Summertime

This classically illustrated picture book shows a sun-drenched slice of life for a family in the Southern countryside, inspired by the folk opera Porgy and Bess.

A black family soaks up the sun, splashing in the pond, baking apple pie, and raising their voices in song at church.

DuBose Heyward (1885–1940) was an American author best known for his 1925 novel Porgy. He also wrote poetry, plays, and other novels, including the children’s book The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes.

Dorothy Heyward (1890–1961) was an American playwright who coathored the play Porgy with her husband, DuBose Heyward, as well as other plays of her own.

Mike Wimmer has illustrated many books for children, including Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth by Robert Burleigh, which was named an ALA Notable Children’s Book and was called a “grand slam” in a starred review in Publishers Weekly. He also illustrated Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh by Robert Burleigh, which received the Orbis Pictus Award for nonfiction. He lives in Georgia with his family.

George Gershwin (1898–1937) was an American composer, pianist, and painter who composed the opera Porgy and Bess with Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward.

Ira Gershwin (1896–1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his young brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the twentieth century, Broadways shows, and the opera Porgy and Bess.