Natsumi’s cousin, Jill, is coming to visit. She has never met Jill before but is excited to show her her home. This book has sweet illustrations and is written like a poem.

It was interesting at the end to find out that the book was written as a series of Tanka poems. It would have been nice to find that out before hand so I could appreciate it more.

This is a very sweet little book and the gentle illustrations will be enjoyable to all family members. It needs a bit of editing to make it really shine, but I loved the concept.

Natsumi loves the summer. It’s when she was born, after all. She especially loves the song of the cicadas. This year is very special, because her cousin from far away is coming to visit. Natsumi has never met her cousin, and she’s anxious about how they’ll get along. When Jill arrives, however, the two become instant friends. Natsumi shows her all the wonders of summer, but she’s a little worried that Jill may be afraid of her insect friends, but Jill loves them as much as Natsumi. In the end, Natsumi makes a wonderful new friend and shares the best parts of summer with her.

The end of the story provides some fascinating context for this adorable little book. The book is written in Tanks, a form of traditional, Japanese poetry that has five lines with thirty-one syllables. The first three lines look like a haiku (5-7-5), but it has two additional lines, each with seven syllables. The book gives instruction about how to write your own, which would be a super fun activity for kids after reading the book.

I loved the art in the story, and there’s a cute little cat I want to keep for myself. Representation matters, and both girls are not white. Yes. More of this, please. More stories about all little girls doing whatever it is that little girls do. It comes out on May 12, perfect timing to share this story of summer with your little ones, and teach them a little about poetry, too.

This is a lovely picture book on the theme of friendship, insects, nature and tanka (it it told in tanka -- 3 lines like a haiku and then 2 additional lines). A Japanese child loves all the insects around her and is looking forward to meeting her cousin from far away for the first time but worries she'll dislike insects or be scared of them. The girls do all sorts of wonderful things in Japan and the cousin asks what that hum is. Natsumi explains what the hum of cicadas is and shows them to her cousin, who is similarly appreciative of them and promises to show her a type of insect common where she lives when Natsumi visits her someday. The art is lovely and it's nice to see characters who love insects and nature, plus kids will learn a bit about tanka and more from the end notes. This would make a great book for a nature study library or to learn about poetic forms, Japan, cicadas, insects, etc.

I read a digital temporary ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

Natsumi's Song of Summer is a lovely story about a young girl's summer enjoying the beauty of nature and connecting with her cousin. Japanese culture is at the forefront: Natsumi describes the wild life, various cultural events, and sweet moments around food. The illustrations truly make the book: they are fun and quirky with a little bit of whimsy.