Round and Round the Year We Go

by Carter Higgins

Eric Carle meets Chicken Soup with Rice in this joyful dance through the year one month at a time, sure to whirl young readers right along with it.

Time never passed so happily! From sledding and snowman-crafting in January to the New Year’s countdown in December, childlike drawings and jolly text describe each month of the year with all the fun that each one promises. This book works like a song: each month is a new verse, and readers transition into each new season by a chorus with a recurring refrain, which is riffed on throughout the year.

Beloved author-illustrator Carter Higgins is back with all her quirky warmth in Round and Round the Year We Go, a book as fun to read aloud as it is to listen to and learn from. Story time is sure to provoke giggles, games, and ideas for your own seasonal escapades.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Childrens, Storytime, Fiction, Nature, School

48 pages, Hardcover

Published August 6, 2024

About the author

Carter Higgins is the author of the middle grade novel A Rambler Steals Home (HMH) and three picture books from Chronicle Books: This Is Not a Valentine (illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins), Everything You Need for a Treehouse (illustrated by Emily Hughes), and Bikes for Sale (illustrated by Zachariah Ohora).

Her first picture book as both author and illustrator, Circle Under Berry, releases in 2021 from Chronicle Books. Also releasing in 2021 is Audrey L and Audrey W: Best Friends-ish, a chapter book illustrated by Jennifer K. Mann. Big and Small and In Between, a picture book illustrated by Daniel Miyares, releases in 2022.

She is an Emmy-winning visual effects and motion graphics artist and spent a decade as an elementary school librarian. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @carterhiggins. She lives in Nevada.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

My pet peeve is books that won't just pick a rhyme scheme and stick to it. Some pages were so much fun to read out loud and then the rhythm would change so much that I'd start tripping over my words.

[Rebecca]

There were some parts of the text that were just perfection. And then others that seemed so off that they barely made sense- both in terms of the rhyming scheme, the subject matter, and just what it (didn't) contribute to the story. Had all of had the consistency of its best parts, this would be an automatic 5 stars for me.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful whimsical way to start off the year, or the school year, or just enjoy any month and every season of the year.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much showcases Higgins's sense of rhythm and the kinds of words that feel good when read aloud together. High on whimsy, a little questionable on sense. Really enjoyed the collage-ish illustrations.

[Elayne Crain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here in Seattle, it's our first half-week of school. No surprise, then, that my thoughts are turning to the excitement (and, let's face it, a bit of apprehension) of all that a new school year brings. There will be many big, and little, moments to mark and celebrate--and I've got the perfect book for moment-marking to share today: Carter Higgins's newest, Round and Round the Year We Go.

This book is as bright and airy and buzzy as a classroom, and I don't just mean the visual art (though it is, delightfully!). The text itself is one of those that beg to be read aloud for the mouthfeel--hitting an almost-criminal amount of umami notes that so many of us picture book writers struggle to find.

Honestly, I can't do better in the review than to quote the opening lines (post-title):

"icy air where
snowflakes vary
branches bare in
january

boots in pairs and
sleds to carry

at the top
it's very scary"

It's not just the sled being carried--we are. We are in the thick of it, carried along by the stream of words and imagery--and so, so much humor! 😂 (IMHO, a terribly under-used tool in many otherwise stunning lyrical picture books.)

Best of all, the ending is timeless--in every sense of the word.

This school year is busy, yes--but take a moment to check this one out.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid choice for teaching the 12 months of the year, starting with January, of course, and the four different seasons, this lyrical picture book is a 3.5 for me. The word choice throughout this book is simply delicious and skillful; for instance, "shadow-wary / visionary / fuzzy hairy/ february" (unpaged) and the clever countdown to the next year: "five / four / three / two / one / HOORAY! / heard all around the / world today" (unpaged). Created with acrylic paint, wax pencils, crayons and then composed in Photoshop, the illustrations contain interesting textures that add to the book's visual appeal. While the text itself is minimal, the words and phrases fit each month perfectly. There's an appreciation for each month, but also, building excitement for what's coming, yet another month, another season, and another year. And here it comes!

