December 1, 2021
An enthusiastic badger marches to her own music. Eager to join the ensemble of the title, who "[melt] winter away with their melodies," Juniper auditions with "strong sticks, a thumpity toadstool, and rowdy rhythms." In response to her booming audition, a disapproving Mr. Moose demonstrates how his musicians make music with whistling flutes, humming strings, and tinkling keys. Juniper tries again, but her boisterous booms drown out their low-key melody. Mr. Moose warns Juniper spring won't bloom with her fast, loud, wild cacophony. Exiting her failed audition, Juniper hears a woodpecker tapping on a tree trunk and adds her own booms to the taps. Hearing a beaver clapping the ice with his tail, Juniper and the woodpecker join in with their booms and taps. Finding a rabbit thumping the ground, Juniper, the woodpecker, and the beaver add their booming, tapping, and clapping. Together their wild music rattles trees, shakes off snow, and awakens sleeping creatures. Could they be the "First BEATS of Spring"? Onomatopoeic repetition of large, bold display-type booms, taps, claps, and thumps dominates both text and illustrations. The background gradually morphs from snowy, bare winter woods into awakening springtime while the simple, comic shapes of the animal musicians produce a lively visual rhythm as their upbeat ad hoc music-making progresses from page to page. Guaranteed to get hands clapping, fingers tapping, and feet thumping. (note on seasons) (Picture book. 3-7)
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December 1, 2021
K-Gr 2-Juniper the badger loves to play the drums (a perky red and white toadstool with sticks) and is excited to join other forest creatures in making music to wake up spring. But her audition ends in discouragement when Mr. Moose says spring must be awoken gently with flutes and strings, not noisily with drums. As Juniper walks through the forest, she hears beauty in loud, ordinary noises, like a woodpecker tapping a tree or a rabbit thumping the ground. When they join together to joyfully create music, winter melts away. There are plenty of repetitious onomatopoeia in big bold font throughout that readers will enjoy performing out loud. Adults will appreciate how Mr. Moose's negatives about Juniper's playing (too fast, too loud, too wild) become positives as Juniper's group grows. Kids will delight in the unexpected images in the full spread woodland scenes, such as toilets in animals' underground habitats. VERDICT Universal topics like seasons and being true to yourself always do well on shelves; this is a nice addition to spring collections and a reminder to celebrate your strengths.-Elissa Cooper, Helen Plum Memorial Lib., Lombard, IL
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February 14, 2022
A springtime symphony awakens the forest from its winter slumber in this musical celebration of the season. When badger Juniper auditions for the First Notes of Spring animal ensemble, her “strong sticks, a thumpity toadstool, and rowdy rhythms” cause band leader Mr. Moose to cover his ears. Luckily, Juniper soon finds that her “BOOMEY BOOM BOOM” pairs perfectly with a woodpecker’s “tap-a-tap,” a beaver’s “clap-a-clap,” and a rabbit’s “thumpity thump.” Declaring themselves “the first BEATS of spring,” the percussionists join forces with the more melodic Notes for a vernal harmony that ushers in the season. Depicted with pencil and digitally, Bowers’s forest creatures have the outsize gestures and expressions of cartoon characters, and the illustrations’ contemporary stylings sing alongside Kulekjian’s onomatopoeic narration. Back matter discusses seasonal sounds. Ages 3–6.