Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A vast park replete with creek, pond, path, horses and gardening plots serves as the main canvas for the changes of the seasons in this muddled picture book. A list of images, in rhymed verse, describes the different seasons: "Birds chirpin' and frogs burpin',/ Creek's flowin' and flowers growin',/ Crickets bouncin' and kittens pouncin',/ Gardeners putterin' and butterflies flutterin',// Rappin' and tappin' and finger-snappin'/ On a walk through spring." The droppin' of the final "g" quickly grows tiresome, and beginning readers may be confused by the mix of apostrophes ("Ballplayers sweatin' and hot sun's settin' "). Hubbard (previously paired with London for Hip Cat) unleashes whirlwind-like energy, painting overly busy, densely patterned folk-ish compositions that compete with the text. Where the verses point to nature, Hubbard offers trees with blue, purple and green leaves; orange skies filled with flying pies; dancing insects; etc. Unfortunately, this talented pair seems to be working at cross purposes. Ages 3-up. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-In short noun-verb phrases, London takes children, "Rappin' and tappin' and finger-snappin'/On a walk through" the year. This park is full of life throughout the seasons, busy with the activities of people, animals, and nature. Hubbard's vibrant paintings enrich the text, paralleling the symmetry in the words in her artwork. Seasons are introduced with general observations-"Breath steamin' and icicles gleamin',/Scarves blowin' and candles glowin'"-and gradually get more specific-"Papa's plowin' and dog's bowwwowin',/Snow's fallin' and Mama's callin.'" Correspondingly, each opening seasonal illustration depicts a wide-angle view of the park, with the following three double-page spreads zooming in for a closer look. Careful observers can discover how certain constants, like the raised garden beds, change according to the season. Hubbard's images have a flat, naive quality and are often whimsical, with pies flying in the wind amid autumn leaves ("Pies bakin' and Papa's rakin'"). The artist skillfully uses unusual perspectives to sustain interest, as in the aerial view of a baseball game. Sticklers of grammar who hate to see the last "g" lost from our speakin' patterns will cringe, but others will find this journey through the year perfect for readin' aloud.-Robin L. Gibson, Perry County District Library, New Lexington, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
London's jazzy text celebrates the sights and sounds of each of the four seasons in a parkside community: Fish jumpin' and apples thumpin', / Squirrels blatherin' and nut-gatherin'à / Rappin' and tappin' and finger-snappin' / On a walk through fall. The supple rhythm stays surprisingly fresh throughout, and the busy, decorative folk-style illustrations keep up the pace step for step. From HORN BOOK Fall 2001, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
London and Hubbard (Hip Cat, 1993) team up again, this time for a dubious celebration of a park through the seasons. London seems to be aiming at swingin with his pairings of participles that go nowhere, all missing the terminal gDogs yappin and geese flappin, / Fish jumpin and apples thumpin, / squirrels blatherin and nut-gatherin
but achieves only a rigid clingin to an organizing rhythmic principle that quickly grows old. There is undeniable energy to the piece, but the text, presumably a childs first-person, delighted observations of the changing seasons, does not rise above doggerel. The bright, cheery illustrations are stronger than the text, as a multicultural cast of characters frolic through the year. The perspective is flat, Grandma Moseslike, offering lots of detail for children to pore over (though some may be taken aback by the horse swimming in the pond in spring). Hubbard chooses not to illustrate one single narrator, instead zooming in on different children at the cap of each seasonal segment, a device that, while inclusive, is somewhat unsettling. There are many better books that take readers on seasonal adventures; this one, alas, is not much more than cloyin and annoyin. (Picture book. 2-5)
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