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE books by Carter Higgins so I was happy to see this one. January is the perfect month to talk about calendars, months, and seasons - all the things that make up a new year. And this book, filled with bright colors and cute mice, is a great way to teach those concepts. I loved looking for the mice and also the lovely fireworks for July! In December, there is a decorated tree that has pictures of some of the events of the year. It was fun to try to remember which picture went with which month. And also a great idea - to create an ornament, decoration, or piece of art for each month and then display them at the end of the year. Now, where was that cupcake?

Also - take a peek under the dust jacket and look at the cover of the book!

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vibrant illustrations make this calendar book go ‘round, chronicling some of the activities associated with each season and month of the year. As other reviewers have noted, however, the sophisticated vocabulary doesn’t seem suitable for wee ones, and the diction seems uneven, sometimes geared to ears first learning to sound out words and other times oriented to those who can appreciate the lyricism of the rhymes and the clever word play.

[Yapha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner from Carter Higgins! This is a fabulous picture book to introduce the months and the seasons to young children. The illustrations are bright and engaging and the rhyming verses just beg to be read out loud. Highly recommended for preschool & up.

eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss

[Miss Pippi the Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm going to say this is a poetry picture book and not a story picture book. I think it's geared for preschools, but I would use it in early elementary. It feels like a book of phraseology with no punctuation. The idea is clever and the art is fun! It's a book I wouldn't use for storytime because it's rather hard to follow along.

[Leticia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was really precious artwork, I love the concept, but the text was choppy and hard to understand for little ears. They heard me, but didn't really know what I was saying in the more poetic way it was written, so it was sort of a missed opportunity for them to learn about the months of the year when it was written like a riddle.

[Cheryl Gladfelter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and just so, so lovely. I think every time I read Carter Higgins, I like their work even more. I love how this story starts before the title page, and flows right into it. Elegantly done, and makes me feel. Would be great to reread every year.

Favorite lines?

oh hi, july
the night replies
with firecrackers
in the sky

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sing-song, rhyming exploration of the different months of the year. The text is simple enough for very young children, but the context assumes that readers will know which holidays are in which months, that February has 28 days, etc. Still, a good choice if you are presenting the months of the year or seasonal changes to young readers.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hit from Carter Higgins! Her style of writing and illustrating are early childhood perfection. I never tire of reading them with my littles. I cannot wait to share this new one. I’m going to pair it with Chicken Soup With Rice.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read aloud for a story time about the seasons or for a classroom about the months of the year. Rhyming text help it feel bouncy to read. A few words seemed out of place and it didn't always flow as well as it could, but overall it was a good addition to the calendar/season picture books.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 2 out of 5]

The syntax is so, so hard to follow, which will make it extra difficult for kids to guess the meaning of vocabulary words from context. This was also a little on the long side to not have a plotline. This is okay, but there are many better books about seasons.

[Marta-Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great read-aloud to accompany units on the seasons and months for preschool through 1st grade. Provides a nice opportunity to ask students what things they enjoy doing and experiencing each month/season.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Higgins takes younger readers on a journey through the seasons and months. Brightly colored pictures and simple rhyming text bring the months to life. Readers will connect with what happens and build on it from their own lives.

[Relena_reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is going to be our first read-aloud of the new year, but while the pages work individually, the overall flow is lacking. As a teaching book, this works, and the art is stunning, but this isn't something that I think my kindergarteners will be asking to take home.

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those picture books that reads as if it was published in the 1970's: it reads and feels like a classic. It's silly, seasonal, and sensational.

Themes: months & seasons of the year; stories they rhyme; poetry
Ages: preK-3rd grade
Pub year: 2024

[Thomas Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. I liked the way they had a mouse on every page and then an extra mouse on the seasons. But the 'story' itself was lacking. I've read better children's "seasons" book than this.

[Andi Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The playful rhymes make this such a charming and fun read aloud!

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever book about months and seasons and all that happens throughout the year. I’d like to try it with preschool or kinders.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some pretty elevated word choices. Not E. E. Cummings.

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite and a little on the long side.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful, poem for each month and connects to the seasons, has a good rhythm and repeating elements in the illustrations.

[Ross Felton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice, peaceful read. Some of the rhymes are maybe a bit clunky but I do tend to like anything that exposes children to poetry.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great way for teaching the months of the year and how many days in a month, etc.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The months and seasons are celebrated in this whimsical rhyming book. As others have said, some of the rhymes are spot-on, but others seem too muddled or esoteric for the target audience.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book on the months and seasons.