Signs of Winter

November 1, 2012

PreK-Gr 2-Each book begins with the same text and photos (though the illustrations change positions to highlight the featured season). The opening spread is followed in all of the volumes by the same image of a sunlit globe, which does little to help explain how Earth's orbit around the sun and the change of seasons is linked. The few main sentences per spread are supplemented by "Did You Know?" text boxes that supply additional information. For example, "In France it is winter in December. In New Zealand it is winter in July." Most of the color photos support the text, but some fall short, such as in Summer, where an image of girl ready to plant tomatoes in a barren plot hardly illustrates eating vegetables "fresh from the garden." Final pages include activity suggestions, which could prompt discussions, and quizzes. Adequate if coverage is needed, but unexceptional.

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