The Weather Girls

In a story with echoes of Madeline ("It's summertime. We rise and shine!/ All set to go, we form a line"), 16 girls see what the seasons have to offer, weatherwise and otherwise. Initially dressed in identical yellow rain slickers, the roundheaded girls have an array of skin and hair colors, and an opening spread names each one. From there, author-illustrator Aki moves through the seasons as the girls explore the water and woods in summer, notice the changes of fall, hike and build snowmen in winter, and take a springtime hot-air balloon ride. Aki's bouncy, rhyming text evokes the emotion and action of each season, and she tailors her palette to the shifting year. Though the girls don't get individual personalities, it's clear they are independent, intrepid explorers, and Aki includes some lighthearted, unrealistic moments: one girl reaches out to pet a bear in the forest, and the girls stack themselves up like acrobats while riding a bicycle built for four. A concluding section offers additional seasonal details. Ages 4-8. Agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Agency. (Mar.)

PreS-Gr 1--Sixteen little girls, in two straight lines, dressed identical in yellow raincoats and blue pants yet each named and distinctive set off on a series of seasonal adventures. Through the seasons readers see them enjoying the outdoors, diving and splashing, exploring, running, and riding. Building snowmen, hiking mountains, picking apples, or skipping in a field. The simple and colorful cartoon drawings make each page lively and interesting. There are no grown-ups anywhere in the story, and it's unclear whether these girls are at a boarding school, an orphanage, or just at home, but there's an air of familiarity with the girls that's reminiscent of Ludwig Bemelmans's Madeline. VERDICT An enjoyable and a recommended addition for one-on-one and small group sharing.--Shana Shea, Windsor Public Library, CT