Spring

November 1, 2017
Preschool-G These books in the new Seasons of the Year series are meatier than many others on the same topic. Each book covers not only weather and clothing for the season but also seasonal food, holidays, animal behavior, changes in plant life, and more. One section focuses on observations in the backyard, and another on fun activities for the season. Spring proposes drawing different types of spring weather and looking for dandelions and daffodils growing outside. The books feature attractive covers and photos, although the photos and pages often feel busy for this age group, with the eye drawn all over the page, rather than directly to the text and key image. The books tend to rely on standard ideas of the seasons in the northern U.S., omitting regional variations. Likewise, the holiday coverage misses the opportunity to teach about religious and cultural diversity; the books mention only Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgivingnoting that many people celebrate these holidays. The backyard section also makes assumptions about the housing familiar to readers. Still, inquisitive early readers will find plenty of information in this series to expand their knowledge of familiar topics.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)