Review by Booklist Review
In this charming picture book, Higgins uses free verse and colorful illustrations to take young readers on a joyful journey through the seasons and months of the year. The brief text is full of strategically placed rhyme, repetition, and other wordplay. The illustrations incorporate elements of both collage and drawings to depict active children and sometimes animals as well. The words and pictures tend to focus on weather, food, and feelings; for example, the verses for May are "maybe hazy / maybe hot / maybe chilly / maybe not" and "muddy puddles / messy play / many seeds / will sprout in / may." Then "all / the days / feel like / the longest / icky / sticky / awful / hottest / nothing left / to do in / august // . . . it's your birthday? / oops, I'm wrongest." Other than that one birthday, Higgins avoids mentioning holidays, although October does nod to Halloween, with a picture of costumed children and the verse "floaty ghosties / witch-in-cloaksies / croaking frog." A playful home or classroom read-aloud about the months of the year.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Layering bright, shape-based figures against clean white backgrounds, Higgins (Some of These Are Snails) takes a trip around the year, employing rhythmically tight verse to mark each month. "Icy air where/ snowflakes vary/ branches bare in/ January" accompanies the image of a child bundled in green pulling a smaller, yellow-clad child through the snow, while a pink-eared mouse builds a snow mouse below. Throughout, lines that hint at seasonal fare pay close attention to the sounds of words, producing effects both amusing ("sticky fizzle/ summer snooze") and lyrical ("swirly whispers/ flurries quiver") en route to a reflective end. A closing vertical spread shows four children in the limbs of a tall tree, each representing a season against segmented backgrounds of winter blue, summer lavender, golden spring, and autumn orange: "Some things change/ and some do not/ let's play with all the time we've got." The two mice that appear throughout the book close the show with a final cheer, "round and round for one and all." Widely shared pleasures and timeless themes make this read appropriate for any number of settings. Children are represented with various skin tones. Ages 4--8. Agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. (Aug.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Higgins romps through the year with rollicking rhymes. The passage of time over the course of a year is marked by changes--in seasons, colors, weather, and clothing requirements. How about the changes in activities people get up to? Round and round the year we go indeed! Higgins shares the highlights of each month, from "icy air" and "boots in pairs" in January to "firecrackers in the sky" during July to the "swirly whispers" of December. This delicious, thought-provoking work bursts with wit, charm, playfulness, and joy--with verses to match. The lilting rhymes demand to be read aloud; filled with engaging examples of assonance and consonance, the text flows from the tongue and lands merrily on the ear. The book is filled with numerous learning opportunities. The names of the months are printed in different colors throughout, and Higgins explores the ins and outs of the various seasons. Children will enjoy comparing and contrasting the seasonal pursuits they enjoy with those depicted in the appealing, collagelike illustrations. The book's bright colors are well coordinated. Youngsters will especially adore the 90-degree turn on the book's penultimate page. Characters are racially diverse. A winner in this and every month going forward. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
