Spring for Sophie

by Yael Werber, Jen Hill (Illustrator)

Paperback

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Nature, Storytime, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Kids

Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Calista]

Such a lovely book and what people around me are feeling. The lesson in this book is patience and learning to wait. It's a tough one. Sophie is tired of Winter and she keeps asking when is Spring coming.

She is told to use her senses. Listen for the birds, feel for the mud, look for the green and taste the rain. Sophie waits for all the signs and then one day it is Spring.

The art is fantastic in this book. I love it. It is so beautiful.

The kids enjoyed this book even though we haven't had the snow here. The art and the story pulled them in here.

[Kathryn]

Reminds me a bit of a younger, cozier version of Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring with the very home-based experiences of a preschooler eagerly anticipating the arrival of spring. I like the emphasis on the five senses and all the ways Sophie uses them to sense the arrival of spring. Love her sense of fun and exploration of the natural world. The illustrations make me smile there's such a feeling of homespun joy.

[Kris]

This one is cute, and its focus on noticing the sensory clues that spring is coming would make for a good classroom or storytime book.

[KC]

Sweet Winter to Spring tale

[Lynn]

Using one's senses. Learning to be observant. Developing patience. Lots of possible uses.
And a few concerns. Some of the birds shown could be winter birds, and most spring birds, like robins, don't usually arrive when there is still that much snow on the ground. The illustrations show the slow development of buds, but no more birds! Where did they go? Also, most of the book gradually unfolds into spring through the text and the pictures, then the last two pages jump from lots of snow on the ground right to full green. Doesn't happen that way in Maine.

[Mckinley]

Season via senses.

[Judith]

Lovely book about discovering the advent of spring by using your senses.

[Kid Lit Reviews]

Outside it is cold, cloudy, and wrapped in white . . . day after day. When will spring come? Sophie is tired of winter and ready for spring to arrive. But how will Sophie know when spring is on its way? Her parents try to help, giving her important clues to the arrival of spring. Sophie learns to notice spring is on its way by hearing, seeing, feeling, and touching.

In her quest for spring’s arrival, Sophie uses her five senses: hearing, seeing, feeling, and touching. No one tells Sophie how to taste spring’s arrival. Can we taste spring? How will Sophie use her sense of taste to know spring is on its way?

The illustrations (gouache with digital retouching) depict winter and the coming of spring in ways children will easily recognize. The pace is a slow progression from a white, cold, and frozen winter to spring, but when . . .

Yael Werber’s picture book debut, Spring for Sophie, is a beautifully illustrated story about the changing of seasons and how we long for those changes. Life looks new and fresh, warm . b.b .

Originally reviewed on Kid Lit Reviews. To read complete review and see illustrations, go to: http://bit.ly/SpringForSophie

[Tasha]

Sophie is waiting for spring to come, but she’s not sure how to tell when it arrives. Her mother explains that she should be able to hear the changes, so Sophie is patient and listens while she is outside. Eventually she starts to hear more and more birds in the trees. Still, it was snowy outside. Her father explains that she can use her feet to feel spring coming. So Sophie paid attention to how soft the snow was and eventually, it was less icy and more soft. Still, the snow was there. Her mother tells her to use her eyes and nose. Sophie watches the snow melt, the green return and one day her nose tells her that spring has finally arrived! This picture book celebrates the change of season in a tangible way that children will love. The focus is on the child experiencing the changes themselves with gentle guidance from loving adults. The illustrations celebrate both winter and spring, the slow but steady transformation between seasons. A perfect book to invite exploring outside. Appropriate for ages 3-6.

[Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com]

MY REVIEW: Follow along with Sophie as she patiently waits for Winter to become Spring while she uses all her powers of observation. Sophie listens to the birds singing their songs and watches as things slowly change from white to green. Then her patience pays off when she gets to taste the wonderfulness of Spring. A delightful and endearing story about the beauty in the transformation from Winter to Spring. This book is filled with detailed full page colored illustrations that match the story beautifully. This will be a hit for Spring reading!

[Viviane Elbee]

Beautiful illustrations in this book about the changing of seasons from winter to spring. It covers the five senses and can be used to discuss the five senses as well as seasons.

We live in a warmer climate so snow doesn't cover our yards all winter long, but I think the kids could still relate to Sophie's longing for spring.

Love the ending!

[Mary]

This is a lovely little story about paying attention to nature to know when spring has arrived. It's a pretty traditional Caucasian family representation, lacking the richness of diversity it could have, but the illustrations are lovely and it's a nice read.

