Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In a counting book that doubles as an introduction to the seasons, a boy counts the leaves on the tree outside his home. In the spring, leaves keep appearing ("Five leaves, six leaves/ way up high./ Seven leaves,/ eight leaves/ touch the sky"). By summer, there are too many leaves to count, but as the "air grows chilly," the leaves change color and fall, bringing the count back down to zero. In addition to highlighting how the tree changes, McFarland's grainy mixed-media graphics reveal a revolving assortment of animals, including a steadfast squirrel that appears in each scene. Micklos's punchy rhymes and McFarland's bold artwork create a breezy counting tale that encourages readers to observe subtle changes in the world around them. Ages 1-3. Author's agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary. Illustrator's agent: Anne Moore Armstrong, Bright Group. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Toddler-PreS--This cleverly structured narrative tracks the progression of the seasons, honoring the mathematical structure underlying the yearly cycle. The text counts the leaves appearing on a tree over the course of spring, counts back down as the leaves drop off in the autumn, and circles back around to the following spring when the count begins anew. Micklos's concise rhyming verse employs an impressive economy of language, which is bolstered by McFarland's bright, textured collage-style art. VERDICT A first purchase with important connections to early mathematical learning and natural science.
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Review by Horn Book Review
Jaunty rhymes count as leaves grow, one by one, in the spring until it's summer; then back down in fall as colorful leaves disappear from the tree and "lie crumpled on the ground" come winter. Rendered in crayon, watercolor, acrylic paint, and digital finishing, the illustrations use bold shapes accessible to the youngest learners. A solid multiple-concept picture book. (c) Copyright 2018. 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
A young child counts from one to 10 as an oak tree leafs out in the spring and then back down to one again as the leaves fall in autumn. The child, who has light-brown skin and a head of thick, curly black hair, lives in a little purple house next to the tree and is a close observer of all that happens on and around it. Micklos' bouncy rhyming verses keep the pages turning as the seasons change and leaves unfurl or fall, numerals sharing the pages with the text to reinforce the counting. "Nine leaves, / ten leaves, / green and young. / Here come / more leaves. / SPRING HAS SPRUNG!" McFarland's crayon, watercolor, acrylic, and digital illustrations are angular and graphic, blocks of color and simple shapes standing in for flowers, the animals largely abstract, especially the birds. Full- and double-page spreads, vignettes, changes in perspective, and scenes showing the tree as it gains/loses leaves combine with the clues signaling the seasons' changing and the different animal visitors to keep readers' interest despite the book's singular focus. The one quibble is that this is an oak tree. Depending on where readers live, oak leaves may not turn red or orange, and they may not fall in autumn, instead turning brown and hanging on into winter. A solid look at both counting and seasonal changesalbeit within a limited hardiness zone. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
