The Sounds of Summer - Hardcover

Grade 3-5-In a summer of many sounds- the singing of birds, the rumble of thunder and rain, and the jingling of the ice-cream truck as it passes through the streets-a boy named Homer realizes that his dog, Sophocles, has grown old. He no longer runs and jumps, but rather spends most of the long, hot days lying in the shadow of a giant lilac bush. When the animal disappears during a sudden storm, Homer and a friend embark on a midnight search for him. Although they do find him, he dies the next day. Homer's mother and an elderly neighbor offer sympathy and consolation, but it is in the sounds of birds and wind and water and trees that the boy finds solace, for, when he closes his eyes and listens, that is where he feels and hears his old friend. This eloquent tale, lyrically told and illustrated in Parker's expressive style, rings with quiet resonance. It conveys the bittersweet inevitability of passing time, and also evokes the nostalgic sights, sounds, and smells of small-town summers. Fourth in a quartet, it will be welcomed by libraries owning the previous three volumes.
Anna DeWind, Milwaukee Public Library
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