Gibbons uses simple words and clear, colorful pictures to explain the seasons, the solstices, and the equinoxes. Besides discussing the earth's tilt and orbit, she also comments on what people and animals do in each season of the year. Brief and occasionally disjointed, these remarks will serve as a starting point for class discussions. Brightly colored pictures, as accessible and appealing as those in Gibbons' other books, illustrate the text. (Reviewed Apr. 1, 1995)

Simple, colorful illustrations accompany a text that explains the basic astronomy behind the four seasons. Activities of animals and humans, typical of each season, are pictured--visiting the beach, returning to school, hibernating, planting crops. Renderings of Earth and the sun, intended to show the cause of the seasons, are not as clear as they could have been.

Gr 2-3--Gibbons seems to know just what teachers need to fill that open niche in their curriculum plans. In this title, she explains in succinct, easy-to-understand terms what causes the seasons to change in the two hemispheres. The text is amplified by her trademark illustrations done in bright, primary colors. Children have difficulty grasping the fact that the weather is just the opposite on the other side of the globe and why; this attractive offering will clarify that concept for them.--Jan Shepherd Ross, Dixie Elementary Magnet School, Lexington, KY