Series Of Season-themed Picturebooks by Kenard Pak

Myra here.

This July to September, we are doing a book-series marathon.

 

We are featuring books that fit the following deliberately-nebulous criteria:

1. Books that are part of an ongoing series
2. Themed stories: books that are technically not part of a series, but fit a specific theme – e.g. intergenerational stories, nature-themed stories
3. Short story collections
4. Narratives of a similar genre 
5. Stories written by same author

I was delighted to discover Kenard Pak’s season-themed picturebooks on Overdrive, and the lovely titles fit our quarterly reading theme to a T.

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Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn [Amazon | Book Depository]

Written and Illustrated by Kenard Pak
Published by Henry Holt & Company (2016)
ISBN: 9781627794152 (ISBN10: 1627794158) Borrowed from Overdrive. Book photos taken by me.

Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter [Amazon | Book Depository]

Written and Illustrated by Kenard Pak
Published by Henry Holt & Co. (2017)
ISBN: 9781627794169 (ISBN10: 1627794166) Borrowed from Overdrive. Book photos taken by me.

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring [Amazon | Book Depository]

Written by Patty Lovell Illustrated by David Catrow
Published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons (2020)
ISBN: 9780399260025 (ISBN10: 0399260021). Borrowed from Overdrive. Book photos taken by me.

These three picturebooks follow young children as they walk through fields, hills, valleys, and their neighbourhood while the seasons change around them, perfectly captured by Kenard Pak’s palette. 

The children protagonists in all three books greet each leaf, each flower, each tree who say hello back, describing how they move through the seasons. For teachers who are looking for picturebooks that portray personification, these three would be perfect examples.

While the text did not particularly work for me – I felt the response of the clouds and the animals and the birds could have been left out altogether as they have already been perfectly captured in the artwork – I remain in awe of the detailed artistry here, as can be seen in a few samples from my favourite page spreads.

I especially enjoyed seeing the transition of the seasons as can be seen in the third image above as the winter seeps into the ground and gives way to spring. The community and the neighbourhood are also vibrant and very much a character in these stories, too. I am looking forward to what I assume will be the final book in the series – not sure if Kenard Pak though is doing it – but Goodbye Spring, Hello Autumn would be a good end to this set of books.

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#SurvivalStories2021 Update: 70-72 out of target 100