[Carol V]

Spring for Sophie is the perfect story to learn about what happens as winter leads into spring as told through the eyes of a little girl. Such a positive story in a wholesome family setting. And a good choice for how we use our five senses to enjoy the world around us.

[Angie Quantrell]

This is a neat book for encouraging young readers to use their senses to learn and discover the changing of winter to spring. Nature is a strong theme and relatable interactions in the story will help readers discover spring in their own neighborhoods. Very nice.

[Clarissa]

A lovely book about the gradual coming of spring. First Sophie listens to hear the birds, then she feels the ground with her feet to see if it is still icy or getting softer and muddy. All the signs of spring mixed in with the five senses.

[Rebecca Upjohn]

A delightful balance of text and illustrations about waiting for Spring.

[Miss Sarah]

Sophie can't wait for spring but how wills he know it's coming? Her parents tell her which signs to look for but will it ever come. Cute. Length is preschool and up.

[Tracie]

Sophie learns to discover spring by paying attention to her senses and the subtle changes that happen.

[Becca]

Delightful story of a girl waiting for Spring, who must watch, listen, and smell for the signs that it is coming.

[Edward Sullivan]

Sophie looks for sensory clues to tell her spring is coming.

[Heather Jo]

megan spring reading 2017, children's book, picture book, prek, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, signs of spring, spring time, seasons

[Evan Childress]

A little girl engages all of her senses to help discover when spring has arrived. Great for talking about seasons and what defines each one.

[Karen]

Patience, waiting, and making use of one's senses, are celebrated here. And those wonderful pictures of the girl's environment! So New England.

[Jillian Cryder]

I absolutely loved this book! Sophie really wants it to be spring and keeps asking her parents when it will be spring, they tell her things to look out for, but all the things they tell her have to do with using one of her five senses. She needs to feel the ground changing or she needed to listen for the birds. The book follows Sophie and her trying to look for all the signs of spring coming. The book was an easy read and would be perfect for elementary school kids. I would love to use Spring for Sophie in the classroom as a lesson for both talking about your senses and for talking about signs for spring. In the classroom, I would do an activity where students pick a season and use their senses to describe the season and how to tell it is coming or is already there and then see if the class can guess what season they are talking about.

[FM Family]

I really love this one. I find it to be the perfect book for Spring as it captures the impatience and the excitement of spring coming in a way that engages all the senses. Sophie can't wait for spring and keeps asking her parents when it will come, and they tell her all the different ways her senses will let her know spring is here, from what she'll hear (birdsong) to what she'll feel (sticky mud). Sophie takes it upon herself to keep checking until finally she knows spring has come. We've made it a habit to read this one every year and I wish we could see more from Yael Werber as I really enjoyed the illustrations, vibe, and content of this story!

[Tiffany Palomo]

This book is an uplifting story that captures a child’s emotional growth as she learns to embrace changes and new beginnings as she waits for winter to end. Sophie evolves from being impatient for change, to learning that spring comes slowly and finds excitement in the process, this is an example of her character’s development. It also reflects theme through its exploration of renewal, resilience, and the natural cycles mirrored in springtime and makes it especially effective for young readers, supporting both comprehension and emotional connection of everyday life. Learning to have patience and enjoy the process is something we all can incorporate into our lives at times.

[Krystal Shoop-Hardin]

This is a lovely children's picture book about the seasons of the year. How do you know what season it is and how do you know what's approaching? The main character Sophie questions her family daily on "When will Spring get here?" The story is told through Sophie's eyes. The beautiful illustrations detail the weather and wild life as they pass through the seasons. This book would be good for teaching young ones patience, making use of your senses, and discovering the seasons of the year. Delightful!

[Sharon]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I shared it at several story times and the children shared the wonder of Springtime alongside Sophie.

The illustrations are gorgeous and perfectly fit the text. I love books the encourage children to use their senses to explore, experience and discover the waking world in their own backyard.

[Teresa]

Sophie’s patents tell her what to hear, sense with her feet, see and smell to know when spring is coming. Some of the birds may be slightly off, and no diversity, but senses, observing and patience. And BEING OUT IN NATURE!!

[Maeve]

Sophie, tired of the cold, starts looking for signs that it's changing from winter to spring. She uses her senses: hearing, feeling, seeing, smelling, and finally tasting to experience the transition.

A good choice for reading aloud to a classroom, with nice ties to STEM.