Despite dire predictions about winter, a child is smitten by the season’s charms in this ode to living in the moment.
Nothing is better than summer, with its joys of swimming every day and eating ice cream. One little boy’s older sister tells him he’d better make the most of it, because summer is going to end soon. When winter comes, she assures him, it will be cold and dark, and the icy rain will turn to snow. They’ll be stuck on the sofa for days and won’t even dream of eating ice cream. . . . Simona Ciraolo’s expressive illustrations belie the bleak forecast with images of glowing autumn leaves, cozy couch snuggles, wintry play, and sweet desserts. A celebration of the changing of the seasons, this inviting tale shows how much fun can be found around every sunny—or snowy—corner.
Ciraolo’s pencil and watercolor illustrations are rich with dynamic facial expressions, dramatically colored imaginings, and energetic lines, all of which communicate the boy’s wide spectrum of emotions as he dreads, discovers, and finally delights in each new season. A crocus poking up through the snow on the final spread symbolizes the inevitability of change and the happiness that can be found all throughout the year.
—The Horn Book