SPRING
Ann Blades. SUMMER
Ann Blades. FALL
Ann Blades. WINTER
Ann Blades.
Volume 18 Number 2
This series of seasons board-books is charmingly illustrated by well-known artist and author Ann Blades. Her distinctive water-colours feature a young brother and sister who delight in the experiences of each season. There is a nostalgic feeling expressed in the drawings that will bring back pleasant memories for the parent, teacher or librarian sharing these books with youngsters. My young son took great pleasure in discovering more and more details in the pictures with each wordless "reading," and I also discovered there was a great deal of action and variety with which to tell the story. The setting for each of the season books is a rural one, and there is much colour and activity in the full-page illustrations. In Winter, the children are shown skating on an outdoor rink. One skater is quite proficient while another is very close to taking a fall. In the same scene a dog is howling at the moon and another child is running towards the rink. Fall shows the brother and sister playing in the leaves and watching beavers build a dam and their father chopping wood. There are special animals, flowers, clothing and activities featured in each one of the books. Although I found the children's faces to be slightly squashed and not particularly appealing, I feel that the strengths of the total image on the page outweigh this small criticism. Overall, each book is a lovely treat to experience and to share with young children. Ann Blades' richly illustrated season books are a treasure waiting to be shared.Marilyn Aldworth, North Vancouver School District, North Vancouver, BC. |
1971-1979 | 1980-1985 | 1986-1990 | 1991-1995
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