Finding Spring

by Carin Berger

Instead of hibernating as he should, a little bear cub goes out in search of spring—and he thinks he's found it! Gloriously illustrated with dioramas and cut-paper collages by the award-winning designer and illustrator Carin Berger, this stunning picture book celebrates the changing of the seasons. “ Maurice’s impatient enthusiasm for warm weather will be all-too-relatable. — New York Times “Exceptional, exhilarating artwork perfectly suited for a story about anticipation, discovery and joy.”— Kirkus Reviews, starred review  A baby bear cub named Maurice is curious about spring—and he's upset when Mama tells him that before he can experience his first spring, he has to hibernate through his first winter! Mischievous Maurice decides to leave their warm den and go find spring for himself. He asks all his friends for help . . . and finally finds something beautiful and full of magic and light. Spring! He wraps it up and takes it home, determined to show Mama and everyone else. The only problem? When Maurice wakes up, his little piece of spring (a snowball) has melted. This gloriously illustrated book celebrates friendship, curiosity, discovery, and the meaning and beauty of two seasons—winter and spring. Ideal for the classroom, seasonal story times, and bedtime reading.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Storytime, Fiction, Nature, Juvenile

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 27, 2015

About the author

Carin Berger is an award-winning designer and illustrator. She is the creator of Not So True Stories & Unreasonable Rhymes and All Mixed Up, and the illustrator of Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant, by Jack Prelutsky. She won the Society of Illustrators Founder's Award in 2006, and Publishers Weekly called her "one to watch." Carin Berger lives with her family in New York City.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carin Berger creates a story from collages of cut-outs from ephemera, such as catalogues, letters, ticket stubs. You can sometimes see words on the various pieces of paper, and it is beautiful. The story is of a little bear, Maurice, whose mama is ready to hibernate; he has never experienced spring, though, so goes out to find it, not knowing what it is. Are the snowflakes a sign of spring? He comes across various animals like rabbits and squirrels who tell him to be patient, but he just can't, he's a non-conformist, he's an independent spirit, maybe like an illustrator who makes children's art out of ephemera!? The art is maybe better than the story, but the story is also sweet.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eager to see his first Spring, Maurice the bear pesters his mother about its arrival, only to be told that he will experience it when they awaken from their hibernation. Not content to wait until then, Maurice sets out into the woods to search for Spring, encountering his very first snowfall. Imagining that this is Spring, he carefully saves a ball of snow for later, joining his mother in her slumbers. When he awakens, he imagines that 'Spring' is gone because the snowball has melted, only to meet it for the first time...

A sweet picture-book celebration of the seasons, Finding Spring is an excellent companion to The Little Yellow Leaf , Carin Berger's examination of the beauties of autumn. The illustrations are just lovely, which comes as no surprise, given my appreciation for the artist's previous work. Assembled from cut paper and found ephemera, the scenes here are full of interesting little details, from the lined paper used for the end-pages to the little bits of text (part of the cut paper used) that appear in various places throughout. The lines of text running up the borders of the trees, in one scene, create a fascinating visual effect. Recommended to anyone looking for children's books about the changing of the seasons, as well as to fellow fans of Carin Berger's art.

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seasonal change for bear and he set off to find spring. Incredible paper cut out art pictures.

[Davenport Public Library Iowa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book entirely delightful from the story to the fun illustration style with paper cutouts. A little bear cub is anxiously awaiting spring, so instead of falling asleep with his mom he goes out a collects a snow ball. When he awakes, he is pleasant surprised to learn the the real meaning of spring!

This book would be great for teaching children the differences between the seasons.

Find this book in the Davenport Public Library's collection here: https://rivershare.polarislibrary.com...

[Shiloah · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 cute, but overly simple. Predictable.

