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And Then It's Spring
Un chico planta varias semillas para hacer un huerto y mira hacia el cielo esperando que caiga la lluvia. Lo acompañan su perro, una tortuga, un conejo y algunas aves. El cambio de las estaciones y, con ellas, los distintos colores del paisaje están representados con gran detalle. También se encuentra recreada con gran maestría la idea del paso del tiempo. El libro es no sólo una mirada elocuente a los procesos cíclicos de la naturaleza, sino también y sobre todo un poema visual que nos habla de la paciencia, la esperanza y la renovación constante de la vida. Considerada como una de las mejores obras para niños de 2012 según The Washington Post y el mejor libro infantil del mismo año según Kirkus Reviews.
A boy plants a bunch of seeds to make a garden, and he watches the sky, waiting for rain to fall. With him are his dog, his turtle, a rabbit, and some birds. The changing seasons and the different colors of the landscape are represented here in great detail, while the idea of the passage of time is masterfully represented. This book is not only an elegant look at the cyclical processes of nature; it’s also a visual poem that speaks about patience, hope, and the constant renewal of life.
A boy plants a bunch of seeds to make a garden, and he watches the sky, waiting for rain to fall. With him are his dog, his turtle, a rabbit, and some birds. The changing seasons and the different colors of the landscape are represented here in great detail, while the idea of the passage of time is masterfully represented. This book is not only an elegant look at the cyclical processes of nature; it’s also a visual poem that speaks about patience, hope, and the constant renewal of life.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published February 14, 2012
About the author
Julie Fogliano
22 books141 followersJulie Fogliano has spent her entire life reading children's books. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband and three children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 613 reviews
April 9, 2012
A boy and his dog patiently wait for spring. Beautiful interplay between the simple text and detailed illustrations. I would like my favorite line on my classroom door, "Please do not stomp here-- there are seeds and they are trying."
March 15, 2012
You open the book and read the first page about brown. And then you turn the page and it is still brown. And then you turn another page and it talks about birds and you're confused. And then you turn another page and suddenly there are bears in your garden and you are more confused than ever. And then you turn one more page and it is spring. And then you turn one more page and it's the end.
I am clearly in the minority here. I did not love this book. And after attempting to read it aloud to classes of kids, I do not love it even more. They do not get it. They don't. They stare at the pictures (which are lovely; I do love those) and then they stare at you and wait for something to happen. Just like in the book.
I tried to make them like it, I really did. But something about the wording here just doesn't work for kids. It's a lovely poem, but they don't understand it.
On the other hand, Stead's illustrations are very, very nice. I love the rabbit watering the carrots and the tortoise watching the seeds, and my very favorite--the bear wearing the flower pot on his head. I'd like a framed picture of just that bear. He's the BEST.
I am clearly in the minority here. I did not love this book. And after attempting to read it aloud to classes of kids, I do not love it even more. They do not get it. They don't. They stare at the pictures (which are lovely; I do love those) and then they stare at you and wait for something to happen. Just like in the book.
I tried to make them like it, I really did. But something about the wording here just doesn't work for kids. It's a lovely poem, but they don't understand it.
On the other hand, Stead's illustrations are very, very nice. I love the rabbit watering the carrots and the tortoise watching the seeds, and my very favorite--the bear wearing the flower pot on his head. I'd like a framed picture of just that bear. He's the BEST.
May 12, 2012
The most perfect kind of simple.
Favorite Quotes & Illustration
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
[With the boy and the dog and the turtle and the bunny, their ears to the ground, listening for the hum of green. And the mice and squirrels and worms and ants under ground, listening for the hum.]
Favorite Quotes & Illustration
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
[With the boy and the dog and the turtle and the bunny, their ears to the ground, listening for the hum of green. And the mice and squirrels and worms and ants under ground, listening for the hum.]
