Firsts and Lasts

Praise

Although seasons books abound, Schubert and Robin’s tacit emphasis on transitions makes this an especially thoughtful offering that will have readers chiming in with their own rosters of rituals that make the year go ‘round.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

A celebration of the harbingers and vestiges of seasonal change. . . . Robin’s cut-paper collages are charmingly old-fashioned yet still feel relevant and fun, and they use color palettes that shift with the seasons. . . . Seasonal rituals come alive in this by turns bittersweet and joyful ode to beginnings and endings.

—Kirkus Reviews

Each season’s traits are captured through snapshots of firsts and lasts in this change-forward chronicle by Schubert and Robin. . . . Schubert’s indicative descriptions combine with Robin’s textured portraits for a nostalgic ode focusing on weather in the global north.

—Publishers Weekly

There is bliss with each turn of the page, as the pastel hues of spring give way to a summer riot of deeper colors; with fall, the pages turn orange and gold for a last trip to the ice cream stand. . . this will inspire children to make lists of their own, to note those “lasts” and look forward to more “firsts.” A lovely work.
—School Library Journal

This ode to change, filled with gorgeous cut-paper illustrations, captures the elusive magic of how one season becomes another, right before our eyes.
—The Virginian Pilot

Each sentiment and sentence presented by author Leda Schubert is accompanied by lavish illustrations from Clover Robin. The combination is a timeless and relevant book that can be read and re-read.
—The Florida Times-Union

This ode to nature by Leda Schubert and illustrations by Clover Robin shares the anticipation of a new season, while enjoying the beauty of the current.
—Tiny Beans