Mayfly

Linda Ludke is a librarian at the London Public Library.

The last day of school ushers in summer vacation for three children and
their mother. They head off to their rural cabin retreat with a wave:
“Good-bye to streets and stores and buses. Good-bye to so many
windows. Hello to summer.” A montage of fair-weather pleasures follow:
“corn on the cob!”; “morning dip, even when it’s raining”;
“picking blueberries”; “scratches, blisters, sunburns, bruises”;
and “tent nights.” The sight of Canadian geese flying in formation
heralds the coming fall and “Sweater evenings, brighter stars.” The
final pages are captioned “Hello, memories” and present
black-and-white photographs of the children sailing in their
“Mayfly” boat, catching frogs, and posing with their dog, all
wearing sunglasses.

The creative page layout and design is reminiscent of a scrapbook.
Marthe Jocelyn’s trademark collage artwork features not only fabric
and cut paper, but also sandpaper, feathers, and popsicle sticks. Simply
told through evocative images, the story brings to life the sights,
sounds, and adventures of summer. Highly recommended.