Introduced in Fletcher and the Falling Leaves
, the cute little fox Fletcher now discovers spring. Seeing blossoms swirling through the air—Beeke renders them as a flurry of white smudges—Fletcher becomes convinced that the snow has returned. Feeling “bouncy [and] full-of-importance,” he sounds the alarm to his forest comrades, who are not a little peeved when they realize Fletcher’s mistake. All is quickly forgiven as they revel in the glories of the season: “The animals scooped up pawfuls and clawfuls of blossoms from the ground, and covered him in a tickly shower of fluttering white petals!” The distinctly British lilt of Rawlinson’s prose should prove captivating for preschoolers. But it’s Beeke who gives this book its reason for being. Working in her signature naïf style, she gives each character a vivid personality (the steadfast porcupine and slacker rabbits are particularly memorable) and conjures up an irresistible forest: bathed in warm greens and yellows, punctuated with impish bursts of color, and just imposing enough to be a suitable setting for adventure. Ages 3–7. (Feb.)