September 13, 2016
Patience is a virtue. Riiiiiight. Actually it is, but tell that to anyone under the age of fifteen (to pick an arbitrary age). Though it varies from child to child, immediate satisfaction is something our day and age strives to give us in everything from grocery shopping to movie selection. When kids can just hop on the internet and within less than a minute be connected to the sites they want and need then the idea of something taking not just days but weeks is capable of blowing their furry little minds. I know that in the past teachers have done assignments that involve raising seeds with the idea of teaching children about how plants grow, but it seems to me that there’s just as much to be said for teaching kids that under normal circumstances all good things come to those that wait. And Then It’s Spring does a rather good job at drilling this idea home. An understated little beauty with enough tiny details to ensnare squirmy children worldwide, author Fogliano and illustrator Stead have pooled their considerable talents to bring us a great example of what happens when you stop to grow the flowers.
A boy, his dog, his turtle, a rabbit, and various assorted birds go out on a day that wavers between blue and gray skies. Says the book, “First you have brown, all around you have brown.” Armed with a wagon of seeds the boy sets about planting each one systematically, burying them under little mounds of dirt. The sun and the rain come but there is no green to be seen. A week passes and the boy worries about the seeds and whether or not they’ve been eaten by birds or crushed by bears. Another week passes and another until one day the brown is all gone, “and now you have green, all around you have green.” And there, pushing through the earth, the seedlings make their debut.
When we think of books that talk about the sheer torture of waiting for a seed to emerge from the good brown earth the very first thing that comes to mind is the story “The Garden” from Frog and Toad Together. In that story Frog is wise and patient with Toad’s seeds while Toad becomes the child reader’s avatar and insists on knowing how soon they will be up. It’s a great tale but part of what I like about And Then It’s Spring is that Ms. Fogliano does a great job of making it even clearer than Lobel just how long it takes for a seed to sprout. She is ecumenical in her wordplay too. There’s no phrase or sentence out of place here. What’s more, Ms. Fogliano taps into just the right sense of what the world is like when it’s too warm to snow and too cold to enjoy. Spring is all about “brown, but a hopeful, very possible sort of brown,” and “that sunny day that happens right after that rainy day.” Without becomes precious or twee, Fogliano knows how to make simple concepts not only understandable but meaningful as well.
On the bookflap of this title the biography of illustrator Erin E. Stead states that “Today she lives in a 100-year-old barn in Ann Arbor, Michigan...” That sounds about right. Part of what works for me in this book is the Michiganess of it all. Oh I’m sure that there are all kinds of areas in the country where this could take place, but I grew up in Kalamazoo. I know all too well the state’s remarkably drawn out springs. The ones that just seems to dwell in dirt and gray skies for weeks at a time until, as this book says, “all around you have green.” Stead’s previous illustrated picture book was the Caldecott Award winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee. In that title her world was an urban one. Buses and zoos and small city homes. Now with Ms. Fogliano’s words she is given a little space to stretch out and breathe. There’s room here for those vast blue and gray skies with the white clouds that go all the way down to the horizon. There’s room too for tree swings and striated fields. With an Erin Stead book you feel you could almost smell that earth and that air.
Stead also does sneaky things in her images to allay the impatience of the readers. While the text is about waiting and waiting and waiting, there is at least one image where kids have an advantage over their bespectacled protagonist. A fine cutaway of the earth beneath the boy shows the various holes and tunnels of the critters under the dirt. You might be so taken with the image of the mouse listening to the dirt as a worm approaches or the ants hoarding their seed pile that you’d miss the seeds themselves, their roots pushing far down, as their green tips head up. It's like a little glimpse into the future right there.
The nice thing about Ms. Stead’s woodblock printing and pencil technique is that parents who reread this story to their kids will find lots of little details they’ve never seen before (many of them, I dare say, pointed out to them by their own children). For me, there were tiny details that took several reads, and big details so obvious I passed them entirely the first time around. The little things included the antics of the birds on nearly every page or the ways in which the boy spruces up his garden. One page might show a blue birdhouse sitting in a red wagon. Later in another you can see that same birdhouse hanging with an occupant inside. The big details were worth finding as well. For example, how long was it before I realized that you never see the boy’s eyes? He’s like a young Bunsen Honeydew, ever observant but, aside from his body language, expressionless. Similarly, it took me a little while before I realized that the scene that takes place on the cover of the book happens AFTER the action inside. Sneaky.
