ALL YEAR LONG
by Kathleen Deady & illustrated by LInda Bronson
A cycle of seasons, illustrated in candy-heart–colored collages and observed through a child’s eyes: “I know it’s Spring when robins sing / and tulips give a nod, / When grass grows green / and bass are seen on Daddy’s fishing rod.” Constructed from cotton puffs, buttons, swatches of cloth or tissue, and the like, Bronson’s art creates a stylized, fanciful world through which the pink-cheeked, pigtailed narrator dances, accompanied by parents (their gender roles clearly and conventionally defined) and a younger sibling. It’s pretty—but the singsong text and natural detail that is stylized rather than accurately rendered, make this read-aloud more a bonbon than an intellectually or emotionally nourishing introduction to the annual round. (Picture book. 4-6)