Following a snow-filled winter, a young boy and his dog decide that they've had enough of all that brown and resolve to plant a garden. They dig, they plant, they play, they wait . . . and wait . . . until at last, the brown becomes a more hopeful shade of brown, a sign that spring may finally be on its way.
Julie Fogliano's tender story of anticipation is brought to life by the distinctive illustrations Erin E. Stead, recipient of the 2011 Caldecott Medal.
And Then It's Spring is one of The Washington Post's Best Kids Books of 2012.
One of Kirkus Reviews' Best Children's Books of 2012
"Green is what the bespectacled boy in Julie Fogliano's 'And Then It's Spring' eagerly hopes to see as he waits for seeds he has planted to sprout from the brown earth. Did birds eat the seeds? Did bears trample them? In Erin E. Stead's finely drawn illustrations, we see the imagined bears lounging in the seedbeds with a sign that reads: 'Please do not stomp here--there are seeds and they are trying.'" --The Wall Street Journal
"This seemingly real-time experience of getting to green is a droll, wistful ode to the stamina behind wanting, will, and perseverance." -- School Library Journal, Starred
"In an understated and intimate partnership, Fogliano and Stead conjure late winter doldrums and the relief of spring's arrival, well worth the wait." -- Publishers Weekly, Starred
"This sweet seedling will undoubtedly take root and thrive. " -- Kirkus, Starred
"Fogliano's poetic yet grounded narrative is reminiscent of Charlotte Zolotow's picture-book texts in its understatement and straightforward, childlike observations...As for the illustrations, there's no sophomore slump for Stead: her second book is even better than her 2011 Caldecott winner, A Sick Day for Amos McGee (rev. 5/10)." -- Horn Book Magazine, Starred
"A first-time author and the Caldecott Award-winning illustrator of A Sick Day for Amos McGee (2011) team up in this beautiful ode to a patient gardener." -- Booklist, Starred
"...a humble yet miraculous world..." -- BCCB
Julie Fogliano has spent her entire life reading children's books. Now she stays up way too late writing her own books while eating cereal. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband and their two boys. They make her very tired, but give her lots of good ideas. And Then It's Spring is her first book.
Erin E. Stead first met Julie Fogliano while working together in a New York City bookstore. Today she lives in a 100-year-old barn in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with her husband, Philip, who is an author and illustrator, and with whom she co-created A Sick Day For Amos McGee, winner of the 2011 Caldecott Medal, for Roaring Brook Press. Erin creates her illustrations using woodblock printing techniques and pencil.
Target Age: 4-7
Roaring Brook Press
Pub Date: February 14, 2012
0.43" H x 10.74" L x 8.85" W
32 pages
hardcover