Pinny in Summer

This engaging story, told in chapter-like episodes, follows Pinny on a long, lazy summer day. As sunshine turns to rain and back to sun again, Pinny searches for a wishing rock, watches clouds, picks wild blueberries, feeds a seagull, and bakes a cake to share with her friends.

An ideal book for children beginning to make the jump to independent reading, Pinny in Summer demonstrates the joy young people find in nature and an unstructured life. Pinny is allowed to explore her world freely, and her small setbacks and triumphs will be familiar to every child.

With charming illustrations by Isabelle Malenfant and a spare, poetic text from author Joanne Schwartz, Pinny in Summer is a bright and inviting picture book that captures all the delight of a perfect summer day.

Joanne Schwartz is a children’s librarian at the Toronto Public Library who has a special interest in picture books. She is the author of Our Corner Grocery Store, illustrated by Laura Beingessner, and City Alphabet, with photos by Matt Beam. She lives with her two daughters in Toronto, Ontario.

Isabelle Malenfant was born in the north of Quebec, between gold mines and lakes, in the city of Val d’Or city. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from Université du Québec à Montréal, and then fell in love with illustration. Since then, Isabelle has illustrated more than a dozen children’s books. Her illustration style mixes mediums such as watercolor, pastel and charcoal to create poetic and sensitive worlds. She lives with her family in Montreal.