Garmann's Summer

Written and illustrated by Norwegian author Stian Hole, Garmann's Summer is a unique children's picture book that won the BolognaRagazzi Award in 2007 for it's imaginative storyline and illustrations. This story is about a little boy named Garmann's first day of school, which he is very nervous about! Despite his age, Garmann is a very interesting little boy that ponders over many of life's questions like life, death, fear and courage, beginnings and endings. In his own special way, Garmann observes the world around him, including his eccentric "old aunts" that visit by boat, to help him make sense of his fears and show readers that everyone is scared of something in their own way. Even adults are scared of things in life, not just little kids, which is a great premise for children to understand when they are growing up and facing new things.

My favorite aspect of this story were the illustrations and layout of the book. They are very different and like nothing I've seen before! The author mixes some realistic elements with whimsical artistic variations to create magical images. I also loved Garmann's character because he seems so grown up and wise for such a young boy, and the way that he looks at the world is inspiring and helpful to young readers. The tone of the story is not typical for a children's story book, but I fell in love with it immediately. I could use this picture book in the classroom in many ways that utilize English and creative arts content areas. Since this book has a lot of similes and metaphors within it, it would be a great foundation for a lesson on those literary elements. Students could examine the examples in the book and then create their own similes and metaphors, and then create a collage-like illustration using magazine cutouts (similar style of the book) to accompany their phrase.

Hole, S. (2006). Garmann's summer. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.