Common Sense Media Review
By Mandie Caroll
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Superb art in charming tale of a year in a mouse family.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Follow a mouse family ALL AROUND A YEAR through winter, spring, summer, fall, and winter (yes, again), and all the changes in their home, outside, and within their family. For the mouse siblings, winter means "drinking something tasty and warm" and building a "snow yeti," and spring is when "butterflies and bees… (party) all day long." But the "days will go by," and it will soon be so hot you'll wear the "bare minimum" and "need to be close to water." The "days will go by," the weather will cool, and the trees will "say goodbye to their coats of orange and yellow." After the winter holidays, the year might be coming to an end, but "as you know, the story will start all over again." Will things be the same, though?
Is It Any Good?
This charmingly illustrated book about the seasons is also a sweet family portrait. All Around a Year engages readers on several levels. Mariana Ruiz Johnson's trendy comic-style art rendered in a subdued color palette soothes and delights. The narrator talks to readers directly ("you could be reading under a blanket…"), placing them right in the action. The author's perfectly pitched, relatable childhood experiences—like feeling grumpy when Mom wants you out of bed on a cold morning or those first scary, solo pedals on your bike—will resonate with all sorts of readers.
The author's poetic seasonal descriptions charm, with "butterflies and bees that will start partying all day long" in spring and trees in fall that "say goodbye to their coats of orange and yellow." This story gently reassures kids that though things always change, you can count on the rhythm of seasonal traditions to comfort and add meaning to your life. A surprising twist at the end adds an especially tender note to this cozy, any-time-of-the year read.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the seasons in All Around a Year. What traditions or activities are similar to what you do where you live? What's different? What's something you love about each season?
On the pages about the holiday gathering, there's a line "there will be laughter but also perhaps tears," with a crying mouse being hugged by another mouse in the picture. What did you think of when you heard and saw that? Why might someone be sad during special holidays?
Do you like the art in this book? How would you describe it? How does it make you feel?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Mariana Ruiz Johnson
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Animals ( Mice ) , Family Stories , STEM ( Nature )
- Character Strengths : Courage , Gratitude
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Greystone Kids
- Publication date : September 16, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 52
- Available on : Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 27, 2025
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