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The Boy Who Didn't Believe in Spring
In the middle of the city, two young friends set out to find Spring. Their search ends in a most unlikely but utterly convincing discovery.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
About the author
Lucille Clifton
76 books450 followersLucille Clifton was an American poet, writer, and educator from New York. Common topics in her poetry include the celebration of her African American heritage, and feminist themes, with particular emphasis on the female body.
She was the first person in her family to finish high school and attend college. She started Howard University on scholarship as a drama major but lost the scholarship two years later.
Thus began her writing career.
Good Times, her first book of poems, was published in 1969. She has since been nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and has been honored as Maryland's Poet Laureate.
Ms. Clifton's foray into writing for children began with Some of the Days of Everett Anderson, published in 1970.
In 1976, Generations: A Memoir was published. In 2000, she won the National Book Award for Poetry, for her work "Poems Seven".
From 1985 to 1989, Clifton was a professor of literature and creative writing at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She was Distinguished Professor of Humanities at St. Mary's College of Maryland. From 1995 to 1999, she was a visiting professor at Columbia University. In 2006, she was a fellow at Dartmouth College.
Clifton received the Robert Frost Medal for lifetime achievement posthumously, from the Poetry Society of America.
She was the first person in her family to finish high school and attend college. She started Howard University on scholarship as a drama major but lost the scholarship two years later.
Thus began her writing career.
Good Times, her first book of poems, was published in 1969. She has since been nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and has been honored as Maryland's Poet Laureate.
Ms. Clifton's foray into writing for children began with Some of the Days of Everett Anderson, published in 1970.
In 1976, Generations: A Memoir was published. In 2000, she won the National Book Award for Poetry, for her work "Poems Seven".
From 1985 to 1989, Clifton was a professor of literature and creative writing at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She was Distinguished Professor of Humanities at St. Mary's College of Maryland. From 1995 to 1999, she was a visiting professor at Columbia University. In 2006, she was a fellow at Dartmouth College.
Clifton received the Robert Frost Medal for lifetime achievement posthumously, from the Poetry Society of America.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
May 19, 2020
Students in our classroom are eager to reenact this storyline during quarantine storytelling time. It’s about a boy who doesn’t believe in spring until something terrific happens.
July 1, 2016
It doesn't take much to give a child hope....
Illustrated by the Caldecott honored creator of Thy Friend, Obadiah. Unlike The Snowy Day the mom is slim, groomed, and lovely, not a controversial 'mammy' figure. The economic and ethnic diversity of the people sharing this classroom and these city streets is fully believable, and resembles what I saw when I spent time in Minneapolis not too many years ago... I believe this book is probably still relevant. It's certainly accessible, fun in a way as the boys take on the Quest, but also powerful as we see how irrelevant the teacher's choice of materials is to her students.
Illustrated by the Caldecott honored creator of Thy Friend, Obadiah. Unlike The Snowy Day the mom is slim, groomed, and lovely, not a controversial 'mammy' figure. The economic and ethnic diversity of the people sharing this classroom and these city streets is fully believable, and resembles what I saw when I spent time in Minneapolis not too many years ago... I believe this book is probably still relevant. It's certainly accessible, fun in a way as the boys take on the Quest, but also powerful as we see how irrelevant the teacher's choice of materials is to her students.
June 23, 2014
This book has been trying to get to me for years. I've had it in my classroom collection for years but I hadn't read it until today. Imagine my surprise when I opened the front cover and saw that my copy had been autographed by the author, Lucille Clifton, herself! :) I had to read it and I'm happy I did.
Like other reviewers, I was intrigued at the premise that a boy didn't believe that spring would come. However, as you read the story, the setting becomes so important. Published in 1973, the city looks like a city would in the early 70's. Not stereotypical, just a moment in time. The illustrator captures this very subtly. And as I thought about the city, it dawned on me that of course, a child of the city might have a hard time believing that spring would eventually come (especially after the winter we just experienced this year).
I appreciated the friendship between the two main characters, boys named King Shabazz and Tony Polito, both from different backgrounds. It wasn't an explicit detail in the story, just a detail. Their diversity opens access to the story up to a variety of children. However, access for city children is what sticks with me. The boys wander through busy streets, fenced in playgrounds, bus stops, crosswalks and all the things that a child growing up in the city would expect to see.
Two city children, different backgrounds, friends, questioning their teachers, avoiding the neighborhood bully, finding spring? Yeap, this is a good one.
Definitely a book worth believing in.
Like other reviewers, I was intrigued at the premise that a boy didn't believe that spring would come. However, as you read the story, the setting becomes so important. Published in 1973, the city looks like a city would in the early 70's. Not stereotypical, just a moment in time. The illustrator captures this very subtly. And as I thought about the city, it dawned on me that of course, a child of the city might have a hard time believing that spring would eventually come (especially after the winter we just experienced this year).
