Sun

This has all the characteristics of a classic. * Little London * On one level it's a lovely story of an adventure which turns out absurdly well when it looked as though it was going to degenerate into something which the pair would wish they'd never started. But look again and you see a delightful tale of friendship across the generations and how persistence and openness to new ideas can pay off. It's a lovely story but it's Sam Usher's illustrations which really bring the tale to life. There's the sort of quirkiness which means that you find something new every time you read the book. I've just spotted some birds indulging in a cooling drink from cartons. Using a straw. Then there's the way that Grandad is obviously feeling an ache in his back, not that he's going to mention it to the boy, obviously. The pirate captain has a wooden leg, but I think that's obligatory. It's the sort of story which kids will return to again and again, particularly on a sunny day when they feel in need of an adventure. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy of the book to the Bookbag. We've been delighted by quite a few other books by Sam Usher. -- Sue Magee * The Bookbag * It's the hottest day of the year, the perfect day for a boy and his grandad to set off on an adventure - and the perfect day to share a picnic with some unexpected new friends. The boy and his grandad gather together everything they need for their expedition and then they set out. Trouble is, grandad keeps needing to have a rest as they look for the perfect spot... and when they get there, someone was there first. A wonderful sense of anticipation builds up through the book, often through just a few well-chosen words and the illustrations capture the sense of looking forward to perfection. * Parents in Touch * Author and illustrator Sam Usher's much-loved seasonal books just got hotter in Sun, the third adventure in this warm, original and inspirational series for pre-schoolers. Here we find a boy and his grandad setting off on a scorching journey that will take them on a trail of discovery through heat and unscheduled halts to an unexpected destination. Sun is a wonderfully warm, wise and whimsical tale celebrating summer sunshine, the power of the imagination and the special bond between the older and younger generations. Usher's quirky and charmingly atmospheric story is complemented by a palette of gorgeous watercolour illustrations which add extra character and texture to a funny, enchanting and life-affirming adventure. Fun, sun and pirates in the great outdoors! * Lancashire Evening Post * In perfect time for our long-awaited heatwave is this third book in Sam Usher's weather series - and it's just as enchanting as his previous two titles: Snow and Rain. Again we meet Boy and his grandfather, this time preparing a delicious picnic to take out on a sunny day. It's so hot ('hotter than broccoli soup, hotter than the Atacama Desert'), and Grandad is desperate for some shade or a gentle breeze before they enjoy the snacks. But after a long journey, someone has beaten them to the perfect spot - a pirate crew! Usher's sun-drenched landscapes shimmer with detail and the expressive faces in the illustrations evoke such a tender relationship between the old man and the young boy that you'll be packing up the cucumber sandwiches and ginger beer before you finish the book. Lovely. * Daily Mail * Sun is Sam Usher's third picture book taking weather as its theme, with a fourth to follow. As in the previous two offerings, Snow and Rain, a young boy and his grandfather head outdoors to see what adventures they can find, despite the adverse climatic conditions. Properly equipped, our pair of protagonists embark on a journey that elides into pure imagination, with palm trees, cactuses and pirate caves. In its energy and vivacity, the artwork calls to mind Quentin Blake. Usher has a wonderful feel for the use of space and the delicate feathering of watercolour washes, which enhances his enchanting paen to the values of anticipation, curiosity and fantasy. * Financial Times * The sun has been shining for several days now - hooray! Summer is hopefully here to stay and Sun is the perfect picture book to enjoy in this beautiful weather! Its sparkly, predominantly yellow cover invites you in whether you're also basking in the sunshine or looking to add sunshine to your life on a gloomier day. The Story: On the hottest day of the year a boy and his grandfather decide to go on an adventure. They pack provisions and set off to find the perfect picnic spot. It gets hotter and hotter so they try and find a shady spot with a cool breeze. Eventually they find the perfect picnic place but somebody has got there first! The sunshine sizzles off every page in Sun which celebrates the relationship between a boy and his grandfather and their enjoyment of a day out together. They delight in each others' company and Sam Usher has effortlessly managed to show the fact that despite their age differences, while grandpa stops several time for a rest the boy enthusiastically navigates, the two can both enjoy their day of adventure. A wonderful surprise awaits them when they find a cave full of pirates to picnic with and we love the double spread which shows Grandpa and the boy joining the pirates on their ship. Written in the first person the text is easy to read and features simple repetition. The cover mirrors the covers from Sam Usher's Snow and Rain stories which show the boy yearning to go outside, all of the picture books are celebrations of the simple pleasures that can be gained from being outside during different weather. Sam's illustrations are beautiful and I love the full spreads showing grandpa and the boy walking for miles, the colour of the sky changes as the day gets hotter, my favourite shows a burning red sky. My daughter loves the spread showing the provisions, there are lots of snacks, useful items like a torch and compass as well as soft toys dressed as pirates which provide a hint of the adventure to come and add to the fantasy - did the boy and grandpa really meet pirates or have they both got really great imaginations? We hope that this wonderful story will inspire children and their grandfathers to have their own adventures! * Story Snug * Sam Usher's picture book Sun, a follow-up to both Rain and Snow, contains the beating heat of scorching summer days. As a boy and his grandfather search for shade to have a picnic, the park transforms into a desert, blue skies turn red, toys come alive and a cool spot is a cave full of pirates with a sumptuous galleon. Cheerful and cartoony details (and the illustrator's self portrait) are hidden in this well-observed celebration of a fond inter-generational bond involving shared make-believe. * Sunday Times * This is the third in a series from the celebrated illustrator Sam Usher - if you like this, try its predecessors, Snow and Rain (I wonder if he'll bother doing Hail?). It begins with a boy's weather check. "When I woke up it was sunny. It was the hottest day of the year," says the bright little fellow, which leads to a plan. The day is "hotter than broccoli soup" and the "Atacama Desert", he observes (it's in South America). Grandad - who looks like a distinguished Radio 4 presenter in crumpled linen, with bald pate and half-moon specs - is on childcare duty and cheerily declares it the perfect day for an "adventure". They gather the "necessary provisions". Children, who in my experience like lists almost as much as newspaper editors, will enjoy running through these essentials: juice, torch, water, hat, sandwich, grapes, compass, sun tan lotion, pirate and monkey toy friends etc - all drawn with Usher's cheerful pen. Roles are allocated - the boy gets the "lookout", Grandad bags "navigator" - and they leave the house (probably Grandad's, to judge from its grand front door; let's hope he doesn't lose it to social-care fees) in search of the perfect picnic spot, which allows Usher a glorious spread of bright blue sky as the sun beats down. Factoring in plenty of rests for Grandad, they gambol on until they come to a cave. Oh good, we think, this has all been a bit nice; when are they going to die of thirst or get eaten by badgers? Drama limps in, in the form of a gang of rather wet pirates, who got to the perfect spot first. Rather than fighting the rambling pair to the death, they invite them for a picnic on their pirate ship (drawn with exquisite detail, nevertheless). My four-year-old son definitely doesn't want his pirates to have read Debrett's - and switched off right away. As with so many picture books for this age, the artwork is superb, but the story - no baddies, no jeopardy, no suspense - makes a drizzly * The Times * It's the hottest day of the summer holidays, perfect for a boy and his grandad to set off on an adventure. But Grandad keeps having to stop for a rest, and by the time they find a picnic spot, some pirates have beaten them to it. A tale about seeing the world with someone you love - and sharing your picnic with pirates! * Smallish Magazine * From the sparkling title font to the glistening sand on the front door steps, the cover of this glorious picture book draws you straight in to the shimmering heat of summer. A young boy wakes up and it's sunny: the hottest day of the year. He and his grandad plan an adventure: their mission - to find the perfect picnic spot. They pack their provisions and set off. Grandad has a set of very specific requirements for the perfect picnic spot. It must be picturesque, in the shade, and benefiting from a cool breeze. Their quest is long and punctuated with frequent rest stops (Grandad gets tired easily). They journey on across the desert and past an oasis until they finally find the perfect picnic spot, only to discover that some pirates have beaten them to it... This is the third book in Sam Usher's weather series. All three books are about the same young boy and his grandad, and an adventure that they share together. There are other, subtle links too: penguin and monkey (the boy's cuddly toys) feature in all three books (it's fun to spot what they're up to in different scenes) and the toy ship in Rain bears a striking resemblance to the pirate ship in Sun. I love these subtleties and how all three books work so well together. Within the first half of Sun there's also a gentle, playful foreshadowing of the book's pirate ship denouement: the parrot perched on the lamp post, the Jolly Roger flag in the sandcastle, and the boy's one-legged pirate doll. I love these touches because they give the story an extra depth. Sam Usher's amazing watercolours seem to radiate heat. His illustrations capture the oppressive heat of a baking hot day perfectly. Many of the illustrations are incredibly detailed. There's loads to look at and you can spend ages spotting everything that's going on. There's a fun repetitive element to the text; it's a bit like a chorus and it makes it really easy for children to join in with the story telling. Sun is a joyful celebration of where your imagination can take you, and a heart-warming tale of the love between grandfather and grandson. * Get Kids Into Books * In the midst of the summer holidays, what could be more apt than a picture book which celebrates the excitement to be had from an outdoor adventure on a hot, sunny day? The third title in Sam Usher's beautifully drawn, seasonal series sees the return of the boy and his grandad, this time setting off to find the perfect picnic spot. The search, in the true spirit of adventure, involves quite a trek in full sunshine with plenty of opportunities, along the way, for discovery and invention. The eventual chosen place reveals an even greater surprise because... someone else has got there first! The spreads are truly stunning and range from large expanses of deep red and gold, to convey the intense heat of the day, to an intricate montage (spoiler alert!) of life aboard a pirate ship. This is a gorgeous picture book with a story which affirms the power of imagination and the joy of sharing special family moments across the generations. -- Elaine Chant * Carousel * Another of Sam Ushers brilliantly illustrated stories following his series of books based on the weather. This is the third in the series and having read 'Snow' and 'Rain' before, I looked forward to revisiting Grandad and the boy and seeing what adventures they got up to this time. This story starts like the previous two. A young boy wakes up to find it is sunny, very sunny; the hottest day of the year! And on this day the boy and his grandfather decide to go on an adventure. They pack provisions and set off to find the perfect picnic spot. The illustrations are vibrant and enticing and ooze heat in their yellows and oranges. Grandad and the boy stop and start on their journey looking for the best spot, 'a shady spot, somewhere with a cool breeze' - until eventually they find the perfect picnic place but somebody has got there first! The watercolour images are brilliant and set the scene perfectly. The colour gets progressively darker as the story goes on and this could be explored with the children. This text could be used as a stimulus for art work, how different colours make us feel and different shades of colours. Children could produce their own weather paintings in the style of Sam Usher. This text could be a good resource to support geography work using maps/plans. Looking at the school grounds or local area, I would ask children to imagine we were going on adventure like the boys and if we had to find a shady spot/ a picturesque spot etc, where would we go? Children could plot these on maps and plans. This story has a repetitive pattern lots of children will enjoy joining in with; an NC KS1 target to be able to join in with predictable phrases. * Reading Zone *