Sun Above and Blooms Below

February 2, 2015
In their fourth seasonally themed, concept-driven collaboration (following Sugar White Snow and Evergreens and other titles), Chernesky and Swan allow readers to accompany an ethnically diverse class on a field trip to a farm. As in the earlier books, Chernesky’s upbeat verse puts the concept front and center (“From far away a weather vane/ led us down a crooked lane,/ past straight wood fences, squat red pens./ We parked near barns and clucking hens”), and Swan’s detailed, vividly textured collages invite close study of each page. Ages 4–7. Author’s agent: Susan Hawk, Bent Agency.

March 15, 2015
Grades K-2 There's just so much fun packed into this happy springtime tale that readers will want to hear it read aloud many a time. Color, collage, rhythm and rhyme, and the concept of opposites are combined in this clever, simple story of a spontaneous field trip. One morning, Miss Ave decides that her students would much rather be out than in, and they all hop on a bus and spend the day at a nearby farm. The adventure is described in couplets that include pairs of antonyms, such as up and down, crooked and straight, top and bottom, and cloudy and sunny. These words are set off from the rest of the text in larger, bold letters so young readers can learn to recognize them. Mixed-media illustrations seamlessly integrate digital images and cut-paper collage to fill each two-page spread with color, depth, and texture.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

January 15, 2015
The team of Chernesky and Swan rounds out the four seasons with this look at springtime opposites (Cheers for a Dozen Ears, 2014, etc.). Miss Ava's class takes a field trip to a local farm to see some chicks hatch. Along the way, they experience lots of opposites, which are highlighted in the text in bold and a larger font. As in Chernesky's other seasonal books, the verse sometimes limps along, the lines often divided for rhyme at the expense of rhythm: " 'The white cat's name is Whisker Jack, ' / the farmer said. 'And Buster's black.' " Other times, the pairs chosen seem odd and don't strictly match the illustrations: "We giggled with our field trip buddies. / The ground below our boots was muddy. / Above, a sky of cloudy gray / drizzled on our sunny day." The sun indeed hides behind a mass of dark clouds, but in no way could this be called a sunny day, save possibly attitudes. Swan's busy mixed-media illustrations are rich in textures, the chickens especially colorful and patterned. Aside from the new chicks and the brilliant yellow daffodils, though, this could take place in almost any season (and indeed, the corn is tall enough to be late summer), weakening the seasonal theme. Not a strong choice for either springtime explorations or opposites, though teachers may reach for this in preparation for a farm field trip. (Picture book. 4-7)

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2015
Spring has sprung, so Miss Ava brings her class to explore a farm, where the kids take note of opposites, which are bolded in the text. The fourth of the author-illustrator team's season-themed picture books offers more festive rhymes (some can be a mouthful) and engaging multi-patterned illustrations in a sunshiny palette.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

February 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 2-Chernesky and Swan, creators of Pick a Circle, Gather Squares: A Fall Harvesting of Shapes (Albert Whitman, 2013), have teamed up again, this time to showcase opposites. Miss Ava's class has spring fever. Despite the rain, she takes her students on a field trip. In this rhyming adventure, the kids discover "a springtime of opposites" on their journey to a local farm. Riding on the school bus, they soar up hills and back down. They travel a crooked lane and pass straight wood fences. At the farm, they see big and small chickens and white and black barn cats. Each pair of opposites is emphasized in bold text. The highlight of the trip is watching baby chicks hatch in the warm incubator. When the students board the bus to head for home, they realize that "Springtime opposites are everywhere!" Although the story is engaging, some of the rhymes are a bit awkward ("A rooster crowed atop the coop/At the bottom, chicken poop!"). The brightly colored collage illustrations fill the pages, adding some country charm to the story and offering plenty of rustic details for children to look at. VERDICT Young fans of the series will enjoy learning their opposites along with the children in Miss Ava's class.-Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.