I didn't know what I was picking up; I grabbed it from the library display for the neat title and the promise of Ed Young's art. He does magnificent work here and in everything else I've seen. After reading this poem twice through, then reading the blurb, then reading it again, I 'get' it.

But even the first time, reading it cold and interpreting it from my own personal pov, I enjoyed it very much. This is one of those simple but profound books that can be enjoyed just for fun and can be read over and over again (we parents know that children get attached to ritual) for richer meanings each time. That is to say, I think the book shares even more than the blurb reveals.

One thing I would like to do with a 4-5 year-old is start thinking about what each month says to *us.* This book is from the northern temperate climate which is home to Peters and Young - but what about folks from California, or Georgia, or Brazil, or Australia? And it's not just the climate that would be different, but one's idiosyncratic perceptions could vary, too. ( )