Is It Spring?
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected 24 Feb 2026
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- USD 11.99
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- Pre-Order
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- USD 11.99
Publisher Description
If one day buds bloom and birds chirp, and the next day a late snow falls from the sky, is it spring? Will it ever be spring? An evergreen, child-friendly picture book that explores themes of patience, hope, the seasons, and nature by the New York Times bestseller and Caldecott Medalist Kevin Henkes.
A flower in the garden down the street. Birds in the sky. Buds on the branches in the park. It must be spring.
But wait! What is this icy gust of wind? Why are snowflakes falling from heavy gray clouds? Will it ever be spring? Yes, says the sun. Just be patient.
Kevin Henkes, the #1 New York Times bestseller who has been awarded the Caldecott Medal, two Caldecott Honors, two Newbery Honors, two Geisel Honors, the Children’s Literature Lecture Award, and Children’s Literature Legacy Award, among numerous other honors, has created a masterful and classic picture book that combines an evocative call-and-response text with delicate and lovely illustrations. Readers will be left assured that the sun—and spring—will always come again.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Variable vernal weather spurs this high-spirited seasonal offering from Henkes (The World and Everything in It). The titular question turns refrain as answers centered around the natural world playfully highlight early spring's starts and stops in a northern hemisphere location: "Is it spring?// Yes, said the flowers in the garden down the street." But the response shifts when the "icy and sharp" wind, "thick and gray" clouds, and "still-sleepy" critters declare "not yet," and a late snow emphatically announces "No, no, no!" Thick blue outlining is appropriately suggestive of both clear skies and final frosts, which feature in the tidy squared-off watercolor and ink portraits that accompany crisp lines of text. Employing repeated visuals—a cat, a spotted scarf—artwork continually depicts the season's push and pull, culminating in a picture of a pale-skinned child surrounded by snow-coated blossoms building a snowperson. "Will it ever be spring?" a closing section queries. And finally the sun answers, "Yes, yes, yes," and concluding pages showcase winter's retreat until seasonal change at long last takes hold in a bright burst of blooms. Ages 4–8.
