SISTER SPRING

An artful celebration of a new season.

Readers are introduced to Sister Spring, a personification of the season, as a curious-looking young girl who starts her existence much like a seed coming up from the earth. Creatures of all kinds come to watch her grow. She’s green and small, “with roots and sprouts and fingers and toes.” The animals and plants immediately “love…her up,” making her part of their environment. As she moves through nature, she calls to all to enjoy the season she represents (“She kissed the sky a fair sunrise / and sang the mourning dove; / she called the fog from the woods and bog / and charmed the trees abloom. / She sent the fishy off to school / and gave the cloud a shower”). The stunning art, which has a painterly look reminiscent of Gustav Klimt’s work, in particular his masterpiece The Kiss, is the star of the show. The images are especially remarkable when we’re introduced to Sister Spring in all her glory, with warm tones of green and yellow, the rain surrounding her as a backdrop. Although older children will best appreciate the vivid verse, younger ones will be fascinated by the colorful illustrations, rich in details. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Joyful and lyrical; a lovely way to represent spring.