Garmann's Summer

Hole, S. (2008). Garmann's Summer. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman's Books for Young Readers.

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book
Awards: 2009 Batchelder Award Honors Book
Recommended Age: 5-7 Years

Garmann's Summer by Stian Hole is no ordinary children's book. In the end there is no resolution to a problem, which is perhaps what makes this book so unique. Page by page, the thoughts of six year-old Garmann are beautifully written out and illustrated with a mixed-media collage consisting of both photographs and paintings. Garmann's summer is nearing its end and soon he'll be starting school for the first time. The book follows along as his three elderly aunts come to stay at their home, and Garmann slowly finds out what each aunt is afraid of. One is afraid of dying, one is afraid of the winter, and one fears nothing as she has no memory left to be afriad of anything. He later discovers that his father is afraid of messing up when he plays in the orchestra, and his mother is afraid of Garmann running out into the busy street and getting hurt. In the end, Garmann himself must face his own fear as he enters into the world of education: "Thirteen hours to go before school starts. And Garmann is scared." The text in this book is very nearly poetic, as it captures the innocence and curiosity of any six year-old while assuring readers that it's normal to be afraid. This book would serve as a wonderful resource to read to children about to enter school themselves, and with the unique illustrations that it possesses, it will no doubt be asked to be read over and over again for many years to come.

Bird, E. (2008). Review of the Day: Garmann's Summer by Stian Hole [A review of the book Garmann's Summer by Stian Hole]. Retrieved March 12, 2010 from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379/post/190029819.html.

Elizabeth Bird could not have given Garmann's Summer more praise in her review of the book. She describes the book as having a "quietness. A patience. From the start, the story acknowledges that sometimes the only grown-ups six-year-olds can really connect with are the elderly." In addition, Bird goes on to speak of the seamless transition the tale took from it's native Norwegian language into English. Words did not lose their meaning and the tone remained just as poetic. However, she does point out the only discrepancy that could lead to confusion for some children, which is the fact that in Norway, children such as Garmann begin school in the first grade rather than kindergarten. Despite this fact, Bird goes on the praise the illustrations in the book as well, saying "Here in America, we don't see many wrinkles in our media. Old people don't have reality shows. In picture books, when we do see them, they tend to be cartoons or drawings. To see a real old person this close reminds adults of aging and death, and we react accordingly. Kids, however, don't see it that way. Faces, both young and old, fascinate them and they are willing to ask questions about them that adults would never dare. Children will love the pictures in this book. If anyone thinks that they are odd, it's going to be people who already are familiar with the status quo." Overall, I found this review to be the most helpful review that I've read yet. I appreciated her willingness to see the beautiful in the unique, and was especially thankful for her inclusion of some helpful knowledge about Norway and the language discrepancies. I hope to read more reviews from this site.