Review by Booklist Review
PreS-K. After a long, cold winter, the sun wakes everybody up, starting with the earth: Wake up, old friend, it's Spring! When the earth warms up, it wakes the earthworm from its underground slumber, and it, in turn, nudges a neighboring seed. The seed sprouts and calls to the ladybug, who whispers to the rabbit, who thumps to the bird, who wakes up the cat, who nudges the dog, who barks to the toddler, who shouts to his family, Out! Out! Spring! Children who live in seasonless regions may not understand what all the fuss is about, but those who hibernate in colder climes will appreciate the seemingly overnight awakening that happens every spring. At the end of the book, the entire menagerie (even the earthworm) dance together in the sun. Ernst's winning paintings, created with soft lines and misty morning hues, soak up the pages. The creatures, human and otherwise, which are featured prominently in the pictures, are just the right size for young eyes. --Karin Snelson Copyright 2004 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Ernst (Sam Johnson and the Blue Ribbon Quilt) finds a nifty hook for a familiar subject: Spring is really a chain of wake-up calls. First the sun rouses the earth-"Wake up, old friend, it's Spring!"-which in turn nudges its "guest," the earthworm. Each recipient urges the next to welcome the return of spring after a long winter. Bathed in tender pastels, the full-bleed spreads follow a consistent format. On the left side is the reveille: "The ladybug laughed in the sunshine. It tickled the rabbit's ear as it whispered, "Pssst-rabbit! Spring is here!" The right side carries the response: "And the rabbit woke up." (Like many of the creatures awakened from their sleep, rabbit initially opens only one eye.) As the chain grows longer, it eventually reaches the human realm. A baby in a crib shouts to his startled siblings, "Out! Out! Spring!" and even parents are pulled from their beds. Ernst's large-scale shapes and confident, fluid outlines keep the action focused and the momentum building, and the final spreads depict a joyous, multi-species dance in the sun. Ages 3-8. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-A simple celebration of the coming of spring. The sun warms the earth, the earth wakes the earthworm, the earthworm sings to a seed, and so on, until numerous creatures as well as the members of a family and their pets are all dancing together in the sunshine and rejoicing that winter has ended. The appealing cartoon illustrations show each of the characters reacting to the change in the weather. Beautiful pastel shades infuse the pages with the hues and happiness of springtime. In a few words, the text perfectly conveys the essence of the season. A good choice for storytime sharing.-Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
When spring arrives one morning, the sun alerts the earth, ""Wake up, old friend, it's Spring!"" The earth wakes an earthworm, who wakes a seed, and so on, until the news reaches a human family, and everyone runs outside to celebrate. In this unfailingly jovial story, illustrations in soft spring colors offer nice close-up views of the awakening animals. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Nature plays the childhood game of telephone in this tale of spring's arrival. At the end of a cold winter, it's the sun that first passes the message along that spring has arrived. As it warms the earth, the earth awakens and announces it to an earthworm. And so the message passes to a seed, a ladybug, a rabbit, a bird, and into the house where it passes through the cat, dog, baby, siblings, and on to the parents. When all are awake, they go outdoors to celebrate in the spring sunshine. Even though it's the beginning of a new spring day that awakens them, animals that hibernate and those that do not are mixed together in the chain of the message, which could be confusing for children who have a bit of knowledge about animals' winter habits, or for those who want to know more. The pastel-colored illustrations are perfect for young readers who always want to see things up close. With just enough detail to define the scene, but not enough to overwhelm, they highlight the animals and objects that are familiar to children. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
