Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring

Changing Seasons #3

by Kenard Pak

In a simple, cheerful conversation with nature, a young boy observes how the season changes from winter to spring in Kenard Pak's Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring.

As days stretch longer, animals creep out from their warm dens, and green begins to grow again, everyone knows--spring is on its way!

Join a boy and his dog as they explore nature and take a stroll through the countryside, greeting all the signs of the coming season. In a series of conversations with everything from the melting brook to chirping birds, they say goodbye to winter and welcome the lushness of spring.

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 18, 2020

About the author

Kenard Pak has illustrated several acclaimed picture books, including Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? by Rits Gray and a sequence of seasonal books that began with Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn, which he also wrote. He has worked as an aimator on many films with Dreamworks, Walt Disney Feature Animation, and Laika. Pak lives and works in San Francisco, California.

Reviews

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought these books some time ago. Now that the 4th and last is about to be published, I'm looking forward to having these books accompany me through the seasons.

I like books that accompany you through the seasons and Kenard Pak has created one book for every seasonal change throughout the year.
My review for Summer: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review for Autumn: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review for Winter: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

As days stretch longer, animals creep out from their warm dens, and green begins to grow again, everyone knows - spring is on its way!
Join a boy and his dog as they explore nature on a stroll through the countryside, greeting all the signs of the coming season. In a series of conversations with everything from the melting brook to chirping birds, they say goodbye to winter and welcome the lushness of spring.



Sadly, the text could have been a bit more intricate, a bit more detailed about what the boy and his dog discover. Fortuntately, though, the illustrations made up for that.

The colour palette as well as the beauty of the full-page illustrations and hidden details were a delight!

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very simple and kind of symbolic with the boy walking through the woods and saying goodbye to Winter and hello to Spring. Probably more for toddlers. Much like reality, his goodbye is longer than his hello, but the end is quite joyous. I added a star for the beautiful artwork.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author/illustrator Kenard Pak returns with this third picture-book devoted to the changing seasons, following upon his Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn and Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter . Here a young boy - no doubt the younger brother from the previous title - walks around his rural home one winter night, saying hello to everything from the snow to the frozen pond. He is greeted in return, and each natural phenomenon or object explains what they are doing. Returning home, the boy goes to bed and wakes up to find a world thawing out, and moving into spring...

Much as I did with the previous two books, I felt that the artwork in Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring was significantly stronger than the text, which often felt more like a list than a narrative. The call and response structure can work very well in a picture-book, when done right, but I always find Pak's use of it rather awkward. I can't help but feel that these books would work better as wordless titles, given the fact that everything the rather stilted text conveys is also communicated through the artwork. Tastes vary, of course, so picture-book readers looking for titles about seasonal changes might want to take a look. It is to them, and to fans of Kenard Pak's artwork, that I would recommend this one.

[FM Family · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so disappointed by this book. We loved the previous two stories in the series, and eagerly anticipated this one, buying it for our family and a friend without checking it out of the library first, which is rare for us. But it didn’t hold up to the other two at all. Firstly, the illustration style seemed different, more of a computer animation style and less warm than the others. The rhythm of the story didn’t flow as well either, making it harder to read. And it just felt like a missed opportunity to celebrate the wonder of early spring, most of the story was an austere and dark feeling winter, it didn’t tap into the joy of winter as well as the end of Goodbye Autumn Hello Winter.

In short, a massive tonal and stylistic shift from the previous two stories that just didn’t work, and throws the series off.

[Jess | thegreeneyedreader · Rating 2 out of 5]

lacks a storyline, almost entirely about about winter

Storyline is very boring. Winter is portrayed in 85% of the book and only at night. This kid walks alone outside with a dog and sees things like a glass house. I wish it was more realistic in showing things a toddler/kid would see about winter in real life and I wish it wasn’t portrayed exclusively at night. Further I wish the focus was on Spring since it’s saying Hello spring. Instead only a couple pages are devoted to Spring and they don’t say much about it. The illustrations are pretty, but I’m glad I borrowed this from the library vs wasting money purchasing as we my toddler and I would not spend much time reading it.

[Star Gater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and NorthSouth Books Inc., NorthSouth Books for accepting my request to read and review Good-bye, Winter! Hello, Spring!

Published: 03/05/19

I would love a physical copy of this book to cut the illustrations out and frame. There are a couple pages I could see framed and placed on my bookshelves. They are beautiful, subtle and richly done.

