Our Seasons by Sue Lowell Gallion, illustrated by Lisk Feng

This is an interesting 3-D concept, a board book that opens out into a globe with a magnetic section that "clicks" it into place. I previously reviewed Our World, which I added to a kit on geography, but I think this would make a great display object and actually work well as a book too.

From the front, the book looks like a half-globe. Open it up, and each spread is a 2-D representation of a globe. The base includes the text. A few simple sentences on the left describe the season while a paragraph in smaller type on the right gives more information. The first spread is a winter scene, then a flower-dotted meadow, still showing snow in a few spots. The seasons, animals, and people shown fit into the traditional model of four seasons, winter, spring, summer, and fall. There are barnyard scenes with pigs and sheep, foxes and deer eating berries, colored leaves and migrating birds, etc. There is a beach with palm trees shown as part of the summer section.

The last four spreads explain the why there are seasons, with a science of all four traditional seasons, outer space, and simultaneous seasons around the world. The last spread mirrors the first, with the same tree shown now clothed in green with birds, animals, and children picking flowers. Set the book on its base and pull the front and back covers together, and they will "latch" with the magnet inside them, creating a book globe.

There are lots of conventional season stories, but they are more or less accurate for our climate in the Midwest and teachers and parents always want more. This is sturdy enough to circulate well as a book or in a kit, but it would also make a great display object if you have a nature or activity table.

Verdict: Not a necessary purchase, but a fun additional one and the illustrations are very attractive.

ISBN: 9781838664329; Published April 2022 by Phaidon; Review copy provided by publisher