Those are a type of Japanese poem! That's super unique! I can totally appreciate that aspect of this book and it only makes me wonder how we could use this book for education purposes!

Stories like these are a great way to introduce kids to each other's differences. We can love each other and embrace the strangeness of each other without being cruel. I think a book like this is a great addition to children's bookshelves everywhere!

I also enjoyed the simple, cartoon-y illustrations of this book. They were very cute!

Four out of five stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, Tundra and Penguin Random House for giving me an opportunity to pick this book up! ( )

Cousins learning about each other's community. Visiting Japan in the summertime (something on my list now). PLUS, I love Tankas. (A Haiku with two additional lines that are each seven syllables). ( )

Note: I received a digital review copy from the publisher through NetGalley. ( )

This was a very cute story about family, friendship, and culture. The art style was also very wholesome! ( )