If Winter Comes, Tell It I'm Not Here by Simona Ciraolo (review)

Ciraolo, Simona If Winter Comes, Tell It I'm Not Here; written and illus. by Simona Ciraolo. Candlewick, 2020 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781536215304 $16.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 3-6 yrs

Summer is great! Swimming is great! Ice cream is great! So thinks our protagonist, who's appalled to learn from his older sister that it's going to end with chilly winter ("You won't need your swimsuit anymore, so you can kiss that goodbye"). While his sister's depressing predictions come true, it turns out that the boy gleefully drinks hot chocolate instead of eating ice cream, relishes cuddling on the sofa with his family, and revels in skating and sledding ("I figure I better make the most of it. Just in case it doesn't last very long"). The pragmatism and humor in this approach to seasonal change makes the book a lively acknowledgment of the shifting seasonal lifestyles and a reminder that angst about change isn't always valid. There's a touch of Lauren Child to Ciraolo's pencil-scrawled figures, and our protagonist's over-the-top expressions, especially in the imagined scenes of cold and crabby winter, are solid comedy; it's also funny as the text speaks portentously of what's coming while the boy is clearly rejoicing in the changes he's dreaded. Use this as a comic foil to gentler books about seasonal change, or just to provide a heartfelt goodbye to summer fun with reassurance about winter pleasures.