When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes | SLJ Review

redstarHenkes, Kevin. When Spring Comes. illus. by Laura Dronzek. 40p. HarperCollins/Greenwillow. 2016. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780062331397. PB_Henkes_ When Spring Comes

PreS-Gr 1 –There’s something almost magical about the changing of the seasons, and Henkes and Dronzek once again perfectly capture the quiet wonder of the natural world, as they did in Birds and Oh! Through second-person narration that features the refrain “but if you wait...,” they detail the subtle and less subtle changes that occur as spring replaces winter—snow melts, trees and flowers blossom, birds hatch, and rain brings mud and puddles. Dronzek’s vivacious acrylic illustrations, their bright colors emphasized by the thick black outlines, complement Henkes’s spare but lyrical prose. VERDICT A must-have, joyful seasonal title for the youngest listeners that will make them impatient for all that spring brings.–Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY

This review was published in the School Library Journal April 2016 issue.

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