Summertime

This shimmering picture-book adaptation of a Gershwin tune from Porgy and Bess may be primarily for adults, but Wimmer's (Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh) lifelike portraits of a vibrant, closely knit African-American family are a pleasure for anyone to behold. Beautifully capturing the look and feel of Southern summer days, the paintings show the children splashing in the pond where ""fish are jumpin' "" while the adults work the cotton crops (""the cotton is high""), nap (""the livin' is easy"") or bake apple pie in the kitchen. Wimmer's almost photographic oil paintings shift the action from the 1930s, when Porgy and Bess was first staged, to more contemporary times, swathing the song's lyrics in a new light. For example, such lines as ""One of these mornin's you're goin' to rise up singin'/ Then you'll spread your wings..."" here take on a joyful meaning, showing the family at church with voices raised in song. Wimmer is in fine form here, suffusing with varying degrees of sunlight and haze his scenes bursting with leafy summer foliage and happy faces. Ages 5-up. (July)