Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 1-3. Less workmanlike than Gail Gibbons' The Reasons for the Seasons (1995), this attractive picture book demystifies seasonal changes in a question-and-answer format. Each spread's boldfaced head-scratcher (Why do my cheeks turn red in the cold? What makes a thunderstorm? ) receives two smoothly written paragraphs of explanation; an energetic, arrestingly patterned painting featuring one of the book's four child characters; and an interpretive haiku (Lily hears thunder. / \lquote You don't have to yell!' she calls. / Still, the sky grumbles ). An excellent opening and closing entry connects the earth's tilt with seasonal conditions around the world. The organization is a bit awkward. Although questions are grouped by season, they often apply more broadly, and some entries would have benefited from diagrams. Even so, children won't escape learning a thing or two about the processes described, and many teachers will find inspiration for language-arts projects in the haiku component. For a seasonal celebration in which poetry comes front and center, suggest Bobbi Katz's Once around the Sun (2006). --Jennifer Mattson Copyright 2006 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Following a brief explanation of the science behind the seasons, Lin takes readers from autumn to summer, pairing haiku verses on one page with explanations of seasonal changes on the other. For autumn, for example, the text answers the questions, "What makes the wind?" "Why do leaves change color?" and "Why do I see my breath?" Further pairings address frost, suntans, thunderstorms, and pollination, among others. The simple haiku provide an accessible foray into poetry for the youngest readers and, for the most part, the scientific explanations follow suit. While the initial explanation of the Earth's revolution around the sun might have benefited from a more illustrative diagram, the title ultimately delivers. The gouache illustrations have plenty of child appeal and effectively tie together the poetry and the facts. A welcome addition to any collection in need of seasonal titles.-Jill Heritage Maza, Conn Elementary, Raleigh, NC (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
The authors introduce young readers to the four seasons, combining haiku (""A lacy curtain / Has been drawn on the window / By the frost artist"") with scientific questions (""Why is there frost on the window?"") and answers, some of which may require more explanation. The clean design and gouache illustrations nicely reflect the changing palette of each season. Glos. (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
In this intriguing combination of poetry and nonfiction, each season is given three double-spreads, containing a haiku and a science question-and-answer. In Spring, for example, "Lily hears thunder. / 'You don't have to yell!' she calls. / Still, the sky grumbles." The sidebar asks, "What makes a thunderstorm?" and explains how hot air rising quickly causes the electrical buildup that results in thunder and lightning. The questions are relevant to children ("Why do I sneeze?") and the answers clear and thorough. Lin's vivid gouache illustrations and multi-ethnic characters Lily, Owen, Ki-ki and Kevin are terrifically appealing. If the haikus aren't quite to the level of Jack Prelutsky's If Not For the Cat (2004) or George Shannon's Spring (1996), that's a small quibble given that this has the potential to interest children in both poetry and science. (Picture book/poetry/nonfiction. 5-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
