
Katy and her baby brother Olly go out and about through four seasons beginning with spring when “The birds are busy/And so am I.” Realistically rumpled children engage in recognizable activities are presented in short poems and the artist’s signature illustrations for a charming collection that celebrates childhood and the seasons.
Out and About: A First Book of Poems

A grandmother and her grandson enjoy flying a kite on a windy spring day near their seaside home. Lush, textured illustrations show the landscape and animal inhabitants and the way wind plays with hats. Staccato rhymes chronicle the joy-filled day that ends with a shower.
When the Wind Blows

Many things happen when the wind blows. Dune grass bends, waves spray, and “Copper whirls ‘round/Between two magnets/High aboveground” to generate electricity that is used to power our nation. Lyrical text and realistic illustrations provide a creative introduction to wind power.
When the Wind Blows

As Maurice’s mother begins to hibernate, the bear cub impatiently goes out to find spring. Other animals — and readers — will recognize Maurice’s mistaken token of spring and enjoy the lush collage illustrations of the season when it finally arrives.
Finding Spring

“Outside, snow falls silently on the house. Inside a boy has nothing to do.” That is, until he bundles up and creates an entire world in the snow. The soft lines and changing colors beautifully illustrate the magic of imagination in a wintry world.
Outside

A series of 26 poems, all haiku, mark each of the four seasons starting with autumn while highlighting the letters of the alphabet. Each short poem is accompanied by Koo, the young panda, who is joined by two children and illustrated in handsome, spare watercolors.
Hi, Koo! A Year of Seasons

How animals survive — even thrive — in winter is presented in a variety of poetic forms, each accompanied by factual information. Textured prints dramatically bring the frozen setting and its inhabitants to life as they await spring.
Winter Bees and Other Poems

Grandma Lou joins Judy, Stink and their parents to ride out a hurricane. When the power is off, does a pretzel-eating ghost join the family? Characteristic good humor, recognizable situations and likeable characters are hallmarks of this series.
Judy Moody and Stink: The Big Bad Blackout

Will Freddie Ramos’ super-power shoes work in the snowstorm? Not to worry! Inventor/maintenance man Mr. Vaslov has invented superpower snowshoes — just in time to help Freddie fight crime. The latest in the series is equally charming and highly readable.
Freddie Ramos Stomps the Snow

Join a diverse group of young children through winter, spring, summer and autumn in simple rhyming text and play-filled, mixed media illustrations. Rhyming words evoke the sound of each season that will read well aloud.
Boom Boom

Soon after 13-year old Zane travels from New Hampshire to visit his great-grandmother, Miss Trissy, in New Orleans, disaster strikes. He and Bandy, his dog, confront the storm and the natural and human disastrous aftermath when they are separated from Miss Trissy and make their way back to Zane’s family. This thought-provoking novel is taut and fast-paced.
Zane and the Hurricane: A Story of Katrina

Water is essential for all life on earth. In the author’s signature style, the water cycle, clouds, and more are introduced. Straightforward language and characteristic illustrations include maps, cautions, and additional tidbits of information about rain and related topics.
It’s Raining

Seasons are celebrated from spring when “Rain beats down,/roots stretch up…” to a cold winter night as “A welcome mat of moonlight/on the floor…” entices a child to snuggle in a warm bed. Accessible, jewel-toned illustrations add setting and movement to a wide range of appealing and very short poems.
Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems

Fog is the only type of cloud that is close enough to feel; all other clouds can only be seen. Folk art and crisp text brings different types of clouds into focus for budding scientists. Cloud facts and directions for making a cloud in a jar conclude this informative and engaging introduction to clouds, weather, and observation.
Clouds

Illustrations of snowy landscapes filled with children and dogs playing accompany a lyrical text suggesting that change is inevitable. Beginning, “…Snowflakes fall/…No two the same–/All beautiful.” But when flowers again bloom, children will remember snowflakes “And we remember the children–/No two the same–/All beautiful.” The moving book is dedicated to the Connecticut community who lost precious lives in 2012.
Snowflakes Fall

Also see Discover More Reptiles (opens in a new window) from the same author. Questions, tidbits of information and full-color photographs all in an appealing format are perfect to dip and out of for information about the subjects in this series. Each title includes a table of contents, an index and even a glossary of words plus the potential to find out more online.
Discover More Weather

There’s always something to do outside regardless of the weather. A range of activities are presented through short descriptions and photographs with notation to indicate if the activity can be done independently or if adult help is needed. Some are messy, all are doable.
The Wild Weather Book

The children are distressed that it’s raining while visiting their grandfather. But Grandpa has the children don rain gear to “find colors for garden stew.” Vegetables collected, the family makes and eats a delicious stew. Joy-filled illustrations accompany the rhythmic text.
Rainbow Stew

Easier to read poems focus on weather and seasons.
Weather: Poems for All Seasons

Observing changing leaves and tree life cycles are appropriate in fall. Also try Snowballs (opens in a new window), Waiting for Wings (opens in a new window), Growing Vegetable Soup (opens in a new window), and Planting A Rainbow (opens in a new window) by Lois Ehlert for other seasonal science-related activities.
Leaf Man

Children are encouraged to observe as experiment as they learn about wind and air as well as practice science writing by describing their findings.
I Face the Wind

Illustrations evoke the frozen north while the text invites readers to feel more the cold of Alaska. How the weather impacts people and animals is explained in a conversational tone as is the impact of climate change. A comparable exploration, This Place Is Wet (Walker; 0802734006), will be available in May 2013.
This Place Is Cold

A rubber duck is among the bathtub toys washed overboard and into the ocean. After a long journey, the duck narrator is found by a child. Inspired by actual events and vividly illustrated with textured paper cut images.
Ducky

When Bear looked at the sky and smelled the air, he ran to get his friend Mole. Together they make and fly a kite. A sudden storm tears the kite away from them but disappointment turns to satisfaction in this affably illustrated story told with repetition and onomatopoeia.