[Michele Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maurice the cub is out searching for spring when he should be hibernating. I feel just like Maurice right now, searching for spring but only seeing winter.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet picture book in which a bear cub who is supposed to be hibernating, goes in search of Spring. The real pleasure of this book can be found in the author, Berger's, cut-paper collages, which she creates using ephemera such as catalogues, old books, receipts, letters and ticket stubs. 3.5 stars

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated. Cute story about baby bear looking for spring, but the pictures are really the star here.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a resident of the Chicago area, I both empathize with Maurice (spring takes forever to arrive) and am jealous of him (I want to hibernate).

[Doc. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is no mere picture book, y’all; this is ART.

One of the most beautifully illustrated books that I’ve read, Finding Spring follows a young bear named Maurice as he sets off on an adventure. He’s never seen the season of spring, and he hopes it will live up to his dreams. The book boasts some fabulous full-page spreads made with detailed cut-outs:



When Mama Bear falls into a restful winter-long sleep, Maurice’s curiosity gets the better of him and he sneaks out to explore. Mistaking a snowflake for a sign of spring, he follows it through the entire forest. This forest is made from mixed-media collages, utilising old letters, receipts, catalogues, and such. If you look closely, you can see the writing hidden below:



Maurice follows the crystal all the way to the highest part of the forest, where he voices the reader’s thoughts: “Wow!” Dazzled by the beauty of “spring”, in which he sees none of the dreariness that adults do, he takes a piece of snow back home to show his mother. Maurice’s delightful sense of wonder and awe of nature is palpable, just like his world itself feels immensely layered:



When Mama Bear wakes up, Maurice rushes to show her his discovery but alas, the evidence has melted! So they decide to find spring together this time, soon joined by the other forest dwellers. Once atop the great hill, they finally find what they seek... and it’s just as amazing to Maurice as winter. I love recycling old stuff, and this last page leaves no doubt that Berger does it best:

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was as much about the illustrations as about the story for me. The story features a young bear who isn't ready to hibernate, and really wants to find spring. Apparently he doesn't actually know what spring is, because he asks everyone where he can find it, and ends up in a field of snow, believing he has completed his quest. He brings 'spring' back with him to the cave, and is shocked when he awakens to find only a puddle. Apparently baby bear doesn't know what snow is either. He then again goes to find spring, this time with his mother and friends. It is sweet, but I had trouble with someone implying the crisp smell of snow is the scent of spring.

The illustrations are wonderful; pieces of paper layered to create the world of bear. This book is worth looking at for them alone.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 4 out of 5]

Add to shelves: ARC, Season Spring, Fall, Winter, Children, Greenwillow, HC

I cannot imagine how much time and effort goes into making a picture book such as this collage. It is quite lovely and full of it's own unique personality. This little bear cub is in search of spring and finds the unique bits if each season in between.

Thanks to HC for an ARC.
Updated Jacketed Hardcover

posted: http://creativemadnessmama.com/blog/2...

I received this product free for the purpose of reviewing it. I received no other compensation for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are my personal, honest opinions. Your experience may vary. Please read my full disclosure policy for more details.

[Bmack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! This illustrations are wonderful and the story line is so sweet. This little bear has never experienced spring and is so excited that he can't sleep through winter. Instead he goes looking for Spring when his mama falls asleep. He finds "spring" in the form of snow and takes some back to show everyone but when he wakes from his hibernation "spring" is gone. They decide to go looking for it again and find it all around.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the collage artwork in this book. It’s about a little bear who wants to find spring, but it is winter and time to sleep. He sneaks out of his hibernation den anyway, discovers snowflakes, and decides he had found spring (though it’s actually snowflakes). So when spring really arrives, he has trouble finding spring. This may elicit a few giggles from kids who know the difference between snowflakes and springtime

[Hapzydeco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maurice, a curious bear, sneaks out of his Mama’s cave where they are beginning their hibernation to see if he can see Spring. The problem is that Maurice only sees snowflakes because it is winter. But when Maurice finally wakes up at the proper time, he finds a meadow full of flowers. The combination of cut paper and digital photography makes for a unique presentation.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super sweet. Super cute. Loved the illustrations.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was so sweet, but the illustrations were too linear and sharp. For me, a story about a baby bear should be a bit softer.

[Susan Schuler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated book featuring collage and paper cuts.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I'm a sucker for collage illustrations. Great story!

