Spring: An Alphabet Acrostic by Steven Schnur, Leslie Evans (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

In this companion book to "Autumn: An Alphabet Acrostic," the pleasures of spring, from April to Zenith, are captured in twenty-six short poems. New grass and daffodils, hopscotch and kite flying, kittens under the porch and baby birds under the eaves are the subjects of Steven Schnur's evocative verses and Leslie Evans's luminous linoleum-cut illustrations. When read vertically, each poem reveals a playful acrostic, making every handsomely designed page a double treat for the eye as well as a joyous tribute to the season.

The team behind Autumn (1997) turns russet in for a spring-green coat in this paean that moves
from April to June. Once again, the first letters of each line make a word that is the subject of the
poem, e.g., ``Green leaves overhead, a/Rug of green underfoot,/And the air between/Sweet with the green/Smell of spring'' for GRASS. That page is a particularly fine microcosm of the book; the delicate poem, direct and detailed, appears on a page where the strong line of linoleum-cut illustration brings into relief a field of green seen from above, where the bold shapes of a girl and her dog lay on their backs to gaze up at the new leaves. There are longer words, too, such as ``quintuplets,'' delighting in five new kittens. Many of the images are rural: frogs, cows, a baseball game ringed by a field of corn. Others, hopscotch, welcoming a new baby, and watching the light fade to purple firewill be familiar and comfortable to children everywhere. A playful refabrication of spring, likely to please as a word game, certain to please for its images.

Children's Literature

As they did in their prior book Autumn, Schnur and Evans have created a series of acrostic poems that relate to the warm days of spring. The budding plants, croaking frogs, longer days and lots of sunshine awaken our senses to the joys of springtime. From the opening poem-After day of/Pouring/Rain, the last/Ice and snow finally/Leave the earth-which spells out "April," other poems such as "Nest," "Seeds," "Twilight" and the concluding poem "Zenith" will intrigue kids with their haiku-like style and cheerful messages. This collection would be an excellent choice for teachers and homeschoolers to introduce acrostics and to challenge kids to create their own variants. The linoleum cut illustrations with bold images and wonderful colors are equally pleasing.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 4-Schnur and Evans have combined their considerable talents to create a picture book that is both innovative and lovely. Done in the form of acrostics, the poems are a visual as well as a literary delight. Their style is simple, yet capable of evoking myriad images and feelings, similar in many ways to haiku. For example, in "Dawn": "Day breaks early now/And quickly/Warms after a cool/Night." The linoleum-cut illustrations are rich in detail and vibrant with spring tones. Easily as successful as this team's previous collaboration, Autumn (Clarion, 1997), this book could be used effectively with any unit on seasons or as a study of literary re-creations in combination with Bonnie Christensen's Rebus Riot (Dial, 1997). It will also spring off the shelf on its own.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

Kirkus Reviews

The team behind Autumn (1997) turns russet in for a spring-green coat in this paean that moves from April to June.

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