Spring Parade: A Picture Book

by Camelia Kay, Allyn Howard (Illustrator)

Overview

A playful and vibrant picture-book ode to the arrival of spring in all its glory from author Camelia Kay and illustrator Allyn Howard.

Here comes spring! March along with Mama and Baby Bunny as they welcome a festive parade of budding flowers and blossoming trees, new birds, butterflies and bees, and all of their beloved friends, emerging from the winter season.

As Kirkus commented about the companion book, Fall Parade: "Little ones and their caregivers will enjoy poring over the pages as they linger over each animal and learn their names. Gentle words and softly painted illustrations convey the pleasures of autumn for the very young."

Perfect for sharing as part of seasonal lessons and just for snuggling.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781951836597
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	03/22/2022
Series:	Seasonal Parade
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	619,842
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Camelia Kay is a children’s book author and editor. She lives in the Bay Area. Allyn Howard is a Brooklyn–based artist whose work can be found in city murals and galleries and on sets for high-profile advertising and television series. She creates art for the children’s market, paper products, and home decor. Spring Parade is her first picture book.

Editorial Reviews

02/14/2022

Spring arrives like a parade in this welcoming picture book paean by Kay and Howard. Emerging from its burrow, a gray bunny first spots hints of green among a snow-filled landscape, and then spies a single purple crocus (“Here comes the first flower”). Making similar observations via a “Here comes” refrain, Kay introduces bears, birds, butterflies, and others, and as the jaunty procession grows in size, the creatures cavort across verdant green hills that increasingly burst with bright pink, orange, and yellow flowers. Rhythmic prose is concise but evocative (“Here come the blooming fruit trees./ Here comes a soft breeze”), while vibrant impressionistic paintings build to busy, joyous scenes—a pageant that reaches its pinnacle beneath the smudgy confetti of cherry tree blossom petals, inviting readers to celebrate. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

2021-12-27
A tribute to spring for the preschool crowd.

A winsome gray bunny emerges from its winter burrow to welcome the first flower of spring. Time passes, the snow melts, and a family of brown bears emerge from their den to gambol in the freshly sprung grass. Next come newly hatched birds and awakening insects. As the woods and open fields become progressively filled with the various colors of blossoming flowers, more and more animals gather in a joyful procession. With the gray bunny leading them, they skip along to a wild orchard, where they romp in beds of “confetti,” which is to say, fallen fruit tree blossoms. The penultimate spread shows the bunny leader sitting on a flower-festooned tree-stump throne while enjoying a “soft breeze,” as indicated by emanata. Howard's impressionistic paintings are all presented as two-page, full-bleed spreads, allowing for a sense of movement and spring’s expansive energy. Each spread includes one or two sentences in capital letters, almost all of which use anaphoric repetition, resulting in a rhythm that feels full of anticipation. The book affords plenty of opportunities for adult-child interaction; for example, caregivers can help children find and name all of the different animals in the artwork. Extending the narrative, the endpapers display a montage of images of the bunny interacting with other residents of the natural world, perhaps a glimpse at the social season ahead.

Simple but effective at conveying the joy of the season of new beginnings. (Picture book. 1-4)

Kirkus Reviews