Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (Roaring Brook Press, 2012) is full of lush illustrations celebrating the different colors of green, from forest green to pea green to faded green. Each page has a die-cut portion that looks on to a previous or subsequent page, thus emphasizing how different things (even “lime green” limes) are also made of various other shades.
After her variations on green, there is a page of “never green” (a stop sign) and “no green” (a winter scene) followed by a wordless page with a child planting. Seeger’s rich painting style shines through in this book, a surprisingly satisfying book dedicated to a spring color. My son’s thoughts: He liked the die cuts. (“I can’t even tell it’s from the other page!”)
I admit, it’s a little strange to read spring and summer books when the season is so quickly passing into full-blown autumn, and the hint of snow is in the air. But picking up spring-themed books to consider for the Cybils 2012 award was refreshing right now: a nice reminder that yes, we will make it to spring again! The green and life will will return to the plants around me in time.
What “spring” books do you recommend for fall and winter reading?
Green was awarded a Caldecott Honor in 2013.
