When Spring Comes

by Robert Maas

Scholastic's wonderful pictorial about the activities, sights, and sounds of Spring.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction

30 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1994

About the author

Robert Maas was born in England. From Wells and Wyndham to Ballard and beyond, he has reveled in the multitude of ways in which his home has been destroyed by vengeful nature and marauding and discriminating aliens. He now lives in Tokyo, enabling him to experience the destruction of his home in many new and inventive ways.

In “The Smart Core Manifesto,” Maas defined a body of speculative fiction, stretching back to the 19th century, that embraces scientific verisimilitude rooted in the universe we perceive and maintains a bailiwick against the worst encroachments of fantasy.

In his own smart core, ordinary people are faced with extraordinary challenges and terrifying odds. They are not heroes. They don’t have superpowers to aid them or magic to save them. They fight, and sometimes they fail. Whether good or bad, right or wrong, Maas’s humans are lost only when they abandon the things that make them worthy of their own respect.

Note: I am not the same author who writes books on taxation, though their books appear on my page in Goodreads.

Reviews

[Heather McC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Signs of spring are visible in the community.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Spring Comes by Robert Maass is a photographic look at many Spring activities.

The text features a large font. Two favorite lines: "A sweet fresh breeze blows. Bright shades of green decorate winter's bare trees."

Maass' photographs are both big and small, illustrating such Spring activities as kite flying, farmers preparing fields, meltwater in streams, tapping sap, shades of green, Spring flowers, baby animals, hosuehold repairs, Spring cleaning, blossom painting, Passover and Easter, egg hunts, new bonnets, April showers, baseball rain delays, bird watching, May Day, love and marriage, and Memorial Day. Though the photographs were taken in 1993, and fashions change, they portray main events of Spring in an appealing manner.

This thoughtful, detailed introduction to the season will be useful for Spring or season themes. Hving grown up on a farm I enjoyed seeing the planting preparations, featuring a John Deere tractor. Showing the tapping of maple trees is another nice touch. As a children's librarian I appreciate the "make way for ducklings" nod.

For ages 4 to 7, Spring, seasons, holidays, photographs, and fans of Robert Maass.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

When spring comes we all perm our hair, put on our blue leggings and baggy, neon parachute jackets and go out to fly a kite.

Dated fashion photos notwithstanding, these books are calm and thoughtful introductions to the seasons.

Rabbit advocates won't like the line "Bonnets and bunnies appear at Easter," with a photo of a real bunny. One might take that as an approval of the purchase of live rabbits as Easter gifts.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

realistic photos of Spring with helpful one sentence line per page.

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very informative book about Spring. The pictures seem a little dated now but the facts are all accurate. I would use this book during a spring lesson.

[Krista · Rating 2 out of 5]

Images are dated.

[The Transmuted Tree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red 2nd

This was just ok. The photographic pictures were kind of weird; reminiscent of 80s elementary school textbooks.