Spring Break! She'll Be Coming Up the Mountain by Kim Norman

She'll be coming up the mountain when she comes.

She'll enjoy our frozen fountain when she comes.

We will playfully hello her
And have lots we'll want to show her.

She'll be just the way we know her when she comes.

Everyone--Seal, Reindeer, Walrus, and the rest--are seen all aflutter up on the top of the mountain, where a cluster of critters are busily prepping for a visit from someone.

Who is the mystery guest!

Oh, they've kept in touch.

We sent a poem in a letter,
Even sent a hand-knit sweater....

But now that their rendezvous is forthcoming, an awesome Arctic party is being readied. There's a welcoming banner floating overhead, and all the animals are perfecting their acts for the celebration.

Everybody will be clapping,
While the caribou are rapping....

Not a creature will be napping when she comes.

She's surely a she. She's a someone they already know. But where's she been and what has kept her away so long?

Who she is becomes clearer as they cheerily gift wrap up presents--a bear-sized bikini, for one thing...

But there's a big surprise to be, when they see their guests are THREE, in Kim Norman's She'll Be Coming Up the Mountain (Sterling Books, 2016). With the fun of the familiar rhythm and rhyme scheme of the folk song "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain," and refitted with author Norman's clever lyrics to the old verse, young readers may not notice that one important character is missing from the cast of characters in her two earlier books, Ten on the Sled and If It's Snowy and You Know It, Clap Your Paws! (read reviews here). Yes, and what she's been doing all winter in her cozy den won't be a mystery when she arrives with her two little surprises. Norman's storytelling builds suspense as it inspires a singalong, and artist Lisa Woodruff's charming illustrations provide plenty of eye-pleasing entertainment along the way to the big reveal.

This is a snowy story, but not necessarily a wintry tale, as warmer weather brings Polar Bear and her adorable babies out to meet their friends. Says School Library Journal, "It's a sprightly seasonal selection."