Quiet picture books do not demand attend like their bolder, brassier counterparts. An Erin E. Stead book isn’t going to try to blind you with glitter or shock the page with colors that throb and burn. In this book you have to discover and appreciate the merit of Ms. Fogliano’s words and fall for Ms. Stead’s art. As odd as it sounds, the book I would most like to pair this with is not necessarily the aforementioned Frog and Toad Together but rather the equally countryside-loving book Farm by Elisha Cooper. Both books understand the growing season and both understand that sometimes it takes the overwhelming vastness of a big blue sky to appreciate the tiny lives that dwell beneath your feet. This is a gem of a book, bound to be pulled out every spring yet also bound to be read throughout the year in spite of its seasonal theme. Worth it.
A boy, his dog, his turtle, a rabbit, and various assorted birds go out on a day that wavers between blue and gray skies. Says the book, “First you have brown, all around you have brown.” Armed with a wagon of seeds the boy sets about planting each one systematically, burying them under little mounds of dirt. The sun and the rain come but there is no green to be seen. A week passes and the boy worries about the seeds and whether or not they’ve been eaten by birds or crushed by bears. Another week passes and another until one day the brown is all gone, “and now you have green, all around you have green.” And there, pushing through the earth, the seedlings make their debut.
When we think of books that talk about the sheer torture of waiting for a seed to emerge from the good brown earth the very first thing that comes to mind is the story “The Garden” from Frog and Toad Together. In that story Frog is wise and patient with Toad’s seeds while Toad becomes the child reader’s avatar and insists on knowing how soon they will be up. It’s a great tale but part of what I like about And Then It’s Spring is that Ms. Fogliano does a great job of making it even clearer than Lobel just how long it takes for a seed to sprout. She is ecumenical in her wordplay too. There’s no phrase or sentence out of place here. What’s more, Ms. Fogliano taps into just the right sense of what the world is like when it’s too warm to snow and too cold to enjoy. Spring is all about “brown, but a hopeful, very possible sort of brown,” and “that sunny day that happens right after that rainy day.” Without becomes precious or twee, Fogliano knows how to make simple concepts not only understandable but meaningful as well.
On the bookflap of this title the biography of illustrator Erin E. Stead states that “Today she lives in a 100-year-old barn in Ann Arbor, Michigan...” That sounds about right. Part of what works for me in this book is the Michiganess of it all. Oh I’m sure that there are all kinds of areas in the country where this could take place, but I grew up in Kalamazoo. I know all too well the state’s remarkably drawn out springs. The ones that just seems to dwell in dirt and gray skies for weeks at a time until, as this book says, “all around you have green.” Stead’s previous illustrated picture book was the Caldecott Award winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee. In that title her world was an urban one. Buses and zoos and small city homes. Now with Ms. Fogliano’s words she is given a little space to stretch out and breathe. There’s room here for those vast blue and gray skies with the white clouds that go all the way down to the horizon. There’s room too for tree swings and striated fields. With an Erin Stead book you feel you could almost smell that earth and that air.
Stead also does sneaky things in her images to allay the impatience of the readers. While the text is about waiting and waiting and waiting, there is at least one image where kids have an advantage over their bespectacled protagonist. A fine cutaway of the earth beneath the boy shows the various holes and tunnels of the critters under the dirt. You might be so taken with the image of the mouse listening to the dirt as a worm approaches or the ants hoarding their seed pile that you’d miss the seeds themselves, their roots pushing far down, as their green tips head up. It's like a little glimpse into the future right there.
The nice thing about Ms. Stead’s woodblock printing and pencil technique is that parents who reread this story to their kids will find lots of little details they’ve never seen before (many of them, I dare say, pointed out to them by their own children). For me, there were tiny details that took several reads, and big details so obvious I passed them entirely the first time around. The little things included the antics of the birds on nearly every page or the ways in which the boy spruces up his garden. One page might show a blue birdhouse sitting in a red wagon. Later in another you can see that same birdhouse hanging with an occupant inside. The big details were worth finding as well. For example, how long was it before I realized that you never see the boy’s eyes? He’s like a young Bunsen Honeydew, ever observant but, aside from his body language, expressionless. Similarly, it took me a little while before I realized that the scene that takes place on the cover of the book happens AFTER the action inside. Sneaky.
