First Spring

This is the last part in a four-book series. Each standalone story takes place in the same forest, but during a different season of the year. Not so long ago I read 'Beneath the Trees: A Fine Summer', the third installment in this series. It was my first acquaintance with Dav (real name: David Augereau; ° 1979), the French scenarist and illustrator. His drawing style and the story enchanted me and a 4*-rating was evident. My review can be read here. So when this new book was available at Netgalley I was really enthusiastic to dive further in this Disney-like world Dav created. But, unlike most other reviewers, I was disappointed. Even though I preferred the variety of scenery and the more detailed drawings of the previous book, the art was still beautiful. There's no doubt that Dav is a very gifted illustrator! The content on the other hand was a big letdown. Not only is it very repetitive, but for me it also didn't really have a spring-vibe as the story is drenched in sadness. But my biggest gripe of all is that it's sending totally wrong messages to young children. Some examples: - Although the child in the story has hay fever, the father insists to go out with him, day after day after day. Allergies don't go away by continually exposing someone to the source. On the contrary. - When the father got stung by bees, the child can't stop laughing at his father's swollen face. Wouldn't it be better to make children aware of the danger such stings can represent? And isn't there something like empathic concern? For me, a children's picture book must be a symbiosis of nice pictures and a good story. The latter wasn't the case here and thus the overall rating of 2*. Nevertheless, I'll keep an eye on the new works Dav will release in the future. *Thanks to NetGalley, Magnetic Press and Diamond Book Distributors for providing a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.