I Hear the Snow, I Smell the Sea

Rejoicing in the “wonders all around me,” a speaker narrates the arrival of annual northern-hemisphere weather patterns as experienced via “my fingers and toes,/ my ears, my mouth and nose” in this lush calendrical chronicle, subtly penned by Milusich without reference to sight. “When a chill gust snatches my scarf/ and frost kisses my cheeks/ I know Winter’s come,” the youth explains, further perceiving the “Scruunnch” sound made by boots as “the snow creaks hello.” Spring’s hyacinths offer opportunities for tactile experiences (“I trace the curl/ of each thin waxy petal”) and scent-based discovery (“I breathe in their prettiness”). The odor of “hot dogs, sunscreen, and peaches” defines a summertime trip to the beach, and autumn brings thingsfull circle via a whiff of “earth and leaves, apples and cinnamon.” With his signature wavy markings, Raschka’s watercolor and oil pastel artwork evokes nature’s cycles as shifting color palettes connote the passage of time while capturing the loving relationship between parent and child. Protagonist skin tones echo pages’ background colors. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)