Book review by Raechel Schink, recent intern at IFLS. Thanks Raechel!
Fogliano, Julie. and then it’s spring. Illus. Erin E. Stead. Roaring Brook Press. (978-159-643-6244) Ages 4 and up.
The perfect book choice to teach children about spring. and then it’s spring is very sweet and the illustrations are a great addition to the storytelling. Readers follow a young boy, a dog, a bird, a rabbit, and a bird as they discover spring.The story is a poem broken into sections spread out on different pages. Fogliano writes about being out in nature and discovering spring and the life that comes with it. All together the poem is endearing, making even an adult want to go out and rediscover what the world looks like in the spring. There are, unfortunately, parts that are a bit awkward to read, since the poem has been broken up into chunks. Other than a few little stumbles, the story reads smoothly through.
The drawings are adorable. Stead keeps her use of color choice to a minimum in the beginning, mostly browns and dulls. Brown helps show how the land looks deserted and barren. Then slowly as spring comes to life, more color is brought into the story. The first picture in the book is of the little boy, still wearing winter apparel, and his animal friends standing in a brown empty area. Then slowly the boy and his friends plant seeds and get ready for spring to appear. The last illustration of the story is of the little boy and his friends enjoying all the green life around them since spring finally arrived.