And Then It's Spring, by Julie Fogliano

"And Then It's Spring" combines so many of my favorite things.  I love all the four seasons, but spring is special, because I anticipate most eagerly for it. Gardens are also among my favorite places, even in winter. I remember being fascinated by signs of spring even in bleak midwinter, when I saw buds in winter. Brown, but buds nonetheless, and full of promise. I am constantly amazed at how spring brings green, among a palette of other delightful colors, where once were only shades of brown. Spring, ah, Spring, gardens and growing things galore. 

And then there's that sweet friendship between man and animals again, that warmed every reader's heart in "A Sick Day for Amos McGee, featured here again. In these pages, the boy who plants the garden and waits eagerly (and anxiously) for hints of green is accompanied by his animal friends, a kindly tortoise, faithful hare, and a dog with a heart full of empathy. They all wait with him, sharing his emotions the way we so often long to have our friends do. They do their bit of gardening too, but I'll leave it for you to find out what exactly they plant. 

And then there's the delicacy of Erin Stead's woodblock prints, and the depth of feeling each picture suggests. Sophistication meets simplicity in Erin Stead's work, another masterpiece of a true picture book artist. Though the illustrations on each page may be simple, each element invites a second look, and another, and another. There is always more to notice, as if layers of detail lie hidden at first, waiting to be slowly sought out only by the reader who pays attention. 

Having fallen in love with Erin Stead's illustrations in "A Sick Day for Amos McGee", I lost no time in placing my reservation for "And Then It's Spring" at the local library the moment I heard of it. I must have seen it in on a list of "Spring Reads", but this book can be so much more than that. While I can definitely envision this book being used to introduce Spring-related facts to children, I also see this book as being clearly about anticipation and the process of waiting. While the inescapable "Are we there yet?" so often heard on road trips with children may come to mind immediately when thinking about children and waiting, there are other circumstances in childhood too, where waiting is required. Take the situation of a child waiting for her father to return from the field, or one whose older sibling has run away from home. Waiting may not always appear on a parent's curriculum of subjects to address with the children, but perhaps it could. And if we're truly honest - it's not just children who need to learn the lesson of waiting, is it?  

"And Then It's Spring" will win the attention of children and adults alike, as it's everyone, for whom its message applies.

"And Then It's Spring" has just won an Honor (Picture Book Category) in the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature. 

Elsewhere on the web: 

Watch this youtube video to hear Erin Stead explain her woodblock illustration technique.  

Watch a trailer for "And Then It's Spring" here.