Readers would be better served by simply going outside to experience the seasons themselves.
A young girl celebrates the months and seasons of the year.
“Every year has months and seasons. / I love each for different reasons. / Turn the page and you will see / what makes each month special to me.” The pale-skinned brunette with rosy cheeks starts her ode with January’s ice and snow, but it quickly goes off the rails, as several of the months do not describe things she loves: “February / has rain and ice. / When that thaws out / it’s always nice.” And March’s springtime breezes sometimes give her sneezes. Temperature seems to be the biggest differentiator among the months, and the only holiday that makes an appearance is Halloween. After December, a final stanza mentions the seasons and the titular magic of a year; the illustration is recycled from the January spread. While the bright colors and scratchy feel of the seemingly digital artwork will attract readers, kids may be mystified as to why the girl’s otherwise peach-colored face (and the dog’s yellow one) has white splotches. While in some cases it might be construed as highlights from strong sunlight, that’s not always the case. The final spread is the text of Sara Coleridge’s “The Garden Year,” the author’s inspiration.
Readers would be better served by simply going outside to experience the seasons themselves. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4867-1319-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flowerpot Press
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
Delightful spring and Easter fun.
Hap-pea-ness is guaranteed for all every Easter.
This brief, beguiling book describes that wonderful time of year in lilting rhyme with bright, cheery digitally rendered illustrations. The anthropomorphic peas, whom readers will recognize from Baker’s previous titles, frolic in the (usually) glorious balmy weather, appreciate the flowers, and go for rides on minuscule bikes. “Gentle showers, blooming flowers, longer sunny daylight hours”—Baker sings the praises of a lovely spring day. In a cute nod to the main characters, the words happy and yippee appear as hap-pea and yip-pea. And, of course, brightly decorated Easter eggs are on full and gorgeous display. (Readers get a glimpse of how the tiny peas make these eggs look so appealing; helicopters, construction equipment, and huge vats of dye are involved.) Words such as spring and eggs appear on the pages in softly colored, oversize capital letters, each one displaying a different delicate pattern. Young children will hone their color-identification skills, learn new words to describe patterns (“stripes, swirls, polka dots—hap-pea patterns, lots and lots”), and practice their search-and-find skills as they’re invited to search for eggs in the artwork. At the end, kids will be as overjoyed as the peas to find someone extra special among the eggs.
Delightful spring and Easter fun. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781665940245
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
Short stanzas (with only a few rhythmic missteps) convey the languorous feeling of a bear’s slumber.
The simplest of narratives, conveyed in lulling rhymes, follows a mother black bear and her two cubs throughout the year.
A tiny bluebird trills a note. “Spring is here / Bees hum / Bears wake up / Here they come.” The newborn omnivores first search for food, overturning logs and splashing in the water. The cubs frolic and play. Then, suddenly, in a swift page turn, it is winter again: “Spring summer fall / All day long / Bears grow big / Bears grow strong / But in the fall / When leaves turn red / Bears know soon / It’s time for bed.” The bears burrow in for their long slumber. Winter lethargy (which is different than hibernation, as the appended note explains) certainly deserves the most focus in a work with such a soporific title. However, readers might wish that the interim seasons were explored a bit more fully. Johnson and Fancher’s oil-painted bears are stunningly realistic, yet they also have a cozy fuzziness, wrapped in dark brown warmth. After the cubs sleep through the blanketing snow, the bluebird returns, completing the cycle with an echoing refrain that holds so much promise: “Here they come!”
Short stanzas (with only a few rhythmic missteps) convey the languorous feeling of a bear’s slumber. (Informational picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-670-01718-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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