Come Next Season

July 1, 2019
A lyrical look at the changing of the seasons. Two siblings scamper through the seasons, showing readers just what is special about each one. Summer begins with a gigantic cannonball from a rope swing over the lake. Slippery ears of corn are shucked and munched as the two "eat outside, smacking mosquitoes between buttery bites." The children feel the wind from the fan, cooling the night, which slips seamlessly into the chilly wind of fall. Miyares' palette switches from sunny brightness to fiery reds and warmer yellows. The two pals (who may be fraternal twins or just close in age) jump into piles of leaves and stuff their pockets with pecans. The cool, blue tones of winter bring sledding and nights spent working puzzles, while spring shows a visit to a farm and a new addition of a furry friend. Each season in this rural, temperate place is full of simple, everyday delights. The white frame house stands alone, trees, blueberry bushes, a lake, and other bucolic delights for the children to enjoy without adult supervision all nearby. Norman expertly conjures what seasonal change feels like in the country with delicious sensory details and warm, family togetherness. The family depicted presents white. Wholesome, cozy, and nostalgic; pitch perfect. (Picture book. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 30, 2019
“Come summer,/ we’ll visit the lake./ When we spot a sparkle through the trees,/ we’ll race to the rope, bellowing/ ‘Cannonbaaall!’ ” Readers follow a child’s joyful leap to splash into this loping evocation of specific seasonal joys, among them gathering pecans, sledding, and getting a puppy from a farm. Norman’s text follows two siblings through the turning seasons, evoking a fantasy of rural childhood in a four-season climate, where in summer, “it will be our job to shuck the corn for supper./ We’ll eat outside, smacking mosquitoes/ between buttery bites,” and in winter, “sorting puzzles on the carpet,/ we’ll look up when a TV voice says,/ ‘Snow tomorrow!’ ” Miyares’s bright illustrations combine washes of vibrant color with earnest details: overalls and ball caps, red barns and rag rugs, pecan trees and tire swings. The story offers well-established seasonal repertoire in a skillful, appealing presentation. Ages 3–6.

October 1, 2019

PreS-Gr 2-Norman's brief, lyrical text accompanied by Miyares's colorful, equally poetic illustrations records a cycle of seasons. As a brother and sister anticipate the joys awaiting them on the calendar pages they share memories of previous seasons. Memories of eating "buttery bites" of corn on the cob while "smacking mosquitoes" in summer, choosing to be "out" of doors in the fall and "in" come winter, and getting a "fuzzy friend" with "silky ears" in spring. Family oriented, gently appealing with its bright pages recording the certainty of a year in procession, this is a year-round celebration. VERDICT A book for all seasons, perfect for individual or small group sharing.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.