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

"But all Maurice could think about was his first spring."

Right from the first page, a logical reader might sense trouble. Or a psychologist, oh gack! Because how, exactly, is it possible that little Maurice can only think about spring... when he hasn't yet experienced that season even once?

All the more troubling, perhaps, because Maurice is a little bear. Unless I missed something, bears are not especially celebrated in animal culture for their astounding imaginations. But fear not, Goodreaders.

BECAUSE THE STAGE IS BEING SET FOR...

Pure fantasy. Once you get used to this fact, Goodreaders, you can kick off your shoes and stop cramming whatever you read into any human perspective of realism, anything the least bit realistic or believable whatsoever.

Enter a Carin's childlike world of fantasy and beauty. Then you can start having a fun time, watching the little bear travel over very complex landscapes. Both the bear and all the other animals, and every bit of the landscape, etc., they're made out of what?

Cut paper, that's what.

BY THE END I decide to go quietly and award this book FIVE STARS. Well done, author and illustrator Carin Berger, with special appreciation for all the cut paper collages.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the illustrations, but the story left me wanting more. The little bear wants to find spring. He mistakenly thinks a snowball is spring, takes it home where he falls asleep for the winter. When he awakes in the actual spring, he continues to look for spring, and this is where the book lost me. The other animals play along as the bear misses every sign of spring around him until suddenly he decides he's found it. But I didn't understand what exactly happened to shift the story. In the end, the narrator says, "Maurice had finally found SPRING," but we don't hear Maurice acknoledge that he understands what spring really is.

[Olivia S · Rating 2 out of 5]

Neat illustrations, but I wasn't wild on the story. Seems to rip off the Snowy Day (Ezra Jack Keats) a bit. A young bear goes searching for spring, and thinks he finds it in the first snowfall. He makes a snowball to take home to his den, falls asleep for the winter, and when he wakes up "spring" (his snowball) is gone. He then discovers that in place of snow the hill is covered in flowers and decides that he has found spring. No real explanation of how he figured out that spring was flowers not snow.

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the artwork in this book. The use of so many different types of materials to create the art really gave the images some texture and life.

All I could think about when Maurice leaves the den after Mama goes to sleep was how I always wonder what will happen when my daughter is old enough to get out of bed and wander around while I'm asleep!

[deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best part of this book was the lovely paper cut-out artwork that combined notepaper, construction paper, patterned sheets, and other paper paraphernalia to craft a super pretty woodland. This story as a whole has a calm, soothing feel to it but is also embedded with a sense of curiosity- all in all a great children's book!

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was really jarring to me and in a way that it would have been jarring to me as a child. For example, why would Maurice have been told about spring but not winter? Also, I found the illustrations to be really dingy and the characters bizarrely misshaped. It was all just strange and a bit creepy. I am happy to be giving this book back to the library.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little bear is excited to experience his first spring. He is intent on finding it. As cold crystals begin to fall from the sky, he thinks this is spring but when he tries to bring it home to his mother, it's disappeared. He does not understand that to experience spring, he must experience winter, first.

Recommended for storytime. A good one for between the seasons.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maurice is a little bear who is intent on finding Spring instead of hiberhating. He thinks he finds it and he wraps it up in a scarf. But it is really Spring?

The illustrations are a type of cut-and-paste deal. They are really cool. They add depth to each page.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't be deceived. This is a Fall story.

A little bear is getting ready to hibernate, but cannot sleep because he is too excited to see his first Spring. As he explores the forest he mistakes something mysterious and cold, as the signs of Spring.

[Margaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baby bear can't wait for his first spring, so much so that he can't fall asleep when it's time to hibernate. He explores and thinks he finds spring in the snowflakes falling all around. Only when his mama wakes up and she shows him true spring does he understand. Mixed-media illustrations

[Sandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story. Good read aloud. The illustrations are collaged, but not just any paper. . . ephemera ( I love that word!). The pages of snowflakes, wow! Carin Berger's website is groovy.
Greenwillow books.