Green on Green

“Lemonade petals./ Sunflakes between./ Lemonade, sunflakes, and yellow on green.” Sala (What’s Cooking at 10 Garden Street?) anchors this serene, incantatory poem by White (Who Eats Orange?) with a family—mother, father, child, all with brown skin and black hair—she follows through the seasons. With feather-light economy, White’s musical language (“Gentle the breezes./ Rain between./ Breezes and rain and yellow on green”) combines color and sensation. In watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil, soft lines and saturated hues mark each new season: an apple harvest for fall, a snow-laden spruce for winter. As the weather grows colder (“Cinnamon spice./ Almond between./ Cinnamon, almond, and brown on green”), it becomes clear that the family is expecting a baby. Rolling winter farmland signals space and peace; the family gathers with others to sing carols, and the child lays a hand on their mother’s stomach with a smile. Soon, the mother and an infant are visible through the house’s window. White’s words beat at the same slow pace as time lived by the seasons, and Sala’s paintings celebrate lives immersed in nature’s wealth. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions. [em](Mar.) [/em]