Spring Fever with a Dose of Refreshing Reading

by Selene S. Vasquez

PICTURE BOOK: AGES 4 THRU 6

When the Earth Wakes by Ani Ricki. (Scholastic Press, 32 pp., $15.95).

Accompanied by bears, the Earth awakens in spring, rejuvenates for pure summer fun, falls into the sleepiness of fall, and downright slumbers in winter. A warm and inviting view of seasons and the very nature of cyclical life.

POETRY: AGES 8 THRU 12

Twilight Comes Twice by Ralph Fletcher. Illustrated by Kate Kiesler. (Clarion Books, 32 pp., $15.00).

Twilight is an ethereal space between night and day, slipping through the crack of time … at dawn and at dusk. A poetic account of the earth’s stirrings at those magical moments.

NONFICTION: AGES 8 THRU 12

Four Seasons of Corn: A Winnebago Tradition by Sally Hunter. Photographs by Joe Allen. (Lerner Publications, 40 pp., $19.95).

12-year-old Russell learns the rich traditions of corn from his Native American grandfather: from planting, harvesting and drying the kennels to eating corn soup and dancing the Green Corn Dance at the Powwow.

FICTION: AGES 7 THRU 9

Mud Flat April Fool by James Stevenson. (Greenwillow Books, 48 pp., $14.99).

Flying saucers and water-squirting flowers—tricks of the trade on April Fool’s Day for the animal citizens of Mud Flat. Lovely and delicate watercolor and black ink illustrations enhance this strangest brand of spring fever!

Selene S. Vasquez is a media specialist at Orange Brook Elementary School in Hollywood, Florida. She is formerly a children’s librarian for the New York Public Library.

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