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Sing in the Spring! 
Sheree Fitch, quilt art by Deb Plestid 
Nimbus Publishing 
(Ages 4-8) 

A jubilant collaboration that bursts with colour and life, this book  captures the many-faceted wonders of spring, and the awe that they enkindle. With mama’s hum-along song to “bring in, ring in, sing in the spring” as a joyous refrain throughout, Fitch adroitly describes how even in the stillness and storminess of winter, whilst many creatures sleep, signs of spring nestle beneath the earth.   

Soon the snow and ice will melt and river waters will flow once more and birds and blooms and all of nature will begin to stir. The spring rains and mud puddles and hummingbirds reappearing like magic will bring freshness and new life in this time of new beginnings, with its “heart sparkly/gold glittery/glad shimmery LIGHT on EVERYTHING!” 

The author revels in not only the beauty of the natural world but also in the musicality of her chosen words, and in the ability of imagery and imagination to bring to life these wonders all around us. The poetry flows like the waters that ripple and break free from winter’s icy grip, and her carefully crafted word-pictures are a joy to read aloud and savour. Her observations are detailed and expressive, infused with reverence.   

The artwork is similarly evocative, richly textured and filled with delights to engage all of the senses. Plestid’s exquisite quilts add another layer of depth as they capture the warmth and light and life that emanate from the text. Intricate, infused with colour and radiant light, perfectly precise in their rendering of a myriad of tiny details, each image is its own marvel that is meant to be pored over.