Good-bye, Winter! Hello, Spring!

Winter transitions into spring in Iwamura’s quiet woodland story, first published in Japan in 1985. Three squirrel children observe the changing weather from their treetop home. They scamper toward the sound of dripping, then water—signs that winter’s snow is melting—and ride downstream on a fallen log. Iwamura writes with casual lyricism: “A nightingale’s voice trembled like a dream./ The three of them on their tree-trunk boat—/ Merrily away—began to float.” Iwamura illustrates in subtle earth tones; pale grays gradually turn to soft yellow and a milky green-blue as the stream leads into a tree-lined lake that dwarfs the squirrels’ tiny boat. With the arrival of three friendly ducks (who escort them home on their backs), the squirrels learn that, “in spring, the snow goes back into the earth/ And the sea and the sky—it’s a time of rebirth.” Graceful artwork captures the visceral experience of seasonal transition. Ages 4–8. [em](Mar.) [/em]