A blaze of color and wonder

Come Next Season

Kim Norman

The arrival of summer, fall, winter, and spring brings anticipation and excitement as two children enjoy the good gifts each season has to offer. Daniel Miyares’ colorful watercolor illustrations echo Norman’s vivid word pictures, which transition through memories from summer at the lake, autumn in the leaves, winter on a sled, and springtime at the farm. “Come summer, we’ll kick our sheets to the foot of our beds. A fan will thrum, back and forth, cooling our cheeks like the chilly wind that will blow … come fall.” The story offers families the opportunity to discuss together what parts of each season they look forward to and treasure the most. Ages 3-6

Celia Planted a Garden

Phyllis Root & Gary D. Schmidt

Celia Thaxter’s childhood home on White Island was white, gray, and bleak, but her ­summer garden blazed with brilliant yellow, pink, and scarlet flowers dotting the rocky ledges. When her father started a hotel on Appledore Island, Celia planted an even bigger garden on “that rocky and waterless island.” After marrying and moving to the mainland, Celia missed her island and the ocean. She began ­writing and painting about her island ­experiences, becoming one of the best-known poets of her time, and each spring she returned to her beloved garden. Melissa Sweet’s watercolor, gouache, and mixed media illustrations include quotes from Celia interspersed throughout the pages. Ages 5-9

Wait—and See

Helen Frost

Author Helen Frost and photographer Rick Lieder collaborate to show young children the wonders of praying mantises that they can witness when they patiently watch and wait in God’s creation. Frost’s lyrical writing in this brief but beautiful picture book pairs well with Lieder’s close-up photography of praying mantises: “If a quick small movement takes you by surprise, stop and look—move ­nothing but your eyes.” The endnotes give more details about praying mantises and a reminder that “if you are patient and watch closely, you will always see something that you would have missed if you were in too much of a hurry to notice.” Ages 3-6

Look What I Found at the Beach

Moira Butterfield

This unique picture book combines seek-and-find fun with ­educational instruction as it follows three children making discoveries at the beach. Each section’s informational spread offers brief chunks of information and concludes with a list of real things (shells, rocks, crabs, mermaid’s purses, ­fossils, and feathers) children could look for and identify on their own visit to the beach. The book’s interactive format will make it appealing to preschoolers without being too heavy on information. The conclusion celebrates all the “treasure” to be found exploring at the beach. Note: Three mentions of “millions of years ago” in relation to rocks and fossils. Ages 3-7