The Reasons For Seasons

Title: The Reasons for Seasons
Genre: Nonfiction (Informational)
Author: Gail Gibbons
Major Awards: None
Age Group: Pre-K-2nd grade

This book is about the four seasons of the year: winter, spring, summer, and autumn. It talks about how the tilt of the earth in relation to the sun changes throughout the year, creating seasons. It also talks about how the four seasons take up the amount of time it takes for the Earth to revolve around the sun. Also, different parts of the Earth are closer to the sun than others, affecting how much light and heat they receive. The author also writes about how different parts of the Earth are in different seasons, based on where the Earth is in relation to the sun at that point in time. The book then goes into the four seasons and explains what is happening with the Earth at that point in time. In spring, more sunshine causes the cool air to be replaced by warmer air. In summer, more direct sunlight reaches the ground for longer periods of time, causing it to be warmer and lighter outside for longer periods of time. In autumn, the air is cooler and the days shorter because the Northern Hemisphere is farther away from the sun. Finally, in winter the Earth is farthest from the sun and loses heat, making it cold outside. 

I would like this in my classroom because it explains the seasons in a way that is great for young children. The illustrations really give the words used in the book a deeper understanding. The children may not understand fully what the words mean, but by looking at the illustrations, they will definitely be able to grasp the information better. The author also does a great job of using simple words to describe the seasons! 

I think that Pre-K through second graders would enjoy this book the most. This book has such great illustrations that support the text, so I think that even young children would learn a lot from it! The book contains mostly pictures with little text on each page, so I think that new readers would be able to read this book with ease! 

In my classroom, we could read this story before beginning a unit on weather and seasons. After reading, I could give them a worksheet to color that shows the sun and how the Earth is tilted, and they would write the season by it. I could also give them a worksheet with different pictures things corresponding to each season, and they would have to guess which season it was. We could also make crafts that match each season. Example: making paper snowflakes for winter. We could also discuss hibernation, and why some animals hibernate during certain months.