Quiet picture books do not demand attend like their bolder, brassier counterparts. An Erin E. Stead book isn’t going to try to blind you with glitter or shock the page with colors that throb and burn. In this book you have to discover and appreciate the merit of Ms. Fogliano’s words and fall for Ms. Stead’s art. As odd as it sounds, the book I would most like to pair this with is not necessarily the aforementioned Frog and Toad Together but rather the equally countryside-loving book Farm by Elisha Cooper. Both books understand the growing season and both understand that sometimes it takes the overwhelming vastness of a big blue sky to appreciate the tiny lives that dwell beneath your feet. This is a gem of a book, bound to be pulled out every spring yet also bound to be read throughout the year in spite of its seasonal theme. Worth it.
March 24, 2022
Oh, it's so true, what this book has to say but the story was so slow. I needed something to keep me focused but not bears because bears don't normally live in a garden. We wait after winter, we wait and wait, for any sign of spring. For some green to pop out and that 's exactly what Julie is trying to get across in this picture book.
As the young boy and dog plant their garden, they wait and wait for the garden to show some signs of life. I liked the unground picture of the tunnels, that was a nice addition. I just thought page after page of brown dirt was not very interesting when there could have been something added. There are other signs of spring that could have been shown to give this book more life. This is just my own opinion.
As the young boy and dog plant their garden, they wait and wait for the garden to show some signs of life. I liked the unground picture of the tunnels, that was a nice addition. I just thought page after page of brown dirt was not very interesting when there could have been something added. There are other signs of spring that could have been shown to give this book more life. This is just my own opinion.
March 20, 2019
This is a fine tale about the interminable wait for spring when endless brown turns to green, and you are surrounded by su much LIFE. Wonderful illustrations by Erin E Stead.
April 22, 2012
I am so very taken by this book. Aesthetically, it is magnificent - thick, creamy paper, endpapers that shift from gray blue to spring sky blue, perfect size for holding and sharing. The sparse, poetic text is positively lovely - who would have thought that brown was a "hopeful" color? Who would have known you could hear the "hum" of green by putting your ear to the ground? And the illustrations - what details! I spent a LONG time looking at them repeatedly. The expressions on the dog's face, the turtle gazing at his freshly planted seeds through a magnifying glass, the rabbit watering his carrots, and the birds with bellies swollen from eating seeds - all of these amaze me. The only thing that makes me stop and say, "hmmm..." about this book is the boy's scarf in the first opening. How can the ends of his scarf be flying out behind him if the smoke coming from the chimney is going straight up and the cattails are not blowing? The position of the scarf implies a stiff wind. Living in Kansas, I happen to know a thing or two about a stiff wind :) If the wind would do this to his scarf, shouldn't it also blow the smoke coming out the chimney and the cattails? The position of the scarf imitates the position of the dog's tail. The straight smoke fits with the straight tree and the straight cattails. If all of these things were blowing, would it throw off the balance of the page? As a non-artist, I have no idea about such things, but I am curious.
June 15, 2012
It's terrible when a picture book has wonderful, delightful even, illustrations but the text falls flat. Or vice versa. Especially when the pictures are as lovely as Erin Stead's. If you liked her style in A Sick Day for Amos McGee, which is quiet and lovely, you'll also enjoy And Then It's Spring, which follows a young boy and his dog (and a bunny!), who decide to plant a garden. It's a book about patience, as they wait for the seeds to take root, and for new life to sprout. I love the illustrations of the boy and dog (and bunny!) crouching to the earth, listening for the gentle hum of the seed sprouting, or of all the activity happening beneath the seemingly quiet dirt.
