GOODBYE SPRING, HELLO SUMMER

Pak comes full circle, completing the series of books that began with 2016’s Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn.

The author/illustrator’s nuanced introductions to seasonal transitions have been as reliable and relatable as the seasons themselves. Even the colors of the letters on the title page are apt, with cool greens and blues giving way to hot orange. A tan-skinned child with long dark hair tied back with a red bow walks outside (“Hello, spring afternoon”). Raindrops trace diagonals across the blue sky, past white clapboard houses with sloping roofs, mullioned windows, and dark shutters. As the rain stops, the landscape changes to “rolling hills” and, in the distance, a long white building. It’s a school, near a church and playground, but the narrator doesn’t pause; after all, as a sign indicates, “School’s out.” The text is a brief dialogue, apparently between the child (“Hello, fluttering butterflies”) and the natural surroundings (“Hello! We’re flying in and out of the sunrays”). Seasonal flowers introduce themselves, as do a forest’s trees and chickadees. The protagonist approaches a group of smaller, diverse children; a tan-skinned one (perhaps a sibling) runs over. It’s time to say hello to the “big setting sun” as they retrace the afternoon’s path, depicted via a bird’s-eye view, until the sunrise heralds a summer morning. Luminous illustrations deploy simplified but specific forms with well-chosen detail accompanying minimal, repetitive words, resulting in a delicately wrought, immersive experience.

A lovely “goodbye” to this excellent concept series.