Bearly Spring: Spring Is Here by Will Hillenbrand

MOLE WOKE UP.

"IS IT SPRING?" HE WONDERED.

HE OPENED THE WINDOW. HE SMELLED THE AIR.

"Sniff, Sniff, SNIFF!"

Mole tiptoes politely past his snoring friend Bear's room and rushes outside.

It IS spring! The snow has been replaced with mud and the birds are singing. It's time for Bear to wake up from his long winter's nap.

But Bear snores on. Nothing Mole can do--tickling his nose with a feather, tooting his trumpet, tapping on his window--wakes his sleeping housemate. It's time for Plan B.

Mole knows his pal well. He milks the cow, churns some butter, and mixes his ingredients in a big bowl. Into the oven goes his creation.

And when the fragrant muffins are right under his nose, Bear wakes up in a hurry.

"YUM!" BEAR SAYS.

HE LOOKED AT MOLE.

But it looks as if Mole has worn himself out in the effort to wake Bear and found Bear's still warm pillow irresistible.

"WAKE UP, MOLE!" BEAR SAYS. "IT'S SPRING!"

Will Hillenbrand's newest Spring Is Here! (Holiday House, 2011) is a charming spring tale, filled with delightful use of onomatopoeia and a bit of irony as he delicately explores the nuances of friendship between two unlikely buddies. His illustrations are equally charming, with a world of meaning in the facial expressions of the two characters. A fun readaloud for the changing seasons.