Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring by Kenard Pak (review)

In this third title in Pak's seasonal cycle (Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn, BCCB 9/16, and Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter, BCCB 10/17), it's a boy and his dog who venture out into the landscape to dialogue with nature ("'Hello, trees.' 'Hello. Our thin arms shudder and lash in the rising snowstorm'"). Soon the winter storm releases its grasp in the face of growing sunlight, and drips and slush herald the burgeoning of spring ("Hello, budding flowers. Hello, bright-blue pond. Hello, running brook. Hello, green grass all, all over. Hello, robins!"). Digital layering gives crisp, collage-like edges to the watercolor and pencil landscapes and figures; winter especially has a carefully controlled moodiness as soft blurs of nighttime snowflakes contrast with bony trees. Bring this out in the heat of summer to remind audiences of what will come, or in the depths of winter to remind them of the beauty around them and the promise of spring.