SEARCHING FOR SIGNS OF SPRING

The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month. ~Henry Van Dyke

Weather-wise, March can be tricky, but this year March 20th marks the official start of the Vernal Equinox: the first day of spring.  I hope you're enjoying a fine-weather day, but even if it doesn't feel like the first day of spring where you live, remember the old proverb: No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.

I recall as a child in Tennessee, watching as our daffodils made their first appearance - the small green leaves barely pushing up from their bulbs out of the brown dirt.  And then the waiting: for the buttery yellow buds to finally appear and burst into bloom, after weeks of watchful anticipation.

In most corners of our world there is a lot of waiting involved while watching for the first signs of spring, but there is a lovely new book out this spring to help pass the time as you anticipate the warmth and color that comes with rebirth and new life...

Remember last year's Caldecott winner, A Sick Day for Amos McGee?  Written and illustrated by husband and wife team, Philip and Erin Stead, it is definitely on my list of all time favorite picture books!  Now Erin has illustrated a new book, with author Julie Fogliano about... spring.

In a recent interview with The Horn Book Magazine Erin said, "I live in Michigan, where we hear things like 'lake effect snow' and 'overcast' for months at a time (I’m looking at you, February and March). There are entire weeks where I am convinced that there is no color left in the world. And then the sun comes out, and while my retinas might burn a little at its return, I realize I could not live without blue. And sometimes green."

Well, after you watch the trailer below, you'll want to run right out and find this quiet book, And Then It's Spring, where Erin Stead's beautiful artwork and Julie Fogliano's rhythmic text reveal a world that slowly goes from brown to green, just like the earth in spring!  With the help of a dog, a rabbit, and a turtle, a small boy is on a search...







You might also enjoy this picture book for preschoolers, also about learning to wait, LITTLE CHICK.