Spring in the Forest: A Seasons in the Forest Book

by Christine Copeland, Chris Weeks (Designer)

Spring in the Forest is the third in a series of seasonal picture books for pre-K and early elementary children. It's about the natural world, in particular the deciduous forest of the American Northeast. This book depicts the sparkling newness of spring and the young life of both plants and animals. The three primary themes are young animals, emerging plants, and growing light. The language of these books is lyrical, the images are engaging and sometimes humorous but always realistic - think field guides for 3- to 8-year-olds. There is an amphibian identification page in back for young readers who explore wetlands. Children will learn the names and habits of forest animals and plants so that they can recognize them in natural settings. These books engage children's innate curiosity and connection to the living world so that they can learn complex principals in simple, age- appropriate language.

32 pages, Hardcover

Published April 22, 2023

About the author

Christine Copeland lives in the forest of Massachusetts with her husband Bill, a pediatrician, naturalist and teacher, and their dogs and cat. Her sons have fledged but return seasonally. Christine has a BFA from Cornell University and a Masters in Education from Antioch New England. She combines her love for painting with her love for young children and nature-based education. She is an author/illustrator and also paints in oil. Her work can be seen at christinecopelandbooks.com and bcc-studios.com/paintings.

Reviews

[Jeff Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spring in the Forest is the third in the series that I've gotten for my grandkids, six, four and two. This is a hit like the others. The illustrations are colorful & simple. We love the bright orange mouths of the baby Ovenbirds waiting for mother to pop something inside. What will she give them? A jelly bean? We laugh at such a silly idea. Nooo, a juicy worm! Do Salamander eggs have a shell like a chicken? Nooo, they are slimy! Each page briefly introduces a different creature or plant of the forest. We find lots to talk about on every page. The images are soothing and great for reading at nap time or bedtime. Also for drawing our own versions of the scenes of the forest. Highly recommend this book. June is almost here so I assume the Summer version of this series will be released soon and I can make our collection complete.

Marion M Houston, TX

[Rina Zampieron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Christine Copeland's Spring in the Forest made me smile with remembered memories of my own time spent outdoors during spring. She captured all of my favorite moments and brought them to life with her gorgeous watercolor illustrations. The clean prose allows the reader to immerse themselves in those delightful surprises that seem to spring out of nowhere as the seasons change. A wonderful book to share with young ones as a spark that ignites their desire to get outside and search for the wonders of Spring.

[Jonathan Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spring in the Forest is a lovely book. Reads like a great nature poem with wonderful full page watercolors that delight with native animals that might be encountered in the local forest this time of year. Targeted at children around the age of 4-5, Spring in the Forest does a good job of being heart-warming and educational at the same time! If you have a young one that is interested in animals and the outdoors I would highly recommend this!

-Mass Audubon's Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary