On a Summer Day

Seasons #4

by Lois Lenski

Play, play, on a summer day.

Summer means the outdoors to kids everywhere. The days are long and full of summertime fun such as swimming and afternoon picnics. This classic 1953 picture book is back with bright colors after being out of print for decades.

Genres: Picture Books, Summer, Childrens

56 pages, Hardcover

First published May 24, 2005

About the author

Lois Lenore Lenski Covey was an influential American author and illustrator whose work reshaped twentieth-century children’s literature through its combination of artistic skill, documentary realism, and deep empathy for childhood experience. Beginning her publishing career in the late 1920s, she went on to write and illustrate nearly one hundred books, ranging from picture books and historical novels to regional fiction, poetry, songbooks, and literary essays. She is best known for the Mr. Small picture book series, her meticulously researched historical novels, and her groundbreaking Regional books, which portrayed the everyday lives of children across diverse American communities.
Born in Ohio and trained formally as both an educator and an artist, Lenski studied at Ohio State University, the Art Students League of New York, and the Westminster School of Art in London. Although she initially aspired to be a painter, exhibiting work in New York galleries, she gradually turned to illustration and then to writing, encouraged by pioneering children’s editor Helen Dean Fish. Her early books drew heavily on her Midwestern childhood, while later works reflected extensive travel, field research, and close observation of family and community life.
Lenski achieved major critical recognition with her historical novels Phebe Fairchild: Her Book and Indian Captive, and with her Regional novel Strawberry Girl, which won the Newbery Medal. These works were notable for their commitment to authenticity, incorporating dialect, material culture, and social realities often avoided in children’s books of the era. She believed that literature for young readers should neither sentimentalize nor sanitize life, but instead foster understanding, tolerance, and empathy.
Alongside her own writing, Lenski illustrated works by other major authors, including Watty Piper’s The Little Engine That Could and the early volumes of Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy series. Her influence extended beyond publishing through lectures, teaching, and advocacy. In 1967 she established the Lois Lenski Covey Foundation, dedicated to providing books to children facing social and economic disadvantage.
In her later years, Lenski continued writing while living in Florida, publishing her autobiography Journey into Childhood shortly before her death. Her legacy endures through her books, her educational philosophy, and ongoing efforts to expand access to literature for children.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice vintage illustrations and happy scenes of children having fun in the summer. The text felt rushed and the book had a slightly churned out feel.

Read on open library.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable illustrations pair perfectly with the sweet rhymes, showing the games and imaginative play that a brother and sister enjoy together outdoors during the summer. I love the creativity and the variety of activities! This book was written in the early 1950s, and the gender roles are certainly a bit dated when they play house and other make-believe-we're-grown-ups games (brother is the one who is father and "takes care of me (sister)", who "drives the car" and who "preaches on Sunday") but there is equality in the more exotic forms of make-believe (brother and sister both pretend to go hunting, to be bears, etc.) I understand that the book is out of print now (perhaps because of its datedness) though if you can find a copy at your library it would make a nice choice for those looking for summer-themed books or books about imagination if you can get past the ultra-traditional gender roles.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, light, not terribly dated except for some scenes that are very sexist. Love the small format ... it was more affordable, and more friendly for little hands, back in the day. And it really is nice to give children all sorts of ideas for outdoor imaginative play that a brother and sister can engage in.

[Elizabeth Cusick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book talks about all the summer activities you can do and the fun you can have

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute, though it's gender roles are dated. It gave my son ideas for using cardboard boxes.

[Payton Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first impression of On a Summer Day by Lois Lenski was a good one. I first notice the size of the book. It is notably small and would likely be the perfect size for an early reader. Also, the outside of the book is lightly textured which small children may like as it’s appealing to the touch. The book itself has a very interesting organization. The book is two toned; only featuring orange and green colors. Also, there is a limited amount of words per page. This may be to make the pages go by faster to keep a young child’s interest.
The main characters are a young girl and her brother. The book is, just as the title describes, a summer day. The book describes a day of fun shared between siblings; which is another reason I found this book high quality. I felt this book would be best for children with siblings or perhaps need to prepare for a sibling that will soon be born. This book was sweet and light and would make anyone feel simple pleasure. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a fun, joyful and pleasurable story for their young reader.

[T Crockett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up as part of a Lenski binge. As I read it and looked at the pictures I was struck by how gender typical the activities the children engaged in were. I figured I would return it without reading it to the kids. The kids found it in the car and asked me to read it to them. As I did, they enjoyed the repetitious style and were really curious about the details in the pictures. Even the "big kids" (1st and 2nd grade) enjoyed it, though some of that may have been due to the situation (we were in the car waiting, with nothing else to do). So I've rated it as a compromise between the 3 stars I would give and the 5 I think they would have.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a book focuses on imaginative play, I usually like it. This is full of ideas that might prove inspirational to children when they're lounging around thinking about what to do. (Especially, if the adult in charge bans TV and other electronic gadgets.) Some of the ideas reinforce stereotypical gender roles, but it's not too bad considering that this was written in the 1950s. The addition of colors to the pictures in this edition will make the book more appealing to kids.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

The feminist in me just cringed at the first line- brother will play father and take care of me.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little poems about a brother and sister playing through their summer days.

[Cera · Rating 2 out of 5]

Julia's pretty fond of it, but due to the 1953 sexism I'm not so happy with it.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dated but such a sweet little book about the fun, lazy days of summer.