A Change of Season for the Acorn Villagers

A Cozy Summer Day – written and illustrated by Eliza Wheeler
Nancy Paulsen Books, 2026

The residents of Acorn Village, introduced in A Cozy Winter Day, are back, this time set to enjoy the summer. The snow is gone, as are the seasonal decorations and warmth-inducing foods.  While it may have seemed that winter defined this community, given the virtually instant sense of nostalgia that the coldest time of year produces, but the Hopps, McPaddys, Ms. Polly, and Hilda Hollow are adaptable. Snow books are a favorite genre of mine*.) The garden near their tree and mushroom-shaped houses is alive with vegetation. Herb the Rabbit is painting en plein air, the mother beaver is supervising Pip Hopp in the sandbox, and water activities in the brook or plastic wading pool are in full swing. It’s good to know that, regardless of the warmth and sunshine, an owl has still fallen asleep while reading a book.

As in the winter book, Eliza Wheeler’s text is simple, more focused on creating a mood than on plot development. She builds characters by giving them opportunities to express consistent personalities.  Ms. Polly, a porcupine, is not part of a nuclear family. Instead, she is benevolent figure who nurtures everyone, bringing her ice cream cart to a community picnic. The Popps have two dads, warmly accepted by everyone. The artistic Herb uses a wheelchair. The Otter kids, Leif and Pebble, live nearby, close enough to paddle over with an invitation to go for a swim. The water has the same quality of coziness as snow, although there is more emphasis on purpose-free leisure than in the earlier book. Summer is when the Acorn Villagers, like most people, have more extended time off from their normal, productive activities. Although they have certainly worked hard to cultivate that garden, and Polly churns her own ice cream.

The digitally-created pictures have plenty of bright color, with sunlight infusing every scene, until night falls.  Summer means camping. (image) The moon and stars are out as everyone brings blankets and lanterns, preparing for a restful sleep in simple tents.  The appeal of this kind of book, inhabited by personified animals, as in Richard Scarry’s Busytown (but see also here and here) is that the focus on setting and small details invites children to animate the story using their imagination.

*See here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here; phew!