A quiet, lovely picture book is a perfect pairing of spare, poetic text and lush, textured acrylic on canvas illustrations as it moves from snow-soft winter to the blossoming of spring (“Just seen / A hint of green.”) to the fullness of summer, and then the first hints of fall. The words offer concrete imagery in brief but elegant phrases (“Shadows of crows”) and also build anticipation for each turn of the page by asking simple questions (“What now?”) or offering hints of more to come (“Look here!”). The richly hued images emphasize the natural world but sometimes include the same boy and girl. The interplay between them is essential and gratifying in this playful, cozy offering. (Ages 2-5)

A playful guessing game set in a snowy landscape, this gorgeously illustrated picture book offers a cozy look at a cold winter that slowly melts into a bright spring with only a handful of carefully chosen words

A close-up of tree trunks leads to the question "What are these?"
A page turn reveals: trees!
Look to the right—what are those?
Shadows of crows!

Follow the clues on each spread until the snow starts to melt and spring is revealed.