A Year With Mama Earth

In adjective-rich language, Grabill personifies Earth as a “Mama” who “rustles her autumn wings/ to cool her hot, tired face” in September and “laughs a chill wind/ that stirs the maple leaves/ into a golden whirl” in October. Starting in September and moving month by month through a full year, each spread conjures something characteristic about the specific month and its place in the shifting seasons. (Readers based in climates with distinct seasons, like Michigan-based Grabill, will likely feel the deepest sense of recognition.) Green’s stylized, textural digital illustrations feature sweet-faced children of varying ages and skin tones peeking at pumpkins, identifying tracks in the snow, tapping maples for syrup, and spraying hoses among landscapes populated by deer, squirrels, turtles, bees, and a friendly cat. It’s a winsome seasonal confection. Ages 4–8. [em](Sept.) [/em]