The Thing About Spring

December 15, 2014
The arrival of spring makes Mouse and Bird “feel warm and happy,” but their friend Rabbit finds a lot to complain about. He anxiously shovels the last remnants of snow into a pail (“We won’t see any more of this until next year!”) and grumbles that spring means he can’t follow his friends’ tracks in the snow, build snow forts, or throw snowballs. Rabbit’s friends patiently put up with his litany of Eeyore-like rants, even when they take some strange turns: “The thing about spring,” he says, “is that Bear is waking up! You know how bad he smells at the end of a long winter, and I’m sure he’s going to want a hug.” Eventually, Rabbit’s chirpy pals bring grouchy Rabbit around to their upbeat perspective, though the turnaround comes quickly after all of his griping. Kirk’s (the Library Mouse series) pen-and-ink illustrations are more successful—anthropomorphic touches, like Rabbit’s scarf and Bear’s ball cap, give the characters a bit of personality, while the drab (but brightening) palette evokes the dissipating gloom of spring’s earliest days. Ages 4–8. Agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary.

January 1, 2015
Rabbit is apprehensive about winter turning to spring, and his friends Mouse, Bird and Bear help convince him that spring is equally wonderful.Rabbit's concerns run from not having snow to play in and find his friends' footprints in to how bad Bear smells when he wakes up from hibernation to unpredictable rain showers to longer days: "I am a cranky bunny when I don't get enough sleep!" There is a cute surprise at the end, when Rabbit offers his own solution to his thirst, brought on by spring's warmer weather. In a pleasing nod to young readers' enjoyment, the text makes good use of repetition and pattern; each time Rabbit protests spring with the expression, "The thing about spring is...," one friend counters the claim, and another says, "me too" or "me three." The animals are appealing in their appearances and in their obvious devotion to one another-even to the Eeyore-like Rabbit. Children from northern climes, where even those who love snow and ice are excited by spring, may find it difficult to feel empathy for Rabbit, whose cartoonlike bunny face has a perpetual look of angst until the end. Although the underlying idea is that resistance to change is normal-and acceptance of change is healthy-an easier sell would have been an animal who dreaded the cold and dark of winter. (Picture book. 3-6)

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April 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 1-Rabbit is grumpy. While his friends Bird, Mouse, and Bear extol the highlights of the changing season, Rabbit sees only the negative in warming temperatures. He's sad that winter is over and all the snow is melting. That means there will be no more snow forts or throwing snowballs or easily tracking his friends. For each criticism Rabbit voices, his buddies explain why the changes are positive: "'The thing about spring, ' said Rabbit, 'is that it rains when you're not expecting it!' 'But rain brings out the flowers, ' said Mouse. 'And the worms, ' said Bird." Illustrations, created using pen and ink with their color and texture added digitally, are varied and pleasing. When Rabbit discovers that winter has left him one last gift, he finally smiles about the inevitable change. VERDICT A fun and engaging addition to seasonal collections.-Maryann H. Owen, Children's Literature Specialist, Mt. Pleasant, WI

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