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Hop in the minivan: 'Summer Is for Cousins' invites you on a family vacation

Summer is for swimming, playing cards and talking all night. Summer is for ice cream and doing nothing. And, in this new picture book from Rajani LaRocca and Abhi Alwar, summer is also for cousins.
Source: Illustrations © 2023 Abhi Alwar

For Ravi, summer means beach days, long hikes, paddle boarding and ice cream. It means going to a big house by the water with his mom, dad, two uncles, two aunties, Thatha and Pati, and six cousins.

Ravi loves summer vacation with his family. But this year, he's also a little worried: His older cousin Dhruv is the only other boy. And this year, Dhruv is taller, his voice is deeper, and what if he's forgotten about all the things he and Ravi used to share? Like their favorite flavor of ice cream (banana)?

Rajani LaRocca says Summer Is for Cousins was inspired by vacations with her own 10 cousins in India.

"All of my favorite summer memories involved my cousins," she says. "Cousins are kind

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