IS IT WARM ENOUGH FOR ICE CREAM?

This board book explores the four seasons and their hallmarks through the repeated, titular question.

Each season receives uniform treatment: a two-page spread describing the features and weather, followed by another examining whether or not it’s the right time of year to eat ice cream. The layout is likewise consistent: a four-panel grid on one page paired with a full-page illustration. This design thoughtfully provides an age-appropriate familiarity of structure. Photographs are placed on digitally rendered backgrounds and enhanced with collage elements; they are simple and clear even though the cartoonish people look a bit silly next to realistic images. There is an intentional, successful symmetry of facts across each season. The birds who fly south in the fall return to lay eggs in the spring, while baby birds learn to fly in the summer. The “Is it warm enough for ice cream?” prompt isn’t completely effective, often forcing awkward answers such as “No! But it’s windy enough to fly a kite and… / watch a pinwheel spin.” Is a spinning pinwheel really a sure sign of the fall and windy weather?

This book does a competent-enough job of representing each season in a way appropriate for young readers, though the question of whether or not it’s warm enough for ice cream is beside the point.