Spring’s Bounty

Earth’s recipe for the food we eat — seed, soil, and sun — are presented in crisp photographs and brief, lucid text all in a large format. Young scientists (and their adults) may be inspired to start their own seeds but observe their world more closely.

The narrator surveys the garden, counting from one to twelve what grows and lives there. Interesting words combine with stylized illustrations to present an abundant garden.

Rich, rhythmic language combines with lush illustration to poetically describe the water cycle and more. This memorable volume will be read aloud — and perhaps discussed as: “Thirsty air/licks it [water] from lakes/sips it from ponds/guzzles it from oceans…”

A young gardener plants seeds and waits for the transformation from late Winter’s mud brown to the lush green of Springtime. Evocative, lyrical text and delicate, expressive illustrations follow the evolution and depict the gradual change — all with understated humor.

The sky is as changeable as the weather — from blue sky to rain sky to dark sky and ultimately to sleep sky. A poetic depiction of the sky introduces weather and a child’s day in simple, repeating language and richly colored illustrations that may inspire writing “list poems.”

Textured illustrations cleverly incorporate die-cuts exploring the many shades of green. Language is as inspired as the textured paintings, subtly suggesting an environmental note. The book concludes with “forever green” in which a man and a child admire a large, lush tree, presumably from a seedling planted earlier.

In this version of a familiar tune, Jo MacDonald (the old farmer’s granddaughter) and her cousin plant a Spring garden, watch it grow, observe what visits it, gather its bounty before the cycle ends only to begin again. Engaging illustrations suggest ways to dramatize the yearly cycle, and suggested activities conclude the book.

Humorous, sometimes slightly gross, always kid-friendly poems are accompanied by lighthearted black and white sketches. A range of readers, from sophisticated to those less initiated, are sure to find chuckles in this thick but accessible collection of short, rhythmic poems.

Decked out in rain boots, hat, and umbrella, a child joins her friends to play in the rain. The sound of the rain, mud, and finally sunshine is evoked by alliterative language and wordplay. The joy of getting dirty outdoors concludes with the girl and her dog in the midst of a messy but exuberant bubble bath.

Bright illustrations accompany lively poems that celebrate children’s imaginations and playing outdoors on warm days. Some games, like ‘jacks’, may need a bit of explanation but walking on the edges (of sidewalks, curbs, etc.) and hopscotch are perennial favorites. Everyone may be inspired to go outside and play!

Translucent watercolors and short, varied poems take readers on a trip to the sea. There they meet sea birds, fish, coral, and more in each short verse. Evocative language creates memorable images of the sea and its often hidden treasures.