All Around the Seasons

PreS-K From the cover illustration to the season-coded endpapers, there is a cyclical quality to "All Around the Seasons" that reinforces the concept of a changing year. The book starts in spring, with melting snow and chicks breaking free from their eggs, and ends with snow falling and children hunkering down as if in a cozy cocoon. Packed in between are 365 days of season-appropriate activities: gardening, running in sprinklers, jumping in leaves, ice skating. While some of the backgrounds are revisited at different times of the year, therefore showing seasonal change within a set environment, the focus of the book is on the childhood fun that each season provides. This is not a scientific treatment; instead, Saltzberg draws on snapshot moments and sentiment for its appeal. The illustrations, done in acrylic and pencil, have a childlike simplicity that should appeal to young children. Emerging readers might also like to try this book, as the simple verse and large, clear font are easy to read without crowding the pictures. A supplemental purchase in a category that is never out of fashion."Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA" Copyright 2010 Media Source Inc.