This Young Fox, a long Scarf and a young pretty vixen. Brilliant illustrations to coven the messages of winter. Me and my son loved seeing the glimpses into each characters home. Great fun story for any age or language. It's a very cute story of two young cute animals.

The young fox, the snow, the looong scarf, and the pretty vixen. Great fun story for any age or language. Written with few words and illustrated in brilliant color by the same great imagination. LOVED IT! I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Diamond Book Distributors, Magnetic Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

You know you’re in desperate need for some childlike fun when you identify with a couple of grumpy old men more than you do some rambunctious younguns. Mr. Owl and Mr. Toad just want some peace and quiet. Mr. Toad appears to be a bit of a crankypants (crankyoveralls?), upset the neighbourhood kids are making a ruckus this summer. Mr. Owl isn’t having a hoot either. At least he has a very relatable reason for needing some quiet time, though. He’s in the middle of a particularly engaging book. Maybe it’s time for these oldtimers to reclaim some of the joy and innocence of childhood. This is such a cute series, combining life lessons with humour. There’s minimal text and the illustrations clearly tell the stories. All of the animals are expressive and I love the colour palette. Given the first two books in this series were autumn and winter, it would have made more sense to me for the final two books to be released in season order. While the stories are all set in the same world, they can be read in any order. I’m looking forward to spring. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Magnetic Press and Diamond Book Distributors for the opportunity to read this picture book.

It’s spring and all Mr Warthog wants to do is pick a bunch of flowers for his son’s mother. This isn’t as easy as it sounds because baby warthog has allergies but Mr Warthog is determined. In between all of the sneezing, the wonders of spring are also evident. There are surprise butterflies. The kids in the neighbourhood are playing in the sunshine. The flowers are beautiful. But then I learned why it was so important for Mr Warthog to pick the flowers and, I’ll be honest, a part of me broke at that point. After having seen other characters in the series frustrated and cranky, I’d expected some emotional component to this story but I didn’t expect to feel so sad reading a book about spring. Despite the sadness, and maybe even partially because of it, I was able to appreciate the efforts of a father doing his best to comfort and take care of his son. Like the rest of the series, the text is minimal in this book. The majority of the story, especially the emotion, is told through the images. Being spring, there are plenty of yellows and greens. When the weather and mood change, there’s a darker palette. Having now made my way through all of the seasons, I’m having trouble picking a favourite. However, I expect this is the story that’s going to stay with me the longest. Bonus fun fact: Baby warthogs are called piglets. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Magnetic Press and Diamond Book Distributors for the opportunity to read this picture book.

All Mister Grumpf wants to do is clear his doorstep of leaves. His neighbours keep interrupting him, though. They all want help, either with preparations for winter or when things go wrong. Mister Grumpf, despite his grumpiness, is there for his neighbours, helping them with their problems while his own continue to pile up. There’s minimal text in this picture book but the illustrations clearly tell the story. The animals are all expressive, especially Mister Grumpf. I especially liked the glimpses inside the characters’ homes and the autumn colours. This book reminded me of Steve Smallman’s Kind Mr Bear, where an elderly bear is always there to help his neighbours until he becomes ill and needs help himself. I’m planning on continuing this series through the seasons. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Magnetic Press and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this picture book.