The rhyming story is well-written for any age. I was moved forward by the writing while my eyes were admiring the illustrations (art). The author chose to take a bad choice, call it a mistake, without a painful lesson and move on. So beautiful.

I loved everything about this book.

I would gift and encourage babysitters to keep in their bags.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with the previous books in the series, I enjoyed the illustrations well enough but found the text rather bland. I like the concept of showing the change in seasons, and the young boy interacting with nature, but the overall effect just doesn't really make me feel the connection to the seasons. As with the previous books, I would have preferred if font style was different when the boy was speaking vs. nature responding to better differentiate the two, especially during a read-aloud.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loooovveeed the other two entries in this series, so I’m holding myself a little to blame that I was underwhelmed by this book. I think I wanted to see more daytime winter to appreciate the stark emptiness in contrast to the lushness of spring.

[KC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoy this author/illustrator and the series of books about the continuing change of seasons.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most people that know me know that winter is one of my least favorite seasons. And with social isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic in full swing, I'm so grateful to see winter give way to spring. I love to be able to get outside and walk or be in my yard. This lovely, lyrical conversation between a young boy and the outside world celebrates the transition from the cold, windy world of winter and the warming, colorful world of spring. This might be a good way to talk to young readers about point of view and speaker's voice in literature, as sometimes it's hard to tell who's speaking on the pages. This book is a nice follow up to the author's other seasonal transition books, Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn and Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter.

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable book that takes a slightly different poetic look at the changing of the season from winter to spring. The illustrations are both sturdy and soft; also poetic. It is a cozy book that rereading is not going to be a chore. Perhaps, this is more for adults than kids (ie: they can appreciate the art) but kids will like the walk/journey the child of the book takes.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy greets all the beautiful parts of winter from snow to a frozen pond to an empty nest to winter trees, and then watches as winter fades into spring.

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

A meditation on nature. The artwork is lush. This is an especially effective read as we head into winter.

[Sarah Tidmarsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art work is simple, yet enjoyable. The story is great for helping young readers how the seasons change.

This entire series has been a hit with my kids.

[Liz De Coster · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little more slanted towards winter art and words, but lovely illustrations.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the illustrations, and so did the kids, but the text did not really resonate with them. It was a nice book though.

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more, but the text was not good. The boy is saying hello to many parts of nature (winter night, frozen pond, slush and snow...) and they are responding. But it can be super confusing, because sometimes he's saying hello to two things in a row (Hello this, hello that) and other times he's saying hello and then the object responds with a hello. With no quotation marks or other indication, it was hard for this adult reader to know who was talking, so I would think kids could be puzzled as well. The illustrations are beautiful though!

[Karley Barfield]

Text-to-Self Connection
I love this children's book! I think season changes are so great and fun for children to understand. I love saying goodbye to winter and hello to spring. Spring is my absolute favorite season of the year. It is coming soon I hope. As a young child I loved to observe how the seasons changed, and what flowers, and animals began to grow again during spring. I'm starting to see changes and signs that spring is near and I'm very excited.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring by Kenard Pak. PICTURE BOOK Godwin Books (Henry Holt), 2020. $18. 9781250151728

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

A little boy and his dog go out on a winter night and watch the snow fall. They wander the forest and marvel at the ice and their footprints in the snow. When the sun comes up, the snow turns to slush and slowly the world starts to turn to spring.

Pak’s illustrations are dreamy and draw you into the winter environment. The pictures bring all the excitement of changing seasons and this appears to be Pak’s third book about the changing seasons. The text however, is boring and formatted in a confusing way. The little boy says hello to the snow and then the snow answers, but it’s not separated by page or by font, so it just reads like a bunch of hello statements that change narrator—confusing.

Reviewer, C. Peterson
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy and his dog experience winter from onset to spring thaw.

As the boy greets various natural phenomena, the inanimate objects respond, telling him about their winter experience. This isn’t immediately clear from the text, and I wish differently colored fonts had been used to clarify that there are the different speakers.

The illustrations are wonderful.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Browsing books to give my friends' children as gifts since I won't gift anything I haven't first read myself.

