How Robin Saved Spring [Hardcover]

Debbie Ouellet (Author), Nicoletta Ceccoli (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

If Lady Winter has her way, the world will stay covered in blankets of snowy white and icy blue. Sister Spring will slumber forever and the winter will never end. Can Lady Winter really keep spring from coming or is there something the animals might do to help? Led by harbinger Robin, the animals are determined to wake Sister Spring, but what price will they each have to pay?

Through beautiful words and pictures, this enchanting tale about the battle of the seasons highlights one special bird who saves much more than just the day.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Lady Winter (“A perfect world would be cold and white every day of the year”) knits a magical white blanket to ensure that Sister Spring will never awaken from her seasonal slumber. A troubled Robin calls on his woodland friends to help wake Sister Spring, but Bear, Caterpillar, Maple Tree, Ladybug, and Skunk all fail. Robin finally flies to Mother Sun for some morning light, which awakens Sister Spring, but the closeness to Mother Sun turns Robin’s “plain brown belly into a bright orange-red.” Ceccoli’s romanticized acrylic paintings are not as edgily effective as those in The Girl in the Castle inside the Museum (2008), and the visual characterizations don’t enforce the potential robustness of the story. Still, this attractive book will attract adult readers who might want to include it in seasonal story hours. This original how-and-why story has the repetitive structure of a folktale, although Ouellet’s tale is not based in traditional lore. Preschool-Grade 2. --Janice Del Negro

About the Author

DEBBIE OUELLET has had her work published in children’s magazines and journals. This is her first book for young readers. She lives in Loretto, Ontario, Canada.

NICOLETTA CECCOLI is the award-winning illustrator of many books for children, including The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum. She was awarded the Silver Medal by the Society of Illustrators and won the Andersen Prize, honoring her as the best children’s book illustrator in Italy. She lives in San Marino, Italy.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (March 31, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805069704
• ISBN-13: 978-0805069709
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #662,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous illustrations and a wonderful tale make this a great choice for spring!, April 16, 2009

By 

S. Whitney "sawhitney" (Anchorage, Alaska) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How Robin Saved Spring (Hardcover)

Winter lasts a long time here in Alaska. While friends are emailing that daffodils and tulips are in bloom in the Lower 48, I am still shoveling snow from my driveway. When people are thinking of putting in annuals in their flower pots, we still see our breath in the morning. Perhaps that is why a book about SPRING is so appealing and this one did not disappoint! The moment I saw this book at the store, my attention was captured by the beautiful cover! I couldn't wait to get this home to my daughters (ages 8 and 5).

Debbie Ouellet's How Robin Saved Spring is a tale of two sisters (Lady Winter & Sister Spring), each charged with managing their corresponding seasons. Lady Winter doesn't want winter to end, and conspires to keep her sister asleep so she can continue her reign. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, brown-breasted Robin calls upon various woodland creatures to try and wake Sister Spring from her slumber. All attempts fail, although they do provide wonderful bits of story for the creatures. For instance, in her attempt to wake Sister Spring, Ladybug hides among some coals near the fire. When it becomes too hot for her, little black dots are burned into her red back! This part of the story brought a smile to my daughters' faces each time we encountered a new "feature" of one of the woodland creatures.

When all the other creatures have failed to wake Sister Spring, Robin takes matters into his own hands (or wings?). He convinces Mother Sun to give him just a bit of morning light to wake Sister Spring. Mother Sun tells him that morning light is precious and asks what he is willing to trade for it; he decides to trade his beautiful voice. In getting the morning light from Mother Sun, his chest is given its orange-red appearance and, of course, he is able to wake Sister Spring with the combination of the very special morning light and his new song--UP! UP! UP!

Although completely original, this book has the feel of a classic fable or folk tale. The back flap of the jacket says this is the first book Ms. Ouellet has written for young readers, but I'm sure it will not be her last. The illustrations are BEAUTIFUL and it made me want to seek out other works illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. In fact, Ouellet and Ceccoli are make quite a dynamic duo and should work together again!

The intended age for this story is a bit hard to pin down. For starters, it has the feeling of being a timeless and ageless kind of story. I noted on Amazon's info that it's listed as being for readers ages 9-12, but that sort of seems based on vocabulary. There's another item above that mentions it as being for preschool through grade 2. We read it together as a bedtime story and I think that was just right. My girls were enthralled from the first page. Better still, the moment I finished it my 8 year old whispered "can we read it again?" What more could you ask for? I'd be kind of surprised to see my 8 year old pick it up and read it on her own, but can imagine my 5 year old sitting with this for HOURS going through the pages, pretending to read it to her dolls, and imagining herself in the rich scenes created by illustrator Nicoletta Ceccoli.

In short, I'd say this is a great book to add to your collection! It will be a favorite in spring, of course, but will likely become a favorite story for any time of year.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ethereal illustrations and a charming story, June 30, 2009

By 

Weerequiredreading.wordpress.com - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How Robin Saved Spring (Hardcover)

You've got to bring your game if you're collaborating with Italian illustrator Nicoletta Ceccoli. Her images are so lush and luminous, you feel you could fall into the pages if you leaned just a little too forward. "How Robin Saved Spring" tells a mesmerizing story: Lady Winter plots to keep her sister, Spring, asleep so the seasons won't change and the world will stay cold and white forever. Led by Robin (yes, the bird, not Batman's sidekick), the animals of the forest - and a sensitive maple tree - attempt to wake Sister Spring, but all must pay a price for their bravery. Quietly clever storytelling.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book :), February 27, 2010

By 

Maria Saluto-Biggers "Rylan's Mom :)" (New Orleans, LA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How Robin Saved Spring (Hardcover)

This is a very sweet book with beautiful artwork & a unique, interesting story. I love reading this story to my daughter!!! A little pricey but worth it! Wish I could find more books like this one!! I would definitely recommend this book :)