A field guide to spring

Gr 1--4--A lovely series of field guides that encourage an appreciation for and reverence of nature while including valuable information and fun activities for kids. Dawnay presents two interactive volumes filled with poetry, sidebars, prompts, and infographics that will inspire kids to use all of their senses to explore the many factors that make each season special. Small icons representing the five senses appear throughout, highlighting activities and experiences in nature that correspond to the different senses. In a spread about pond-dipping in Spring, readers are encouraged to use the sense of smell to breathe in the "lovely, weedy, reedy stink of mossy, mushy, pondy dampness." In Fall, before starting a painting with blackberries project, kids should pause to touch, smell, and taste the fruit. Recipes, diagrams, and lyrical text help ground and immerse children in the seasons. The books note when the aid of an adult is needed, and warning signs as to when kids should be aware of possible dangers (eating poisonous fruit) are highlighted. The painterly illustrations truly set these titles apart. Brouwers uses vivid colors to depict the awe-inducing markers of each season. The art is also informative, providing images that explain the metamorphosis of a tadpole into a frog in Spring and an explanation of how the Earth's orbit around the sun causes the different seasons is included in Fall. An index and glossary are featured in the back matter. VERDICT Purchase this educational and beautiful series where nature programs and field exploration are popular and where there's a need for more artistic nature guides.--Shelley M. Diaz

Like a bird or flower identification book, this field guide notes the features of the season. The author encourages children to make nature their friend by being curious, creative, and kind. Small icons throughout the book encourage use of the senses and note opportunities for readers to learn something, notice their feelings while in nature, or just be part of it all. The bulk of the book focuses on signs of spring and where to find them: frogs' eggs, birds' nests, new plant growth, longer days, and baby animals. Several poems will tickle readers' ears as they listen for more signals of the season or read a delicious ode to mud. Lots of activities are sprinkled throughout, from journaling your observations and building a rain gauge to painting pebbles, making seed balls and bird nests, and pond dipping. Lessons on the water cycle, the growth of a seed, the identification of spring flowers and birds' eggs, the tadpole-to-frog life cycle, the formation of rainbows, and why the Earth warms during spring will go down easily amid all these sensory-heavy, hands-on activities. Aptly, Brouwers' realistic, watercolor-esque illustrations are rendered in light blues, greens, and yellows. The focus is on nature, but what glimpses there are of children show them varying in skin tone. An ode to spring that will have readers getting out in nature. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 5-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.