Around the Year

Two-time Caldecott honor artist Tasha Tudor invites readers to celebrate the many joys of family life throughout the year. Although her verses and quaint ink and watercolor illustrations depict Tudor's signature idyllic New England scenes, her embrace of fundamentals such as friendship, togetherness, and fun are universal. From January to December, each month is marked by four pages of illustrations (black and white spreads alternating with earthy watercolors) with a short verse: "March promises / the hope of spring, / In swampy places peepers sing." Tudor's gentle humor comes through in such images as October's drawing of three children running from a graveyard as a be-sheeted child flails in a ghostly manner while others crouch, giggling behind the stones. First published in 1957, this reprint of Tasha Tudor's old-fashioned yet timeless classic will be cherished year-round by a whole new generation of readers. (Ages 3 to 8) --Emilie Coulter