And then it's spring by Julie Fogliano and Erin E. Stead

I'm in the  middle of a snowy land right now with more snow predicted over the weekend plus it is bitter cold today.  On my drive to work I wanted to stop and take a photo of the trees on the banks of the river as the trees looked frostbitten with ice.  They looked beautiful, all white, braced against the bright blue sky but I'm ready to see my trees with little green buds. 

So perfect then was And then it's spring sitting right on my desk with it's gorgeous detailed cover illustration! It made me feel springy and hopeful!   Right now I'm in the land of white but I can trace the book's journey to springtime and imagine that it is right around the corner, humming.

"and the brown,

still brown,

has a greenish hum

that you can only hear

if you put your ear to the ground

and close your eyes" 

I love this illustration and traced each little hole imagining the animals humming about spring.  Kids will love tracing each burrow through the dirt.  Julie Fogliano has written an imaginative story about the seasons easily giving us hope that spring will come and those little seedling will pop their heads out.  Stead's illustrations match and even make the visual in my head even better.  Her little boy is adorable in his striped shirts and his little red wagon.  I for one am ready with spade in hand to begin digging in my own garden and this book will make a wonderful read-aloud for springtime activities.  Enjoy this matching video for the book.


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