I appreciated the friendship between the two main characters, boys named King Shabazz and Tony Polito, both from different backgrounds. It wasn't an explicit detail in the story, just a detail. Their diversity opens access to the story up to a variety of children. However, access for city children is what sticks with me. The boys wander through busy streets, fenced in playgrounds, bus stops, crosswalks and all the things that a child growing up in the city would expect to see.
Two city children, different backgrounds, friends, questioning their teachers, avoiding the neighborhood bully, finding spring? Yeap, this is a good one.
Definitely a book worth believing in.
July 2, 2010
I liked this Lucille Clifton picturebook much better! The protagonist, King Shabazz, has a fashion style and exploring impulse akin to my own. Instead of just accepting what "spring" is and that it has arrived once more, Shabazz sets out one day with shades in place and friend in hand to go see "spring" for himself. The signs of spring mentioned by his mother and teacher come from a more rural source, and Shabazz is most definitely from the city.
The city that Shabazz and friend explore very much remind me of Cambridge, specifically Central Square's murals and mish mash of commercial enterprises. It's no surprise to read that the illustrator, Brinton Turkle, was educated at the School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. It's a nice book to share out loud with kids, and reinforce the natural instinct to look around and observe the natural phenomena that does survive in the city.
The city that Shabazz and friend explore very much remind me of Cambridge, specifically Central Square's murals and mish mash of commercial enterprises. It's no surprise to read that the illustrator, Brinton Turkle, was educated at the School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. It's a nice book to share out loud with kids, and reinforce the natural instinct to look around and observe the natural phenomena that does survive in the city.
February 8, 2013
As a past professor of mine, Lucille always showed me kindness when I saw her at readings. Bumped into her in 2008 and she gave me a signed copy of this book and I love it.
She always lived and wrote with dignity and self control... and self respect... and offered the respect to all her students and guided them toward a more humane, spiritual, intelligent self control... one of the best lessons she brought to light, and there were many, was the challenge to know the difference between mere self esteem and purposeful self control and self respect. She always looked at self as a community of interlocutors that coalesce in us and emerge from that self in our voice.. be it poetry or the actions of our daily living.
She always lived and wrote with dignity and self control... and self respect... and offered the respect to all her students and guided them toward a more humane, spiritual, intelligent self control... one of the best lessons she brought to light, and there were many, was the challenge to know the difference between mere self esteem and purposeful self control and self respect. She always looked at self as a community of interlocutors that coalesce in us and emerge from that self in our voice.. be it poetry or the actions of our daily living.
June 20, 2008
Published in 1973, the pictures reflect the styles of the time. But, the story is an interesting look at how an urban African American boy and his Italian best friend go on a quest to find evidence of Spring in the city after his teacher says it is "right around the corner." The story is a good reminder that we need to teach curriculum so that it is relevant for the students in our classroom.
June 19, 2014
I thought this book was touching. It could be used in a classroom for comparing urban, suburban, and rural experiences. The teacher could also do lessons on idioms and seasons.
September 1, 2015
This book conveys exactly the feeling I have every March in Chicago.
Read
November 21, 2024A story of friendship and courage and that good old childhood angry know-it-all that some of us are familiar with. I loved how the illustrations by Brinton Turkle paired with the writing, the character’s expressions, style and the colorful depiction of the urban setting.
July 22, 2014
While I often find myself rolling my eyes, gagging, skipping pages and making up dialogue and narration when reading books to children, The Boy Who Didn't Believe in Spring really struck a chord with me.
Why? I really found myself relating to the main characters' -- King Shabazz and Tony Palito -- skepticism, which is completely founded until they dare themselves to step outside of their day-to-day routine. When they do, they end up rewarding themselves with a moment of magic and awe - capable of transcending what would otherwise be a natural and understandable pessimism about the world.
I also liked the 70s-era vernacular, aesthetic and racial commentary.
4.3
Why? I really found myself relating to the main characters' -- King Shabazz and Tony Palito -- skepticism, which is completely founded until they dare themselves to step outside of their day-to-day routine. When they do, they end up rewarding themselves with a moment of magic and awe - capable of transcending what would otherwise be a natural and understandable pessimism about the world.
I also liked the 70s-era vernacular, aesthetic and racial commentary.
4.3
June 18, 2013
This book is an awesome. Not only does it make me feeling like I am back in New York City in the 70's. Although I was not born in the 70's I felt a connection to the era the author had depicted. I love the pictures and the story line. I also like the way the author develops the characters. My favorite part of the book was when he changed his initial thought process. It shows that people can change once they find the answers they are looking for or answers that will help guide their original thought to a newly developed one.
