Winter

In board-book format, Blades presents youngsters engaging in seasonal activities. Considering the abundance of similar books, these efforts are inferior in a number of ways. Many of the scenes depicted are not restricted to, or entirely typical of, the season in question. A trip to the zoo in Spring could certainly take place at any time of year; a farm visit in Summer again produces confusing results--plowing can be done in several months; and the scene of a pig suckling her brood is likewise without specific seasonality. Fall and Winter are somewhat more successful: the color of the foliage in the former and snow in the latter point more directly to the seasons indicated. Blades's rustic landscapes possess a certain charm, but her figures are rendered in a flat, static manner: it's difficult to believe, for example, that the Winter skater is actually falling. And although the central characters are described as a brother and sister, their odd haircuts and curiously adult faces give them an unsettling unisex appearance. Both as picture books and as explanations of seasons for the youngest, these books are a disappointment. Ages 9 months-3 years. (Mar.)