Search for Spring

Mystified by the change of seasons, a curious boy sets out to find where Spring has gone

Grade 3-5 An allegory in picture book format about a boy who asks many questions. The question that no one can answer is, ``Where has spring gone?'' The boy searches for the answer, asking many people. Finally a robin takes him through winter's homeland back to his own home where he finds springin his own back yard. Allegories work best for adults who bring a wealth of experience to them and are interested in philosophical questions. Children prefer the concrete. That's why Brock Cole's The Winter Wren (Farrar, 1984) worksSimon is also searching for spring, but only because winter has stayed too long and his village is starving. Deuchar's realistic watercolor illustrations are lush and evoke the seasons. The medieval setting is well detailed, the figures well drawn and the colors are strong. However, the language is a trifle overblown and tends towards triteness: ``Spring has gone with the wind.'' Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Public Library
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