It's not that the text is horrible, but it's very artistic and it has to be read in a certain way for it to have more impact. Reading in a monotone isn't going to cut it and is going to make the text seem really weird. Here's an excerpt:
It's good, but I just question what kid is going to like being read this book. Now the pictures, on the other hand...
Ages 6-8
It's not that the text is horrible, but it's very artistic and it has to be read in a certain way for it to have more impact. Reading in a monotone isn't going to cut it and is going to make the text seem really weird. Here's an excerpt:
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
It's good, but I just question what kid is going to like being read this book. Now the pictures, on the other hand...
Ages 6-8
March 25, 2012
Story was boring! Pictures were great...
May 4, 2015
"Please do not stomp here. There are seeds, and they are trying."
May 7, 2012
As the topic was Spring/Easter, I felt it fitting to read this story to my Nursery class. The whole week revolved around growing cress so this story complimented the week’s events. The story is set in the last few days of winter where a young boy is sick of seeing so much brown and is ready for the spring colours to come through. He plants some seeds, but to his dismay, nothing has grown yet! He waits and waits, and cannot comprehend why the seeds haven’t sprouted. What could have happened? Did some birds eat the seeds? Or maybe the seeds were stomped on by bears! Eventually, his perseverance has paid off and the seeds begin to grow, a fantastic indication that spring has arrived.
A great topic starter, and a brilliant way to engage EAL children as the illustrations describe the story well. The illustrations are amazing, very light and calming. The illustrator has an excellent drawing manner in which he can capture a child’s imagination. You witness the pages change from winter to spring colours. Coupled with the words, the story made a great impact on the children.
A great topic starter, and a brilliant way to engage EAL children as the illustrations describe the story well. The illustrations are amazing, very light and calming. The illustrator has an excellent drawing manner in which he can capture a child’s imagination. You witness the pages change from winter to spring colours. Coupled with the words, the story made a great impact on the children.
November 30, 2013
And then it's spring is a story about a boy who plants seeds in the fall when everything is brown. He checks the ground everyday and everything is still brown. After a rain he is excited that maybe green will show, but it is still brown. The boy is starting to think that maybe the seeds he planted will not come through the ground until one day he comes out to check his seeds after it had rained and everything was finally green! He was so excited to see that there was no longer any brown.
Unfortunately I felt that the story line of this book was somewhat pointless. There was not point in the book where I was excited to see what was going to happen next. The one thing about this book I did love were the illustrations. Erin Stead is my favorite children's book illustrators so I was excited to see another book by her. They were beautiful illustration and her illustrations are always so unique compared to any other children's book illustrations. I think this book would have been a great story with out any words and only pictures to tell the story.
Unfortunately I felt that the story line of this book was somewhat pointless. There was not point in the book where I was excited to see what was going to happen next. The one thing about this book I did love were the illustrations. Erin Stead is my favorite children's book illustrators so I was excited to see another book by her. They were beautiful illustration and her illustrations are always so unique compared to any other children's book illustrations. I think this book would have been a great story with out any words and only pictures to tell the story.
March 19, 2012
I really enjoyed this story. It worked its magic on me! I loved the patience and optimism of the child, facing the brown-brown world and yet having faith that the seeds planted will grow, the green will happen, and spring will come. Some of the little touches (like the sign the child puts up in the garden, about not stomping on the ground because there are seeds and "they are trying") are just so darling and heartwarming. And the illustrations are wonderful (this is the illustrator who collaborated on A Sick Day for Amos McGee).
I could see where the text may not be complete enough for some young readers (as one of my GoodReads friends pointed out, the children at her story time were puzzled by the story and kept waiting for something more to happen) but I think many adults and perhaps even some young children familiar with gardening will really enjoy it.
I could see where the text may not be complete enough for some young readers (as one of my GoodReads friends pointed out, the children at her story time were puzzled by the story and kept waiting for something more to happen) but I think many adults and perhaps even some young children familiar with gardening will really enjoy it.
August 10, 2019
"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" My 4 yr old remarks, "My ear would get dirty if I did that!"
6/21/16 Read with Naomi.
8/9/19 Naomi read to Julia and me
6/21/16 Read with Naomi.
