This is a beautiful small book which would make an ideal present for Mother's Day maybe , or to treat yourself. Michael Morpurgo lives in a remote community in Dartmoor, Devon. He has been running a charity with his wife, Claire, to give city children and others a chance to work on a farm. We watch as various groups of children arrive throughout the book and feed the newborn lambs, move manure and do the daily jobs that are essential to any farm. They also plant trees which he hopes they will later visit. This is all part of the great cycle of life that Michael reflects upon as he eagerly awaits spring and then summer. He looks out keenly for the wrens nesting, the first returning buzzards and swallows, the primroses and bluebells. etc Along the way he has walks in the woods and countryside surrounding his home because "Walking is good for wondering" He marvels how each year "Nature renews and repairs itself..." but also reflects that "we must nor hinder her anymore" Nature is at risk because of things like the pollution in the local river. Although Morpurgo acknowledges that the landscape has been changed by mankind since our Bronze Age ancestors, he is conscious that we are making more of an impact on the environment. However, this is not a "preachy" book, but a book firmly rooted in the cycle of life and human life . He sees his family, friends and community as part of this cycle. Morpurgo quotes poets from Ted Hughes (another local for a while) to medieval ballads and has obvious and contagious delight in what he observes. Unlooked for sights, start another train of thought, without it becoming wordy and rambling. As I read it, I too was becoming impatient that Spring would arrive after a dreary winter, so it gave me hope. An eloquent, joyful book which reminds us all that Spring WILL come and that we are part of the great cycle of life. I was lucky enough to be selling books at an Event that Michael did at the Cathedral in Exeter, some years ago. There were some "disinterested " people , who were soon enthralled by his storytelling, so I have witnessed the power of his writing. He says just "enough" ! Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC, although I shall buy a hard copy as there any beautiful illustrations by his neighbour. Tracey Exeter Roman Gate

A beautiful, heartfelt book showing Murpurgo’s favourite season at his beloved farm in deepest Devon with his wife. He writes with love and compassion about the ups and downs of the lives of his farm animals, pets and the wildlife in the fields, tors and ancient woodland that surround his farm. Love his ode to spring at the end.

A gorgeous ode to springtime in the idyllic Devonshire countryside. Filled with literary references, poems, and beautiful illustrations Morpurgo has managed to capture exactly what makes spring so precious a season with this book that is filled with hope and fragility. The pacing feels like an amble through the woods as attention is drawn to all the small aspects of nature we often miss. Morpurgo's love for this season especially shines through with both the adoration of his farming life and community and the passion he speaks with about fostering this love in younger children who are welcomed onto the farm each year to make core memories. Absolutely blown away by this and felt very moved, definitely one of the best books I've read this year and will be one of my all-time favourites for sure.

Whether you choose to read this book while you are anticipating the Spring Equinox (as I did) or you prefer to read the chapters corresponding to each month of the season, 'Spring' will undoubtedly make you long for the morning chirping of birds and the first flowers in the garden. Being a person of the extreme, the seasons is the only part of my life where I prefer the 'middle'. I adore autumn and I love spring because Easter has always had my heart and souls and Michael Morpurgo has created a beautiful hymn to the season of the Ressurection and our rebirth. And we all know that when done right, Nature Writing by British authors cannot be surpassed.

What a beautiful book to read just as the seasons are changing and the flowers are starting to appear. Michael Morpurgo marks the coming of spring on his farm in Devon, with the appearance of new buds and lambs. He feels so at ease in the natural world and it’s something he and his wife have passed on to thousands of children through the work of their charity which brings youngsters to the farm to learn more about the world around them. It’s a slow moving, contemplative book which carries you away and a particularly wonderful book to dip into when the news around us seems so chaotic. Lovely.