Finding Spring: A Springtime Book For Kids

A little cub named Maurice has never experienced the spring season. His curiosity gets the best of him when his mother doesn’t tell him where he can find spring, so he sets out to find the answer after she goes to sleep for a long winter’s nap. When he thinks he has found spring he returns to hibernate with his mother until warmer weather thaws the snow. He awakes to discover spring has disappeared. So, he sets out with his mother and other forest animals to find spring.Berger opens a forest animal story with a sense of innocence and natural curiosity. My reader found the words easy to learn and colorful paper collages to inspire him to ask many questions about the collages, such as do forest animals really wear clothes and why doesn’t the mama bear have clothes on? Do bears get to choose round holes or caves to sleep in? Why do tree leaves have words on them and the cave rocks have numbers? Do trees really have a shadow? Where do squirrels and rabbits really sleep? Above the ground or under the ground? How can I know spring is here? I told him the artist had used recycled paper to make the beautiful pictures, he laughed and said, oh that lady! We have read her other stories that have trash paper pictures. We then discussed other ways to use recycled paper other than make pictures. He thought a game board would be the most fun because he could invite his friends over and tell them about the story.FINDING SPRING is a great resource for the home or school library of children between the ages of two through eight. I thought a game board was a great idea for the classroom to draw a map of where Maurice went, then place squares for the different forest animal homes and Decorate the Great Hill as the winner’s circle. Use dice and cut-in-half 3 x 5 cards with unexpected directions to move around the board. The first person to reach the Great Hill wins. Mapping and using problem-solving skills, social interaction, turn taking, and using imagination are great practice skills for the student. FINDING SPRING can encourage language arts and science by answering the questions mentioned. Math skills can be practiced by counting the same type of animals.Thank you Carin Berger for another great child-inspiring picture book.

I selected this book for my young daughter as an Easter present. What strikes me most when I read this book is the lovely artwork. The pictures are like a collage and beautiful to look. Additionally, the story is sweet and also a great way to talk about many topics and concepts with young children such as the seasons, hibernation, patience, and much more. I definitely recommend this as an addition to your library.

Gorgeous collage illustrations in vibrant colors and textures. Sweet characters and winsome story. Carin Berger is a new favorite author for our family. My three year old can't get enough of this story, and I am more than happy to read it on repeat. A favorite for our library!

another example of the marvelous imaginative writing by a most gifted artist and author. The story is one so many children will identify with and can get lost in the beautiful illustrations that were done as collage and relief .

Great book, engaging for the preschoolers and fun.

Our four year old granddaughter LOVED it!

very interesting book

Maurice and his mama are getting ready to hibernate for the long winter, but Maurice is more excited for his first spring ever! He’s so excited that he can’t fall asleep, so he decides to go out looking for spring. Maurice wanders all around the forest, announcing his intention to the other animals of the forest. And then the air starts to smell tangy, and he feels an icy sting on his nose… is that spring?With "Finding Spring," author and illustrator Carin Berger has created a delightful story that little ones are sure to love. Maurice the bear embodies the curiosity that all children possess, and the excitement he feels over his first spring–and his inability to sleep because of it–is something kids will identify with. The pictures, which are cut-paper collages made in Berger’s unique and award-winning style (and will be familiar to readers who have seen other examples of Berger’s work), capture the whimsical nature of this adorable story. "Finding Spring" is sure to be loved by young kids, older kids, and their parents alike!Review originally written for San Francisco Book Review.