City Summer, Country Summer

Praise for City Summer, Country Summer by Kiese Laymon; illustrated by Alexis Franklin:

A 2026 Coretta Scott King Book Award Illustrator Honor Book
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Book Riot, The Bitter Southerner, Evanston Public Library, BookPage, Kirkus, Children’s Book Review


★ “A heartfelt, elegantly wrought, and triumphant tribute to Black boy kinship. On the sunny porches of their grandmothers’ neighboring houses and in the cool shadows of the surrounding woods, hesitation becomes tenderness, anxiety becomes laughter, and difference becomes safeness. Franklin’s digital paintings set realistic depictions of Black boys within the hazy fantasy of summer, emphasizing evocative facial expressions and using spreads filled with natural, liminal spaces to insulate their growing bond.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ “An exquisite, beautiful picture book that tells a complex story about Black boys from different backgrounds sharing a summer together…Laymon perfectly captures the myriad feelings…[Franklin’s illustrations] have a cinematic quality that enlivens the action and deepens the emotions at play.” —BookPage, starred review

★ “Author and illustrator, one working with a spare palette of barely expressed emotions, and one creating nakedly realistic, beautiful scenes of boyhood, deliver a story of bonding that is so very much greater than the sum of its parts.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“Laymon’s text is lyrical and specific…Franklin’s digital illustrations…clearly centers each emotion the boys experience…deeply moving…reveling as it does in the tender bonds of Black boy friendship.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Lovely…and poignant” —Michel Martin, NPR’s Morning Edition

“The perfect summer picture book.” —Betsy Bird, School Library Journal Fuse 8 Blog