Children don't need a calendar to tell them which season it is. Every month has its own distinct clues, like in September "when yellow pencils / in brand-new eraser hats / bravely wait on perfect points." In a dozen unforgettable poems, this fresh yet nostalgic collection captures the excitement of each season, spinning us once around the sun--twelve months, four seasons, one amazing year.
"This collection of feel-good poems is brimming with a child's appreciation for each month of the year... The large, color illustrations are perfect for engaging youngsters in discussion about the pictured month and its attendant activities. Somewhat stylized, they are at times reminiscent of the work of Ezra Jack Keats. The art and the poems work well together: children slide down a hill of snow in January while the words of the poem cascade at a slant. The selections are just as fully descriptive as the pictures and contain visual and aural imagery as well as emotional intensity. For example, April is/when…Grandma/tells you how each spring/she falls in love with the world/all over again /and you understand. This is a strong read-aloud. Older children can be encouraged to write their own poems in celebration of their favorite month." -- School Library Journal
"In joyful poems, one for each month of the year, a young boy has fun during the changing seasons in his city neighborhood. There's noisy action (sledding with his friends in the park in January) as well as quiet moments (carving initials on the "frost-feathered windowpane" in February). In March the boy's palms dream "about closing around a wooden bat"; in September there are "yellow pencils / in brand-new eraser hats." October is Halloween, and November brings Thanksgiving foods. Pham's paintings of an African American boy and his younger sister are brightly colored and full of energy, and the simple words in short lines will be great for reading aloud. Children will want to create words and pictures about their own seasonal celebrations in the classroom and at home." -- Booklist
