Review by Booklist Review
Max has already run out of things to do on the second day of summer. As he thinks of ideas to counter boredom, like going to the park, the pool, and the zoo, his little sister, Mimi, repeatedly asks to join in. Even as they explore these different places, Max has trouble enjoying their current activity. He can't help but think that "there might be something better out there." His imagination runs through fantastical ideas like jumping on giant Jell-O, flying in a hot-air balloon, and other "what if" scenarios. Mimi interrupts her brother and reminds him they could just be together. On the last day of summer, Max and Mimi have so much to do, they don't even need to leave their house. Mixed-media illustrations capture the wonder and fantasy of Max's imagination. Expressive facial features convey a wide range of emotions, including Mimi's longing for her brother's attention. Muted tones create a vintage-like feel, as if channeling childhood memories. A sweet story about sibling bonding and enjoying the present.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1--"On the first day of summer, Max did everything around the house. And on the second day of summer, there was nothing else to do," opens the pages of this thoughtful and endearing family story. With his little sister Mimi in tow, Max tries everything to entertain himself, from playground games to a zoo trip. But his constant fretting about what he might be missing out on somewhere else soon creates an endless cycle of wondering what to do next. Finally, Mimi sensibly points out that he's had the perfect playmate right under his nose all along, and that's when the fun begins. Chang lets the earnest voices of her two characters shine, in an idyllic world of play and wonder that is free from adult intrusion. As Max's imaginative hypotheticals get more outlandish, Yoh cleverly contrasts mundane scenarios with their eye-poppingly enhanced alternate versions overhead in a series of enormous thought clouds that resemble psychedelic billboards. The book's design deeply enhances the reading experience, with sentences weaving in and out of speech bubbles and across inset panels indicating the passage of time. The soft line art and watery palette, a combination of digital and traditional media, draw readers' eyes deftly across the page. The first and last pages of story text make a delightful pair of bookends. Both spreads feature a cutaway drawing of the house with the children engaged in a variety of activities. In the former image, Max is paying more attention to the materials at hand than to his sister. At the end they are utterly absorbed in each other's company. Fittingly, the final page reads: "On the last day of summer, Max and Mimi did everything around the house. And there was so much more to do together." VERDICT A winning, emotionally insightful story of FOMO in the early years and snug sibling togetherness.--Jonah Dragan
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
This imaginative story features a restless bespectacled boy named Max who finds a better way to experience a summer day, thanks to his wise little sister, Mimi. On the first day of vacation, Max enjoys a bunch of activities, captured in a clever cross-section view of his home. However, by the second day, "there was nothing else to do." Max wonders if the park would be more fun. He rides the springy toys and swings on the swings, but "what if I was at the pool...?" Visits to the pool and then the zoo fail to enthrall him. Engaging mixed-media illustrations show Mimi, with her enthusiastic body language, joining her brother and thriving in each space. Despite the protagonist's ennui, Chang's sometimes rhyming text is lively and is well complemented by the art. Max dreams of more outlandish things to do -- "What if I...jumped on giant Jell-o...rode on a koi..." -- and the colorful illustrations become increasingly surreal. His imaginings explode on an energetic double-page spread showing him involved in such exciting activities as soaring into outer space. Feeling left out of his elaborate plans, Mimi suggests: "What if WE?" The tale ends on a reassuring note with Max realizing that baby sis is indeed correct. An inventive sibling romp. Brian E. WilsonSeptember/October 2025 p.37 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Max spends most of the summer thinking up exciting activities, but the perfect boredom buster is right under his nose. After a busy first day of summer, Max is officially bored. As he treks around town, he daydreams about the wonderful things he could be doing ("What if I…was at the park?" "What if I…was at the zoo?"), but nothing he tries satisfies him. All the while, he's trailed by little sister Mimi, who's genuinely delighted to be spending time with her brother. As Max's what-ifs get increasingly fantastical (bouncing on a giant serving of Jell-O, discovering an underground kingdom), Mimi finally interjects: "What if WE?" She reframes Max's ideas as things they could do together, and though her suggestions initially mirror Max's, they become more and more grounded, culminating with a plaintive "Can't we just be here…together?" The book closes on the last day of summer, with Max taking part in the same activities he did on the first day, but this time he involves Mimi, and the possibilities are endless. Lovingly capturing both the power of imagination and the push-pull dynamics of sibling bonds, Yoh's inspired artwork combines full-page spreads with comic panels, prose with dialogue in speech bubbles, and realistic depictions with wild, richly hued fantasies. Pale-skinned, dark-haired Max and Mimi read East Asian. A great reminder that fun isn't necessarily what you do, but who you share it with.(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
