Common Sense Media Review
By Mandie Caroll
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Charming, meditative picture book marks change of seasons.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
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Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
GOODBYE SPRING, HELLO SUMMER is a meditation on the transition between the titular seasons. It begins with a little girl stepping from her house into a gentle spring rain. She walks, conversing with nature as she goes ("Hello, green grass." / "Hello. The rain is falling and we grow tall."). She walks past fields, flowers, and a school closed for the year. The sky begins to clear, the air gets warmer, and she approaches a group of children playing in the late afternoon light. A younger child runs up to her, and, as they retrace the girl's steps, the sun starts to set. Night falls ("Goodbye, Spring,"), and then a page turn later, the sun rises and the same two children leave their house in shorts and tank tops ("Hello, Summer.") for another day of blissful outdoor play.
Is It Any Good?
This lovely, quiet picture book artfully captures—in just one day—the seasons tipping from spring to summer. Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer is full of the small joys and natural wonders that mark this cyclical transition. As a young girl leaves her home on a rainy spring day, she has a sprightly conversation ("Hello, bustling forest!") with the natural features that she passes on her walk ("Hello! We're trees stretching up to the sky!"). The spare, repetitive dialogue anchors a visually absorbing narrative.
Kenard Pak's colors do heavy lifting here, from the fresh greens and blues of spring to summer's warm yellows and oranges (even in the title!). The digitally retouched watercolor and gouache paintings have soft, blurred edges, with clever details (a red bow in the girl's hair, her satisfied line smile, the bird and butterfly that find her early on and follow her around for the rest of the book) adding definition and whimsy. The tan skin and black hair of the girl and boy (presumably siblings) and the diverse group of kids playing together in a rural landscape subtly communicate that every child belongs, wherever they are. Reach for this book for a soothing, gentle read as temperate days turn warm and sunny.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how, in Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer, the girl talks with things in nature as she walks, and they reply! Did that surprise you? What does her conversation tell you about spring and summer?
What are your favorite things about the transition from spring to summer? Is there anything you'd rather not deal with as the seasons change?
Do you think the girl is curious? What about grateful? Why, or why not? Is it important to be curious about nature and to have gratitude for it? Why, or why not?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Kenard Pak
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : STEM
- Character Strengths : Curiosity , Gratitude
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Godwin Books
- Publication date : May 6, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 32
- Available on : Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : February 26, 2026
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