Review by Booklist Review
Couplets noting details from weather to animal activities accompany collage-like illustrations depicting the seasonal changes in a broad-leaved tree somewhere in a northern woodland. Clever die-cutting reveals the gradual arrival of bear cubs, squirrels, and birds during spring and summer, while diminishing die-cuts note their gradual departure during autumn and winter. Foxes stroll by, a night with a full moon heralds midsummer, and the early fall brings apples as well as busy bees. All the while, the ever-present owl in her hole in the tree trunk, visible through a cut-out in the book's cover, looks on. Teckentrup's lilting lines harmoniously unfold, along with her lovely illustrations, which are abundant with clear details that beg for close inspection on both sides of the page, while the windows created by the careful die-cuts allow for an additional visual narrative about migration and hibernation. Ideal for sharing up close, where little ones can get a good look at the pictures, this gentle, easy-to-memorize story of the seasons is a great fit for bedtime.--Goldsmith, Francisca Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A apple tree stands bare in the still of winter, its solitary occupant-an owl-peering out from a die-cut hole in the center of its trunk: "Owl sits watching in his tree.../ No one sees as much as he." As the pages turn and the seasons change, the owl stays put, but other animals appear in additional die-cuts, creating the sense of nature reawakening in full force. In straightforward couplets, Teckentrup (Get Out of My Bath!) describes how the tree and its environment transform: "Blossom falls and leaves are growing,/ A gentle springtime breeze is blowing./ Squirrels scamper here and there,/ Playful fox cubs sniff the air." Crisp illustrations with grainy screenprintlike textures shift between bright blues, reds, yellow, and greens as day turns to night, leaves fill the tree, and apples appear in its branches; the surrounding woodland bustles with bees, butterflies, and perky daisies. Teckentrup brings the story full circle, seasonally speaking, and then some, ending with the promise of another spring instead of a cold, quiet winter. A playful yet focused look at constancy and change within a specific natural setting. Ages 3-7. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Like the stealthy spider quietly spinning its web on a low bough, life around and on the apple tree is never static. With each turn of the page, curious foxes, scampering squirrels, nesting birds, and cavorting bear cubs entertain a watchful owl stationed in a hollow in the trunk. The textured cover's die-cut window nearly traverses the entire book. From the owl's hollow to the cubs climbing the broad trunk and the squirrels and birds among its branches, multiplying cutouts reveal new critters and beg to be poked through by itchy fingers. The accompanying spare but whimsical couplets lull readers through the seasons from one winter to the next, then on to spring again. "The seasons have all come and gone. / Snow has fallen, sun has shone. // Owl sees the first new buds appear, / and so begins another year." Teckentrup's stylized block-print artwork focuses readers' eyes on the myriad details of the unfolding forest scenes. On the left of each spread, the tree is brown with gold/green flecks and boasts big green apples; on the right, the mirror-image tree is rust with gold flecks and dangles red apples. Multicolored leaves change with the weather until a bare tree stands alone in drifts of snow. Adult readers will relish guiding their little ones into lessons about the seasons, colors, wildlife, and more. This unassuming story is an intergenerational delight. (Picture book. 3-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
