Spring!

PreS-Gr 1--"Clovers! Dandelions! Leaves on trees!" are just a few of the delights found in the first days of spring--along with mud and puddles to splash in. Four adults--two with brown skin, two with light skin--accompany two joyful, ungendered diaper-wearing toddlers into a hopeful, what-will-happen-next outing. The pinkish child wears a red slicker and red spotted rainboots, while the Black child has green froggy boots with a yellow slicker. They hang from a low branch, roll down a hill, check out the butterflies, and plop in the mud. A rainstorm cleans them off, and the adults happily brought food. Patricelli's young characters have unvarying expressions of glee on their faces, except during that fall in the mud. This is not a drawback; the toddlers utterly encompass the anticipation of spring and it will translate for readers, too. VERDICT A nearly perfect board book in tone and content. Bring it on, story hour.

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