Spring

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

Spring, one of four titles in the "Nature Projects for Every Season" series by Phyllis S. Busch contains more than two dozen activities. The text gives an explanation of why we have seasons and what spring means. The activities are grouped into two categories--Outdoor and Indoor. This gives the book general appeal, since kids who live in the city would not benefit from many of the outdoor activities. Most do not require elaborate supplies or preparation, but for young kids, adult assistance will be needed. There is an index and suggested reading list. The colorful illustrations by Megan Halsey are strategically placed throughout the text and work quite well on the sepia pages.

From The Critics

In this volume, the author's explanation of why we have seasons is murky. She never mentions the earth's axis, which would help the reader envision a tilting earth. The last sentence on page 5 says that the earth is always tilted in the same direction as it goes around the sun, but the drawings of the sun and the earth on pages 5 and 6 show earth tilted in different directions. This is confusing! On page 15, she mentions an insect's metamorphosis, but doesn't explain the phenomenon at all. Probably, she assumes that readers will understand the term, but this is another potential area of confusion if they don't. Also, her terminology is far from consistent; for example, she switches between "caterpillars" and "insects" to mean the same thing. Finally, on page 19, she fails to say that rainfall is measured in inches and that the reader should use the same-size containers to collect rainfall, or the experiment will not prove anything. (from the Nature Projects for Every Season Series.) Questionable, Grades 3-6. REVIEWER: Pamela Crowe (freelance writer)