First comes spring

From School Library Journal PreSchool-Grade 3 For all Bear Child's charm, this is a disappointing picture book. It is cluttered, spiritless and not up to Rockwell's usual illuminating simplicity. Bear Child takes children through the year, changing clothes to suit the seasons. Over time his house and yard change, as do the activities of the neighbors. Although Bear Child's wardrobe and home are given full-page attention, his neighbors ' work and play are crowded together in a jumble of small full-color drawings. The pages following this communal scene isolate and spotlight the busy bears' activities. Bear Child is not easy to spot here, which may confuse, or at least disappoint, children. Some of the work and play illustrated is not unquestioningly associated with a time of year, but others unmistakenly identify a season (at least in the northeastern USA). All of the smaller labeled drawings of ursine activity are engaging. Rockwell's book is a simpler, more straightforward introduction to the seasons than the Provensens' The Year at Maple Hill Farm (Atheneum, 1978). It is less concentrated than Burningham's Seasons (Bobbs-Merrill, 1970; o.p.) , more clearly didactic than Tafuri's All Year Long (Greenwillow, 1984). Undoubtedly a useful book, especially for preschool collections, but not a memorable one. Anna Biagioni Hart, Sherwood Regional Library, Alexandria, Va.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.