Is It Spring?

Variable vernal weather spurs this high-spirited seasonal offering from Henkes (The World and Everything in It). The titular question turns refrain as answers centered around the natural world playfully highlight early spring’s starts and stops in a northern hemisphere location: “Is it spring?// Yes, said the flowers in the garden down the street.” But the response shifts when the “icy and sharp” wind, “thick and gray” clouds, and “still-sleepy” critters declare “not yet,” and a late snow emphatically announces “No, no, no!” Thick blue outlining is appropriately suggestive of both clear skies and final frosts, which feature in the tidy squared-off watercolor and ink portraits that accompany crisp lines of text. Employing repeated visuals—a cat, a spotted scarf—artwork continually depicts the season’s push and pull, culminating in a picture of a pale-skinned child surrounded by snow-coated blossoms building a snowperson. “Will it ever be spring?” a closing section queries. And finally the sun answers, “Yes, yes, yes,” and concluding pages showcase winter’s retreat until seasonal change at long last takes hold in a bright burst of blooms. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)