SPRING FEVER

Spring is finally here and Freddy the Cat is at last outside and on the prowl. He notices another cat on a windowsill enjoying the sunshine, too, but his mind is on hunting. As he scoops up a mole that he hadn’t caught last year and catches a sparrow who was having a tug-of-war with a hedgehog over a worm, neither the mole nor the sparrow seem to care—because, as the hedgehog explains, they’re in love—not worrying about danger or thinking straight. Freddy thinks if love is so wonderful, maybe he should try it, and of course, falls for Mew, the cat on the windowsill. A simple story with an adult concept made appealing by the sketchy, expressive pastel drawings. While it presents a different slant on spring for preschoolers, the story may raise more questions than it provides answers about the meaning or interpretation of “spring fever.” (Picture book. 4-7)