Synopsis
It begins with a warm wind late at night sighing through the hemlock trees, swaying branches and shaking loose the heavy snow that fell all day...
As the sun rises slowly over the farmlands, subtle signs of spring begin to emerge. From thin streams of melted snow-water snaking down the windowpanes, to newborn lambs nestled in a mound of sun-warmed hay, to red-budded maple trees swollen with rising sap, the beauty of a world awakening from winter is revealed in stirring detail. Lyrical prose by author Steven Schnur is in perfect harmony with Stacey Schuett's warm, luminous paintings, celebrating the arrival of spring and the energy and renewal it brings.
Illustrated by Stacey Schuett
Children's Literature
Schnur and Schuett have produced a simple, yet gorgeous book that celebrates spring in New England. The writing is exquisitely poetic, and only a few lines accompany each double-spread painting. Overall, the book makes the reader feel calm, hopeful and warm. The text focuses on small details that herald the gradual arrival of spring, "By morning thin streams of water snake down the windowpanes." The paintings tell an additional story about the farm life of a boy and his father (grandfather?) riding a horse drawn wagon to collect maple syrup. This book would work well in a kindergarten or first grade unit about the seasons and weather. 2000, Viking/Penguin Books, Ages 3 to 8, $15.99. Reviewer: Seth Berg