Molly's Seasons

This author's fourth picture book is an ambitious undertaking that presents the four seasons through the eyes of Molly. But knowing the peculiarities of each season is not enough for this Maine resident--``Here is what Molly wants to know: Are the seasons the same wherever you go?'' The book then shifts gears to explain the tilt of the earth and the opposite seasons of the southern and northern hemispheres. Employing a soft--somewhat weak--palette for her watercolors, Kandoian depicts the seasons quietly, with comfortable convention and little surprise. Her use of calendar pages is uninspired but instructive. The facile text in the first half uses controlled vocabulary (``gleaming,'' ``beaming,'' ``streaming,'' ``glow,'' ``grow,'' ``flow'') that may help to build reading muscles. The book's second half, however, attempts--laudably--to embrace a concept that is ultimately too difficult for younger readers. Ages 3-8. (Feb.)