BOOM BOOM

This exploration of seasons featuring a multicultural group of preschoolers is sure to please its target audience.

Using a combination of printmaking techniques and nontraditional art supplies (plastic lace, vinyl fabric, erasers and more), Chodos-Irvine leads viewers through the textures of a changing landscape and the actions that accompany the seasonal phenomena. From puddle-jumping through a spring storm and finding insects among summer blossoms to jumping in leaf piles and catching snowflakes, these youngsters are engaged with their environment. Naberhaus employs two or four words per double-page spread in her sound poem: “BOOM BOOM // Flash! Flash! // drip drip // Splash! / splash!” Some words appear to be included because they rhyme, not because they are actually appropriately onomatopoeic, a choice that weakens the text somewhat; no one says or really hears “fuzz fuzz” when blowing a dandelion, but nevertheless it follows “buzz buzz.” Similarly, is “silent // silent” really necessary in the quiet snow scene? Those points aside, very young children will benefit from the repetition and enjoy the range of perspectives and emotions provided by the artist who created Ella Sarah Gets Dressed (2003).

Familiar seasonal fun for the young.