Little Pear Tree

Williams and Bowers use the growth of a pear tree as a lens to focus this quiet, atmospheric tour of the seasons. Over six scenes, a pear seed bursts from the ground, blossoms, and feeds and shelters various animals: “The moon and stars rise up above/ with winter now in sight./ The little pear tree, once a seed,/ is a home tonight.” The matte cardboard pages are well-suited to the flatness of Bowers’s digital collages, and several flaps on each page reveal animals, plants, and more. Lifting a magenta blossom uncovers a nest of pale blue eggs, while a seed hides behind a silhouetted seedpod in the final scene, suggesting a cycle that will begin again the following spring. Ages 2–5. (Apr.)