A Wonderful Year

Accessible language and chuckle-worthy situations provide one imaginative little girl's idiosyncratic take on the seasons (e.g., in summer, the girl melts into a puddle; fall finds her chatting with a tree about the book she's reading). Each season has a distinct layout: stacked horizontal panels for winter, vertical panels for spring, rectangular panels for summer, and full-page art for fall.

Bruel provides an idiosyncratic take on the four seasons, as seen through the eyes of one imaginative little girl and her animal buddies. The girl is excited about the winter snow. But by the time everyone -- from her mother to her dog to the refrigerator and a can of beans -- gives her suggestions about what to wear, the snow has melted and spring has arrived. In spring, her heart turns to poetry, tutus, and playing with her "handsome puppy dog." All is well until they wake a grumpy cat. Next comes summer, and the girl swelters with her giant purple hippo friend, Louise. She melts into a puddle on the sidewalk, where Louise slurps her up into a cup and moves her melted remains into the freezer. (A television ad for a can of beans "packed in water" reminds Louise that her friend is still in the freezer.) Fall finds our protagonist in a contemplative state, chatting with a tree about the book she's reading. And so it goes, the circle of the seasons. Bruel uses four distinct layouts for the seasons: stacked horizontal panels for winter, tall vertical panels for spring, rectangular panels for summer, and full-page art for fall. The girl's rich imaginary life and freedom from adult interference, coupled with accessible language and chuckle-worthy situations, make this a book to pore over. robin l. smith