The mercury is climbing in Lumberville, and the folks are doing everything they can to keep cool. When the temperature refuses to relent, the entire community seeks solace by the river--where everyone dreams of cool relief. Full color. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

From the opening lines (Sun sizzled. Hair frizzled), Spinelli (Summerhouse Time) jauntily establishes the theme for this tale of one sweltering week in the town of Lumberville, long before the advent of air conditioners. Beginning on a blistering Monday, the day-by-day chronicle reveals how residents cope. Abigail Blue and her brother Ralphie open a lemonade stand, but two days later forgot about the lemonade and just sold ice. Lottie Mims takes four cold showers one day and on the next wore her bathing suit to clean house. Caldecott Honor artist Lewin's (Click, Clack, Moo) amusing assemblage of brush, ink and watercolor images portray the resourceful ways the townsfolk try to beat the heat. On Saturday night, everyone whether in a bed or on a rooftop or on a fire escape or in a tent or near the river everyone... had the exact same dream. A spread depicting that dream rounds up playful portraits of the smiling citizens frolicking in the rain. A power outage may be the closest modern readers come to a similar experience, but they (and nostalgic parents) should nonetheless appreciate this good-natured tribute to summer at its hottest. Ages 3-7. (July) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Starred Review. K-Gr 3 Before stores, businesses, and homes had air conditioners, the residents of Lumberville had to get creative during a heat wave. The "sun sizzled. Hair frizzled" as sweltering day after day began. Townspeople, kids, and dogs try a variety of ways to cool down and finally all camp out on the riverbank dreaming of a break in the weather. Stark white pages provide the perfect backdrop for fresh, vivid watercolor cartoons, with the final page displaying splashes of refreshing blue raindrops. While the story is simple and straightforward, the sun-drenched illustrations provide a spirited and evocative look back in time. Judy Chichinski, Skyline Elementary School, Tacoma, WA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

What was it like before air-conditioning? Spinelli, most ably aided by Lewin, brings kids back to those sweaty days. It's a sweltering Sunday in Lumberville, so hot that the pastor shortens his sermon. On Monday, the movie theater closes. Tuesday, the police officer takes a bubble bath. Wednesday, hotter still. Lottie Mims wears her bathing suit to clean house. By Saturday, everyone is roasting. When it's time to go to sleep, rooftops and fire escapes aren't good enough. Families take their pillows and blankets to the riverbank. Some sleep, some toss and turn, but everyone has the same dream: rain, sweet rain, falling on the Lumbervilleans and making water spots on this book's pages. The plot is more a premise than an actual story, but Lewin wrings every bit of humor from the goings-on. Her watercolor-and-ink pictures spot the white-hot pages in reds and yellows, sometimes softened by purples and blues. The fun here comes not only from marveling at the ingenuity residents use to keep cool but also from the simple act of looking back. A time before air-conditioning? Really. Cooper, Ilene. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.