Celebrate the turning of the seasons with this warm and magical read-aloud, where traditional nature festivals meet the everyday wonder of the year’s changing cycle.
Dance around the maypole, share in the summer harvest, savor the tricks and treats of Halloween, and merrily welcome the winter solstice: Four richly illustrated poems highlight spring, summer, autumn, and winter through joyful traditions tied to the natural world.
- In this fun and educational celebration of the seasons, award-winning author and artist Phoebe Wahl and folklore researcher and popular podcaster Danica Boyce invite young readers to experience traditional seasonal festivities inspired by Northern European customs such as Beltane and Yule.
- A section of backmatter introduces the historical roots of these traditions and explains how they connect to the year's natural cycle.
- Families who celebrate seasonal holidays will enjoy discovering their origins, while curious readers will find new ways to notice and appreciate the world around them.
Each poem’s rhythmic language and vivid illustrations capture the feeling of a different time of year—spring’s blooming celebrations, summer’s abundance, autumn’s cozy gatherings, and winter’s quiet magic. Inviting and full of cozy charm, this enchanting book is one families can return to again and again for inspiration to slow down, notice the rhythms of nature, and celebrate the special joys of the turning year.
FUN AND EASY ACTIVITIES: The activities in these pages are simple and inviting—such as leaving flower bouquets on neighbors’ doorsteps to celebrate the sweet month of May and lighting solstice candles to welcome light on the darkest night of the year—showing easy, welcoming ways families can celebrate seasonal living and non-denominational traditions throughout the year.
A TASTE OF MAGIC: Bring a playful element of magical lore to common seasonal activities like carving pumpkins for Halloween or planning a harvest dinner. For young ones enthralled by folklore and fairy stories, this makes a sumptuous addition to picture book collections and a fun source of modern-day magic and wonder.
INCLUDES HISTORICAL CONTEXT: Backmatter offers an accessible introduction to the history of traditional nature-based holidays and their meaning within the ancient world. Teachers and educators can use it as an engaging way to explore the topic with students and highlight how families around the world come together to celebrate.
Perfect for:
- Kids enthralled by nature and folklore
- Families who enjoy seasonal traditions and nature celebrations
- Parents seeking cozy, magical read-alouds
- Gift buyers looking for unique seasonal picture books
- Anyone looking for ideas to connect spiritually with the natural world
Phoebe Wahl is an award-winning children’s book author, illustrator, and surface designer. Having grown up unschooled in the Pacific Northwest, Phoebe credits her free-spirited childhood for much of her inspiration. Her previous books include the Ezra Jack Keats Award winner Sonya’s Chickens, Backyard Fairies, The Blue House, Little Witch Hazel, and the bestselling illustrated YA novel Phoebe’s Diary. Phoebe lives in Bellingham, Washington, where she enjoys honoring her ancestral roots through many nature-inspired holiday celebrations and rituals with her family and community throughout the year.
Danica Boyce is a teacher and a writer on the topics of folklore and vernacular spirituality. She hosts the popular Fair Folk Podcast, a program dedicated to the research and revival of sacred folklore and folk songs of Europe, with a special focus on the magic of the seasons. She is the author of A Wreath of Winter: Meditations on Northern Folklore for the Nightside of the Year and Tomten: The Lore of the Christmas Gnome. She grew up on a wild and rainy fjord on Canada’s West Coast and now lives between northern England and southern Scotland, where she can be found singing and walking pilgrimages to enchanted places like fairy springs and holy islands.