8/9/19 Naomi read to Julia and me
January 17, 2018
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Summer Reading Day 71: Hello! Today, we read And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano, with illustrations by Erin E. Stead. Based on the cover, one might assume that the book is about Spring, and to some extent it is, but it’s actually more about growing plants. In it, a little boy plants seeds in his garden at the end of winter, then struggles with the anticipation of waiting for his plants to grow and for the world to become green again.
This is a very cute story, and incredibly fun to read. The narration is fun and playful, and it really captures the nervous impatience that every gardener faces waiting for the fruits of their labors to appear, as well as the joy of growing living things; JJ’s daddy, the master gardener of our family, loved listening to the story with us. The illustrations are sweet, simple and charming, and the length is just right for a Baby Bookworm. We absolutely recommend this one, especially for little gardeners.
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
March 21, 2012
Sometimes waiting on spring can feel like forever, especially when the colors of winter are all around. Brown, brown, brown everywhere you see. In And Then It’s Spring, a young boy and his loyal dog wait patiently and sometimes not so patiently for their garden to grow. The boy doesn’t understand why the seeds that he has planted won’t grow. Maybe some bears stomped on the seeds? Or some hungry birds found the seeds and decided they would be a perfect snack? No matter what the reason may be, the garden just is not growing. But maybe with a little time, plus some rain and sunshine, things will start to grow?
And Then It’s Spring is a great resource to explain to children how the beautiful things that spring brings need time to grow. Through sparse text, children will be able to understand that gardening and growing take time, but with the help of rain and the sun, flowers and plants will sprout soon. First time author Julie Fogliano teams up with 2011 Caldecott Medal winner Erin E. Stead to create a striking and sweet story about the changing seasons. This is Stead’s first work since winning in 2011 for A Sick Day for Amos McGee. She uses woodblock printing techniques and pencils to create her stunning illustrations. As the story progresses the scenery and color scheme that Stead uses slowly become lighter, bringing in the slight changes of an oncoming spring.
And Then It’s Spring is a great resource to explain to children how the beautiful things that spring brings need time to grow. Through sparse text, children will be able to understand that gardening and growing take time, but with the help of rain and the sun, flowers and plants will sprout soon. First time author Julie Fogliano teams up with 2011 Caldecott Medal winner Erin E. Stead to create a striking and sweet story about the changing seasons. This is Stead’s first work since winning in 2011 for A Sick Day for Amos McGee. She uses woodblock printing techniques and pencils to create her stunning illustrations. As the story progresses the scenery and color scheme that Stead uses slowly become lighter, bringing in the slight changes of an oncoming spring.
October 13, 2013
Title / Author / Publication Date:
And then it's spring. / Julie Fogliano. Erin E Stead (ill). / 2012.
Genre: Fiction.
Format: Picturebook - print.
Plot summary:
"Simple text reveals the anticipation of a boy who, having planted seeds while everything around is brown, fears that something has gone wrong until, at last, the world turns green" (NoveList).
Considerations or precautions for readers advisory:
concept book - changing seasons, gardening, waiting for plants to grow
Review citation:
"Children will intuitively relate to both the agony of anticipation and the effort of growing. This seemingly real-time experience of getting to green is a droll, wistful ode to the stamina behind wanting, will, and perseverance" (Wendy Lukehart in School Library Journal).
Section source used to find the material:
ALSC: 2013 Notable Children's Books
Recommended age: Ages 4 - 8.
And then it's spring. / Julie Fogliano. Erin E Stead (ill). / 2012.
Genre: Fiction.
Format: Picturebook - print.
Plot summary:
"Simple text reveals the anticipation of a boy who, having planted seeds while everything around is brown, fears that something has gone wrong until, at last, the world turns green" (NoveList).
Considerations or precautions for readers advisory:
concept book - changing seasons, gardening, waiting for plants to grow
Review citation:
"Children will intuitively relate to both the agony of anticipation and the effort of growing. This seemingly real-time experience of getting to green is a droll, wistful ode to the stamina behind wanting, will, and perseverance" (Wendy Lukehart in School Library Journal).
