Is This . . . Spring?

Helen Yoon’s Is This . . . ?

by Helen Yoon

When the joys of breathing in spring get hijacked by hacking and sneezing, find a delightful antidote in Helen Yoon’s comical ode to a glorious season.

Hooray! It’s spring! As one exuberant pup knows, spring means laundry waving on the line, romping in fields of flowers, and gentle, fragrant breezes. But wait . . . What’s with the . . . sniff, sniff . . . What’s with the . . . Hurk! Haaa. What’s with the . . . ah-ah-HACHOOO! Oh no! This is terrible! Is spring . . . ruined? Sharing a few seasonal hacks in more ways than one, Helen Yoon celebrates as only she can: with bumbling affection, good humor, and slack-jawed wonder.

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Childrens, Humor, Storytime, Juvenile, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

Published March 3, 2026

About the author

Helen Yoon is a freelance illustrator and creative consultant operating in the greater Los Angeles area. Sheepish is her first picture book.

Reviews

[Becky]

PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG: https://bookreadingtic.com/2026/04/25... AND PLEASE FOLLOW ME, THANK YOU!

Achoo!

Spring is here and so is an excited puppy dog. He takes his over-the-top energy outside where he romps around in the new growth and makes snow angels in the dirt.

He is having a great time until he starts sneezing, and sneezing all over the place. Allergies have brought his fun to a halt.

Just when he thinks everything is over for him and he won’t be able to go outdoors, he comes up with a hilarious way to go outside and not sneeze.

Just like children, the puppy shows his excitement and joy by running around. Little ones will identify with him, and like the idea of doing that themselves. They might even know someone with allergies.

The author does a good job of weaving in funny moments.

As you read, pause and ask your child: "What would you do if you were that puppy and couldn't stop sneezing? How would you get back outside?" Enjoy what you two talk about. Then, prepare to laugh out loud at the puppy’s actual solution.

Children three to seven will enjoy this five-star picture book.

Thanks to Candlewick Books for providing Tickmenot with a book to review. Opinions are my own.

[Kim Wilch]

This trio of quick, quirky reads leans all the way into playful chaos. The bright, slightly wacky illustrations instantly set the tone, giving each story a fun, offbeat vibe. From a pup dealing with very relatable springtime allergies to a hilarious egg debate that flips your usual Easter expectations, these books keep things light and silly. Toss in a confused puppy navigating winter (with a surprise cameo), and you’ve got a set that’s short, sweet, and guaranteed to get a few laughs along the way.

[Janet]

Yes, this is another title about Spring, but definitely a very different point of view about the beautiful blooming Spring. While the main character here is a dog what happens to him happens to many humans in Spring.

[Melki]

A little dog's exuberance for the season quickly turns to sneezing when allergies take over.
(P.S. - dogs can have Benadryl.)

I love the backgrounds - bright colors with loads of flowers, but I can't stand the way the dog is drawn.

[Roben]

Hooray for spring and all the warm weather and lovely blooms. Our pup is very excited until.... Ah choo! Allergies! Oh no! Fortunately there are a few ways to still enjoy spring - even with allergies.

[Cara Byrne]

It's early April in Cleveland, Ohio, and any day the temperature rises to 60 degrees, we celebrate the warmth and the beautiful flowers in bloom... and sneeze. This energetic and brief picture book celebrates this combination with a humorous solution at the end.

[Binxie]

Readers really get the sense of spring through the illustrations of this book. It is cute and colorful, and might work for a storytime. Will revisit.

[Terresa Wellborn]

Themes: spring, dogs, allergies, humor
Ages: preK-1st grade
Pub year: 2026

[Autumn]

Absolutely adorable, the illustrations made me laugh out loud, and I actually had tears running down my face. My co-workers probably think I'm insane but his silly little face was too cute!

[Abbigail]

Short and sweet but VERY sweet book about spring and dogs.

[Alyssa Mandell]

A really funny story about a dog who LOVES spring, finds out they are allergic. I wish the book was bigger! Otherwise it is a PERFECT storytime book.

[Karen Ashmore]

As someone with spring allergies, I enjoyed this book about being allergic to spring. My grand daughter also enjoyed this picture book and broke out into loud laughter when I read this book to her.

[kim]

meh

[Y.Poston]

So cute and such a descriptor of Spring (for those of us with allergies)

[Alice]

4.5 stars
A cute dog is so super excited that it's spring (or is it?) that it dashes out to smell spring...and discovers an allergy. Does that stop the dog from going back out? Of course not.