In Like a Lion...

I don't know about you, but I was mighty shocked to open my curtains to a snowy white yard this morning. As beautiful as it was, (and as much as I do love snow) I will admit to being a little disheartened. Snow on the 1st day of March? What about spring?

I happened to pick up And Then It's Spring, by Julie Fogliano for a read when I got to work, and I am oh so glad I did. I'm not sure how they've done it, but Fogliano and illustrator Erin E. Stead have managed to create the perfect balm for the anxious, rain-soaked Portlander's soul!

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At heart, the story is one of simple anticipation, but it's really so  much much more than that.
Recognize the illustration style? The incredibly talented Stead won the Caldecott Award two years ago for her work on, A Sick Day for Amos McGee. We just adore her illustrations, and were thrilled to find this great interview with her over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. It's such a treat to catch a glimpse of artists' lives and work.  (And what an adorable pooch!)

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“or maybe it was the bears and all that stomping, / because bears can’t read signs / that say things like / ‘please do not stomp here— /
there are seeds / and they are trying’ "

And Then It's Spring  is the perfect reminder that the snow will melt, the green will return, and March will go out like a lamb in the end. Until then, I'll just have to put daffodils in every room in the house.

We still have a few copies left of this lovely book in store, so come on down and see it for yourself!

-Andrea