Read
March 22, 2011This is an older book that we used on the first day of Spring in class. The students loved the idea of not believing in Spring and they were able to talk about their feelings/memories of Spring when the story was over, which could have easily led to a writing lesson. The story strays away from any stereotypes, which I really appreciate from a book written decades ago.
June 18, 2013
This can be a book to teach children to venture out and discover things for themselves. It could be used to encourage kids to ask questions about things that they are curious about or don't understand.
April 13, 2014
Enjoyed reading this, especially because I read it to the kids during a spring that seemed to take forever to arrive.
I like the feeling of the boys pushing past their limits to explore their interests.
I like the feeling of the boys pushing past their limits to explore their interests.
April 7, 2015
It's like Susan Eloïse Hinton wrote a book about spring. Evocative imagery and language to convey urban America in the early seventies.
July 5, 2008
i love the way this book was written, and the illustrations are perfect! the main character has the true spirit of so many little boys i've encountered. this book will make you miss being a child.
November 23, 2015
Charming
December 4, 2015
One of the best books that I have ever read! My mom bought it for me when I was a little girl and I have never forgotten it!!
July 10, 2016
King Shabazz didn't believe in Spring because he grew up in the city. Brinton Turkle pictures added validity to the story.
Want to Read
September 4, 2016I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14138360
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14138360
May 31, 2017
This book had drama and daring-- the boys cross the street! It had moral ambiguity and the courage to change one's mind.
March 26, 2018
Engaging and beautifully illustrated. The 4-6 year olds in my class loved it.
March 27, 2026
King Shabazz and Tony Polito are now my two most favourite picture book characters ever.
I absolutely love this book. It's a free read on OpenLibrary, and I chuckled all the way through. What character is captured in these pint-sized toughs! Ridiculously adorable, totally nostalgic (I didn't grow up in NYC in the 1970s, but thanks to re-runs of Sesame Street from that decade, my mental landscape was partly laid down there).
King Shabazz... I want to hear how the rest of his life went. Badly. :) And I want to hear his mom's POV. XD
I absolutely love this book. It's a free read on OpenLibrary, and I chuckled all the way through. What character is captured in these pint-sized toughs! Ridiculously adorable, totally nostalgic (I didn't grow up in NYC in the 1970s, but thanks to re-runs of Sesame Street from that decade, my mental landscape was partly laid down there).
King Shabazz... I want to hear how the rest of his life went. Badly. :) And I want to hear his mom's POV. XD
September 29, 2024
I selected this book because I wanted to incorporate books about the things around us, that would introduce a topic of discussion. The Boy Who Didn't Believe in Spring in a witty book about a little boy who is trying to understand what this "Spring" thing is all about. As adults we talk about things not realizing that children are learning the meaning behind everything as they grow. I think the book is funny and has nice graphics that children, grades K-1st would enjoy.
Read
February 17, 2025I'd actually never heard of this one until I came across it on someone's Instagram post.
King Shabazz doesn't believe in Spring, and why should he since signs of it are few and far between in his city neighborhood. Then one day, he and his friend Tony Polito set out to find evidence of this "Spring". (Spoiler alert, they find it.)
A New York Times review from 1973 summed up this one pretty well: "It's fun. It's believable. It makes you smile awhile."
King Shabazz doesn't believe in Spring, and why should he since signs of it are few and far between in his city neighborhood. Then one day, he and his friend Tony Polito set out to find evidence of this "Spring". (Spoiler alert, they find it.)
A New York Times review from 1973 summed up this one pretty well: "It's fun. It's believable. It makes you smile awhile."
January 16, 2022
King Shabazz is a boy who doesn't believe in spring. Everyone tells him about the signs...but he doesn't see them because he lives in a busy city. He decides to investigate; and along with his friend Tony, they discover small signs of spring sprinkled throughout the city.
A story about seasons, and how they might look different in the city versus in the country.
A story about seasons, and how they might look different in the city versus in the country.
February 18, 2025
What a pleasure to discover this book from 1973, with its closely observed dialogue of the time and childhood friendship in the streets of a big city, New York or Chicago maybe. The conceit of not believing in spring is a bit of a stretch but its discovery is lovely. Terrific illustrations by Britton Turkle.
March 16, 2020
I remember really liking this book, but re-reading it just now, it wasn’t as good as I remembered. It felt somewhat of an abrupt ending, my 4year old evening asked why I closed the book. Well, because it was over... 😏
November 11, 2024
This is a great children's book by a great poet, with wonderful illustrations. It delivers a fantastic message about intercultural, interracial friendships, in the guise of the childhood discovery of spring.
February 23, 2019
All the nostalgic feels. And it so feels like me, "Spring! Where you at?"
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews