Sometimes books stick with you. Sometimes books for whatever reason make an impression on you and over thirty years later you have a desire for your children to know them. One book that stuck with me is The Summerfolk by Doris Burn.
“Thick as sand fleas and twice as pesky.” That is what Willy Potts’ father Joes says. He’s talking about the summerfolk. The vacationers that come to the beach where Willy and Joe live year round. The beach from where Joe makes his living as a fisherman. Willy and Joe have no use for the silly summerfolk. Willy and Joe each have their own boat. One summer day, the longest day of the year, Joe sets out for work and Willy sets out for the swamp. Willy meets some summerfolk like he’s never met before. He meets Fedderly, Rosebud, Cork and Spinner, and Twyla Loo, they form a flotilla and have some adventure.
Does Willy change his mind about summerfolk?
This book seems to be out of print, although I’ve seen some copies for sale on the internet. It is an engaging book, giving the reader just enough information to let their imagination go. Ms. Burns black and white drawings are superb. Worth a look around for. Check libraries. This book has survived since my first encounter in first grade. I think it stuck with me.
7 comments:
Well, I couldn't find The Summerfolk on my library search engine - :( - but I did find another book by Doris Burn called Andrew Henry's Meadow - it looks good, too! And I'll keep looking for this one - it sounds sweet.
Thanks for joining! Mine's finally up - sorry I'm late!
Sounds like a fun read! It's fun to share books you loved as a child with your children...and hopefully, with some grandchildren down the road :)
This sounds great. I'll have to see if I can dig up a copy from somewhere! Thanks for sharing.
Hey, I wanted to let you know that I've got some free books up for grabs as part of my October Pay It Forward Book Exchange. Stop by if you're interested in a chance to win. :)
Looks like a nice story. Some of my favorite children's books are my old Gyo Fujikawa (sp?) that my son likes too. Yay for used booksellers online.
I didn't have any luck either! Sounds like a great book for little ones though. We actually are the type of town who depend on tourists, I will be checking for in a few other spots...
Wish I could read it because I was and am summerfolk...although now I am more than that . . still weekending it but still actually a washashore....which is sort of a more than summer only summerfolk but not a native. Whatever.
I love the cover, that's enough to peak my interest right there.
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