Section source used to find the material:
ALSC: 2013 Notable Children's Books
Recommended age: Ages 4 - 8.
November 3, 2019
This book is about a young boy who plants a garden, but he wants the garden to grow overnight. He has to wait for the brown to be gone and the green to come. He goes through a list of why it is taking so long for the green to come and the brown to leave, but one day he wakes up the brown is gone and the green is there. The brown is representative of winter while green is representative of spring. I thought this book was good, because it shows that you have to be patient and that one day what you are waiting for will happen. I would use this book in my classroom when teaching sequencing. This book goes in order using sequencing words so for students who are having trouble with beginning, middle, and end, so for a student having trouble they can put the events in order. Once they can put the events in order you can start using the words beginning, middle, and end and breaking the events apart to have the students decide where the events go.
November 3, 2012
Review for 3sh Horn Book
Written by Julie Fogliano, And then it’s Spring is a straightforward picture book written from the perspective of a young child. The book begins brown and dreary which inspires the young character to plant seeds. The boy and his companions; a dog, rabbit, and turtle are in search of spring. I think young children (grades k-3) would enjoy the building suspense of this story. The illustrator, Erin Stead, has once again created illustrations that tell the story itself. Pay close attention to the humor that she uses in her illustrations. These include; a dog waiting for a bone to grow and the rabbit waiting for carrots. This story can be used while waiting for spring to come and maybe in a plant unit. Also, it can be used having kids create their own stories not focusing on text, but illustrations.
February 26, 2012
So much to love about this book but Erin Stead's wonderful art is so charming and just plain perfection (can she win another Caldecott? She really really could!) The page when "it's spring" actually made me gasp when I turned to it. Captures wonderfully, but simply the ancticpation we all get this time of year. Lots of brown and we all want just a little green. It cured my own Spring Fever a bit. If this cute bespectacled boy and his adorable animal pals can be be patient, so can I. I would suggest taking your time with this one. You don't want to miss details like the sign that says "Please do not stomp here. There are seeds and they are trying".
February 23, 2018
A cute book about the transition from winter to spring. I liked it!
Did anyone else notice the typo: "an" instead of "and." Oops!
Ages: 4 - 7
#spring
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.
Did anyone else notice the typo: "an" instead of "and." Oops!
Ages: 4 - 7
#spring
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.
December 27, 2023
We’re doing a deep cleaning at work and I’m cleaning books and this one caught my eye and I sat and read it for a little bit to decompress.
I’m in love with the art style. It’s whimsical and wispy and lovely. And a perfect little treatise on how spring comes in small ways at first then all at once.
*
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’m in love with the art style. It’s whimsical and wispy and lovely. And a perfect little treatise on how spring comes in small ways at first then all at once.
*
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
February 26, 2012
Flipped through this one at the bookstore and had to purchase it. Great message about patience as a boy waits for his garden to grow. The illustrations are amazing and I love the animals that are shown throughout. My favorite page was the cutaway to what was happening underground.
May 9, 2012
While I loved the illustrations, I found the writing a bit confusing on my first read. "Oh... so its like one big run on sentence... or a poem?" After a re-read, I enjoyed the text much more but am not sure if it would go over well as a read-aloud.
March 29, 2013
This book is what I would call a "mood" book that works to introduce a topic but not really get you into a story about it. The illustrations are fun and large enough for sharing with a group, but the story is too slight. Carrot Seed (Kraus) still does it better.
February 25, 2012
Just makes my heart smile. "Please do not stomp here. There are seeds and they are trying." I fell in love with the simplistic yet expressive illustrations as well.
February 19, 2012
I love this book. The illustrations take the text to the next level. Love the little turtle and the rabbit that are shown in the pictures.
January 17, 2014
Not as amazing as A Sick Day for Amos McGee but that's a high standard to follow.
February 25, 2014
Text was OK. LOVE the illustrations. If this was a wordless book I would have given it 4 stars.
April 18, 2018
Cute book about a boy in spring who plants seeds and waits for what seems like forever, and everything is brown forever...until spring. Then everything is green.
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