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Watch the world transform when spring comes! In a starred review, School Library Journal called this delightful picture book “A must-have, joyful seasonal title for the youngest listeners.”
In this beautiful book for young children, Caldecott Medalist and Newbery Honor author Kevin Henkes uses striking imagery, repetition, and alliteration to introduce basic concepts of language and the changing of the seasons. And acclaimed artist Laura Dronzek’s gorgeous, lush paintings show the transformation from quiet, cold winter to the newborn spring.
Before spring comes, the trees are dark sticks, the grass is brown, and the ground is covered in snow. But if you wait, leaves unfurl and flowers blossom, the grass turns green, and the mounds of snow shrink and shrink. Spring brings baby birds, sprouting seeds, rain and mud, and puddles. You can feel it and smell it and hear it—and you can read it!
In a starred review, The Horn Book said, “This joyful reflection is as welcome as spotting the first brave crocus.”
In the Middle of Fall, Winter Is Here, When Spring Comes, and Summer Song make for a beautiful quartet of seasonal-theme picture books to share at home or in the classroom. Ideal for introducing the season, for story time, and for bedtime reading.
Kevin Henkes has been praised both as a writer and as an illustrator and is the recipient of the Children’s Literature Legacy Award for his lasting contribution to literature for children. He received the Caldecott Medal for Kitten’s First Full Moon; Caldecott Honors for Waiting and Owen; two Newbery Honors, one for Olive’s Ocean and one for The Year of Billy Miller; and Geisel Honors for Waiting and Penny and Her Marble. His other books include The World and Everything in It; A House; A Parade of Elephants; Chrysanthemum; and the beloved Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. Kevin Henkes lives with his family in Madison, Wisconsin.
Laura Dronzek is a painter whose work has been exhibited nationally. Her picture books include Moonlight, by Helen V. Griffith; It Is Night, by Phyllis Rowand; White Is for Blueberry, by George Shannon; Little Houses, by Kevin Henkes; and a quartet of seasonal picture books also by Kevin Henkes. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin.
“Henkes and Dronzek once again perfectly capture the quiet wonder of the natural world, as they did in Birds and Oh! …Dronzek’s vivacious acrylic illustrations, their bright colors emphasized by the thick black outlines, complement Henkes’s spare but lyrical prose. A must-have, joyful seasonal title for the youngest listeners.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
“Lyrical and elegant in its simplicity, this is an enchanting celebration of the season to pair with Oh!, the paean to winter created by this same husband-and-wife team.” — Booklist (starred review)
“In a gently rhythmic text and lush, vibrant paintings, this husband-and-wife author-illustrator team ushers in spring, capturing the season’s sights, sounds, and surprises. …This joyful reflection is as welcome as spotting the first brave crocus.” — Horn Book (starred review)
“Dronzek’s cozy paintings combine the simplified shapes of plants, creatures, and children…Henkes is honest about spring’s more trying moments, weaving themes of waiting and patience throughout…Readers, especially those who live in regions that experience the full range of changing seasons, will warm to this catalog of familiar joys.” — Publishers Weekly
“A read-aloud dream, the meticulous text catalogs Spring’s awakenings and its characteristic weather. …Dronzek’s thick-lined, bright acrylics are as simultaneously wry and joyous as the text…Henkes and Dronzek make waiting almost as much fun—if not more so—than the payoff.” — Kirkus Reviews
“No harm comes to the bunnies, birds and kittens in Laura Dronzek’s deliciously colorful paintings for ‘When Spring Comes,’ a gentle picture book written by Kevin Henkes. …From brown to green, from eggs to birds, from seeds to flowers, seasonal changes transpire sweetly in these pages.” — Wall Street Journal
“Henkes creates a childlike and child-friendly cadence with the rhythms of his writing, and the robust, thickly outlined art carries plenty of kid appeal as well. …Expect this to see heavy use in classrooms and library story hours.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
