Wendy Pfeffer, who has produced titles on the three other high points of the solar calendar - Autumn Equinox (We Gather Together), Winter Solstice (The Shortest Day), and Spring Equinox (A New Beginning) - turns to the Summer Solstice in this final entry in her seasonal picture-book series. Explaining just what the solstice is, from a scientific point of view, she explores various cultural celebrations associated with this day, from the Chumash rituals surrounding their House of the Sun to the Lithuanian custom of lighting a wheel on fire and rolling it down a hill into a river. Other festivals include those traditionally celebrated in Sweden, and those observed today in Alaska. The book concludes with some craft ideas to mark the day, and a list of further reading...

As with its predecessors, I found The Longest Day: Celebrating the Summer Solstice informative and engaging, appreciating the variety of cultural celebrations profiled. I might wish for more details on each one, but then, this is meant to be a brief picture-book sampling, rather than an exhaustive compendium of midsummer traditions. The artwork from Linda Bleck, who also illustrated two of Pfeffer's other titles in the series (A New Beginning and We Gather Together), is a little too cute for my taste, but is nevertheless colorful and full of a sense of motion and fun that feels appropriate for a book celebrating the summer season. Recommended to readers looking for children's books about the Summer Solstice as well as to anyone who has read and enjoyed any of Pfeffer's other seasonal titles. ( )

This book gives young readers a background on the summer solstice, It gives basic facts and history about celebrations and the season. Discusses modern and ancient cultural celebrations for the season. ( )