Spring Goes Squish!
Kindergarten-Grade 2—Prepare for a pessimist's view of the sights, sounds, and smells of spring. From a baseball breaking a window to allergies, weekend rain, a runaway kite, and a scary thunderstorm, a wild-haired blond girl shares her less-than-thrilled impressions of the season. There are yuck moments: "I sniffle snot and blow it out," balanced by lines of sublime description, such as when a kite line "sizzles through my hands." Even if children buy into the narrator's mood, they won't be able to resist a grin thanks to Kelley's watercolors. The perturbed expressions the girl has for brilliant birds' too-early serenade and for Dad inadvertently mowing over toys are especially humorous. The varied compositions, from landscapes to a white-backed single portrait, make a most pleasing visual bouquet. For teachers, this rhyming list of complaints provides an ideal example of counterpoint when coupled with almost any other book on the season.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.