June 4, 2021
PreS-Gr 2-Parr's latest contains all the vibrant colors and fantastical characters that make his books so fun to look at and read. Centered on the season of spring, the story begins with hungry animals awakening after hibernation, still in bed wearing their pajamas. Then the page turns and a variety of animals and people can be seen enjoying the outdoors and interacting with the blossoming surroundings, with funny touches everywhere. With spring comes pollen, so an elephant sneezes so hard that the flowers lose their petals, and the ever-warmer wind blows off a duck's scarf and hat. Animals dance in the rain, start a garden, and celebrate holidays and traditions such as Passover, Easter (they play hide-and-seek with the decorated eggs), Earth Day, and Mother's Day. Mid-book, there is an unexpected announcement from Parr that turns out to be an April Fool's Day joke-just one of the ways this paean to all things spring erupts in joy. VERDICT An inclusive book, jam-packed with things to celebrate, that makes the season of renewal a one-size-fits-everyone celebration.-Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake P.L., Alta.
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