Everything Changes

PreS-Gr 1–Young children are well aware that the seasons change. Using that knowledge, this title connects the changes in the weather with changes that can happen in a family when parents decide to separate. The young child at the heart of this title experiences the upset and disruption when the adults decide that they can no longer be together. As the seasons change the connections between child and individual adults are reinforced through weather-appropriate activities and language. “We can’t stop our feelings or the leaves from falling but we can catch them as they fall.” By the story’s end the child has journeyed through the fears and loss from this new family structure but is reassured that “change can bring good things.” Illustrations feature a family and community that have many different backgrounds and cultures; the emotions of the young child are warmly evoked, inviting readers to connect with the changes that they see in the world around them and the emotional world inside them.