Catherine Walters (1)

A curious little cub will not settle down for his winter's rest until he knows exactly when spring will arrive. Reluctant sleepers will sympathize with the determined Alfie, even as they are lulled to rest by this gentle, charming tale.

I liked this book for two reasons. First, the style of the illustrations fits the written text and are appropriate to the mood of the story. The facial expressions of the characters are apparent to the audience, which helps the audience understand what each character is feeling throughout the story. Along with this, the pastel and soft colors add to the mild and calming tone in the story. The illustrations are realistic and are appropriate to the anxious mood of the story. Along with this, show more the language was descriptive. The author appeals to the five senses and is descriptive with her language choice. For example, the author writes, "So Alfie slept and dreamed of butterflies, birds chirping, and sunshine on his back until something icy touched his nose! A tiny stream of water was trickling through the cave" (p. 21). With this descriptive language, the author provides the audience with a detailed description using the five senses so that the audience has a clear image of what is happening in the story. The language is descriptive, which helps the audience follow along and remain engaged as the story goes on. The big message of the story is patience, as the bear must wait until spring has arrived until he can go outside. show less

There seems to be a bona fide sub-genre of "bear books", the province of multiple authors (or multiple pseudonyms? Argh!), in which little anthropomorphic bears wander around boreal, arboreal landscapes learning simple but vital life lessons. This is a decent example.

I like the book "When Will it be Spring?" because of the language the author uses, as well as, the illustrations presented in the book. The author uses very descriptive language throughout the story, describing each season fully. For example, Walters writes, " When the butterflies float by looking for new flowers, then it will be spring." The detailed illustrations also helped enhance the story. The pictures displayed common characteristics of each season including leaves for fall, snow for show more winter, and flowers for spring. The main message of this story was to explain hibernation and the changing of the seasons. show less