Introduces spring using poetry and equations to encourage readers to think about the season in an unexpected way. - (Baker & Taylor)

"Vibrant artwork and engaging text offer mathematical and scientific perspectives into such springtime wonders as nesting and pollination with poem-like ""equations"" that invite children to both marvel at and understand seasonal transformations. Simultaneous eBook." - (Baker & Taylor)

"A unique take on spring in a series of eye-opening equations. Whether it's breeze + kite = ballet or nest + robin = jewelry box, each equation prompts readers to pause and think about spring in unexpected ways. As a child in the art welcomes the change of seasons, sidebars provide more information about the science behind the signs of spring."-- - (Baker & Taylor)

Poetry + Math + Science = A new way of looking at spring

Math meets metaphor in this eye-opening exploration of spring. Each clever equation is a tiny, perfect poem that prompts readers to look at the ordinary and see the miraculous. Can you look at an egg in a nest and see a jewelry box? How are sunlight and heat like an alarm clock? Engaging sidebars reveal the science behind the signs of spring. - (Random House, Inc.)

Laura Purdie Salas knows that poetry and science are both about exploring the world. Part poet and part scientist, Laura is the award-winning author of more than one hundred books, including If You Were the Moon, A Rock Can Be, and Water Can Be. She experiences spring, summer, fall, and winter in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Micha Archer's radiant collage illustrations for this book grew out of a New England spring. Micha is the author and illustrator of Daniel Finds a Poem, as well as the illustrator of Around the World in a Bathtub, Lola's Fandango, and The Wise Fool. She lives in western Massachusetts. www.michaarcher.com - (Random House, Inc.)

Booklist Reviews

From Salas' point of view, "science + poetry = surprise!" Celebrating the natural world as winter turns to spring, this unusual volume offers a poetic equation on each page, accompanied by a vivid illustration and several short sentences of related text. A snowy scene depicting a downy woodpecker on a maple tree illustrates the statement "bark + beak = drum," while a short paragraph comments that this bird is hammering at the tree to find bugs, though it might use faster drumming in the spring to assert its territory or attract a mate. Sometimes the writing takes a more lyrical tone, as in the "frogs + night = symphony" page, where the text likens a chorus of different frog species to an orchestra and ends with "Bullfrogs honk low and loud on their watery trombones." Created with a variety of traditional media and digitally arranged, Archer's detailed, vibrant collages reflect a sense of wonder, while clarifying the literal meaning of each equation and its commentary. A handsome, original book for reading aloud each spring. Preschool-Grade 3. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

Salas posits that fully experiencing the seasons means looking through the lenses of both scientific study and art: "science + poetry = surprise!/ Science is why and how a/ flower grows. Poetry is/ looking at that flower and/ seeing a firework. Surprise!" In the early spring, "warmth + light = alarm clock." Salas explains that "hibernating animals wake up when spring days/ grow warmer and stronger." Elsewhere, "bark + beak = drum." The beak belongs to a woodpecker tapping against a tree "to claim its territory/ or attract a mate." Archer's torn paper collage and oil art offers sharp contrast in visual textures and colors. A bright, feathery blue and green river flows past a yellow riverbank; above lies the white of the melting snow. Elsewhere, child characters play and explore outdoors, one boy climbing a tree to the sound of frog songs ("frogs + night = symphony"). Nature, the book suggests, offers abundant surprises to those who take the time to notice. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)