YEAR ROUND

Dividing the year into “Winter Questions,” “Spring Feelings,” “Summer Wishes,” and “Fall Thoughts,” Weber takes a decidedly offbeat look at the seasons.

A diverse group of children playfully cavort through various seasonal ruminations; some are straightforward, such as a winter query: “Can you peel a clementine all in one go?” Others take a more reflective approach, as when the author/illustrator reflects on anxiety: “Bouts of butterflies, fluttering thunder.” Weber’s gouache and acrylic paintings in pastel colors have a light, almost delicate feel, and the rounded figures of the children and curves of the objects and landscapes convey a comforting ambiance. The simple, loose rhyming text at times feels a mite obscure (“I know the Earth is big and round, and what has gone might come again”), but it offers moments for curious listeners to reflect and pose their own questions. The book is framed by a scene at the beginning of each season; as the “Winter Questions” begin, a trunk and four drawers stand alone in what appears to be a schoolroom setting. As the seasons progress, the contents are deconstructed, and their uses become ever more multifaceted as the active children grow and learn.

A whimsical offering that will intrigue the inquisitive child and encourage creative interpretations.