What Makes the Seasons? [Hardcover]

Megan Montague Cash (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

Why do leaves fall off trees?
What makes flowers bud? What makes snow?

In delightful rhyming verse, Megan Montague Cash asks and answers thoughtful questions children have about the weather and the seasons. As they walk outside or look out the window, children are naturally interested in knowing why the seasons change and what makes weather happen. With bold and colorful artwork that attracts the eye, now even the youngest readers have a chance to learn some of the reasons. With an adorable little girl shown on every spread, here is a book that will appeal to great teachers, wise parents, and most of all, curious kids!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-The changing seasons are clearly and colorfully depicted as an African-American girl and her cat explore the wonders of each time of year. Using simple language, the rhyming text poses a basic question and answer for each season: Why do seeds sprout in the spring? Why do plants grow so well in the summer? Why do leaves fall to the ground in autumn? What makes snow? The bright and vivid illustrations are beautifully drawn and correspond closely to the text. A good choice for reading aloud and for enticing emergent readers.
Leanna Manna, Villa Maria College, Buffalo, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 1. A young African American girl and her cat frolic through the pages of this simple, rhyming introduction to the seasons by the creator of I Saw the Sea and the Sea Saw Me (2001). "Spring was here but couldn't stay. / Spring left on a summer day. / Plants that once were hardly there / now have flowers everywhere." Why are there flowers everywhere? "Plants grow best in summer light, / when days are long and warm and bright." Although the verse is quite ordinary and the approach not overly scientific ("Leaves use sun to make the food. / When there's less sun, leaves come unglued"), young children will come away with a basic understanding of the seasons and how Earth's yearly trip around the Sun affects the weather in both hemispheres. Thick black lines and cheerful paint-box colors enliven this useful study of seasonal cycles. Karin Snelson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (September 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067003598X
• ISBN-13: 978-0670035984
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,036,653 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Poetry and Science. Gotta love it. A review of "What Makes the Seasons", February 24, 2006

By 

Pam Tee "Busy Mom" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: What Makes the Seasons? (Hardcover)

I think this is a nice book for toddlers and preschoolers. It is a nice read-aloud, with a cute rhyme and I think it does a pretty good job answering the questions it raises.

An example of what you will find follows:

The colored leaves dance all around.
But WHY do leaves fall to the ground?

In all the leaves on all the trees
Are tiny tree food factories.

Leaves use sun to make the food.
When there's less sun, leaves com unglued.

Four Stars. [B-]. Artwork is bright and attractive. Nice rhyme makes for a good read-aloud. The book provides a nice introduction to the why and wherefore of the seasons: earth's movement around the sun; rain freezing to make snow, etc.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Colorful drawings and simple rhymes explain the seasons, February 18, 2005

By 

Molly Grue "Renaissance Woman" (SF Bay Area, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Makes the Seasons? (Hardcover)

This book starts on a rainy spring day and follows a young girl as she explores the seasons by examining the natural world around her. Bold, colorful drawings are complimented by the simple, yet effective, rhyming text. The insides of both the front and back cover are decorated with checkerboard patterns alternating small pictures with plain colored blocks. The detail is amazing, and it's fun to identify each picture and explain why it symbolizes a particular season. A beautiful introduction to the seasons for young children.

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice book, March 30, 2011

By 

Adeline (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Makes the Seasons? (Hardcover)

This book is pretty good, very "poetic", but I believed it was a boardbook...my mistake, my daughter is still a little to young to be able to watch this book by herself, but I still can read it to her:-)