This is such a lovely series. I love that instead of focusing on a singular season, it looks at the transition from one season to the next. It feels like a truly unique perspective to share with a child. Easy to read and beautiful to look at.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as he has done with his previous nature-themed titles, Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn and Goodbye Autumn, Hello Spring, the author/illustrator follows a boy and his dog as they wander through the woods and say farewell to one season and then later greet the budding of spring. While time is compressed in this picture book, allowing spring to arrive almost full blown overnight, I loved the way the boy conversed with Nature, acknowledging the snow, the frozen pond, a glass house, trees, and even a nest, all of which respond to him. When he awakens in the morning, the world seems transformed. Poetic language such as "thin arms shudder" and "orange-soaked hills" capture the two seasons perfectly, and the illustrations, created with watercolor and pencil and then enhanced digitally, are splendid, filled with sumptuous color. Observant readers won't miss the fact that the boy is all bundled up for his trek through the winter landscape and wears a hoodie which he casts off as he embrace's the warmth and promise of the new season. They will surely feel as though they are accompanying this boy and his canine companion on their trips outdoors. This one is an excellent addition to a classroom collection, ideal for introducing the seasons. I can't wait to see what the final one in this series will look like.

[Susannah Stein]

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring, by Kenard Pak, told the story of a little boy as we makes the transition from enjoying winter to enjoying spring. The author used a lot of descriptive words to describe the seasons and everything the little boy saw. The illustrators were the author himself and Mallory Grigg. They completed the illustrations by using watercolor and pencil and then they were digitally enhanced.

I really liked this book. I loved how the illustrators made the winter pages mainly blues and grays, and then they made the jump to bright pops of color when they transitioned to spring. I also loved the descriptive words they used for each scene as the little boy was in nature. The book was very easy to follow and well thought out.

I would use this book to talk about seasons. I would probably use it in March as the seasons change. I think it would be fun to talk about graphs and charts and make our own showing which students prefer winter and which students prefer spring. It would be a fun class activity.

[Margaret]

With the arrival and departure of each month differences are noted. Some are subtle, only evident by keen observers. Others are more obvious. With each seasonal shift the length of daylight and darkness lessens and grows in proportion. More darkness signals rest and more light announces rebirth. Wild creatures carefully watched declare changes with their presence or absence.

The newest of three titles (Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn August 16, 2016, Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter September 5, 2017) celebrating seasons, Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring (GodwinBooks, Henry Holt and Company, February 18, 2020 written and illustrated by Kenard Pak, follows a boy and his dog as they walk and send out greetings. They move and mark aspects of these two seasons. They do not go alone.


My full recommendation: https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter I wanted to see how the illustrated picture books of the other seasons would be like. I picked up the "Winter" one. This one had the feeling of Winter as we follow a young boy with his dog go exploring around his countryside seeing how nature began the seasonal change. I liked how this one felt longer than the Autumn book. Where I live, Autumn is over very quickly and Winter likes to linger, the illustrations in this book did a good joy portraying this.

Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter ★✩★
Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring ★✩★✩
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn ★✩★

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a simple but captivating book. The pictures draw you in as a little boy and his dog speak to parts of their environment, which answers. To me it seems to portray gratitude for the environment around the boy and he enjoys learning about what all the parts have to say. It also makes me think of all the wonderful things about the seasons and I'm guessing that the other three books in this series are similarly done. I could see not only using this as just a pleasant read aloud but also as a mentor text for writing.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely book. This is sort of a poem about what this boy and dog see one winter's night and then they wake up to a new spring day after. It's basically noticings about the seasons around us.

The artwork was lovely and expansive and gave power to the poem being told. We experience the season through the dog and the boy. They can be that abrupt too, especially today with Global warming.

There isn't a story here. This is a mood and a noticing. I would be interested in seeing what children thought of this book.

[StephanieNicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

My review for this book is exactly the same as for Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter:
The art of the changing seasons is beautiful; I want prints to hang up at home. The text of this book is very basic, but it points out the little happy things that change with the season. It's a good book to read to get excited for spring.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy and his dog take an outdoor walk and say hello to various natural features: a winter brook, snow, a frozen pond, early light, slush. The natural features reply.
Poetic language and beautiful watercolor illustrations set a reflective tone. Use in anticipation of spring.
For reading aloud, it will be helpful to use different voices for the boy and the items from nature with whom he converses.

[Zan Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

As days stretch longer, animals creep out from their warm dens, and green begins to grow again, everyone knows--spring is on its way!

Join a boy and his dog as they explore nature and take a stroll through the countryside, greeting all the signs of the coming season. In a series of conversations with everything from the melting brook to chirping birds, they say goodbye to winter and welcome the lushness of spring. (less)