Taro Gomi made waves with "Everyone Poops"; he also deserves praise for "Spring Is Here."
Gomi's minimalist text seems to be the "forefather" of certain Kevin Henkes books ("Birds," "A House"). The goal is to say as much as you can in very little space.
Gomi briskly narrates a year:
Spring is here.
The calf is born.
The grass grows.
The children play.
The storms come.
Harvest days arrive.
The world is hushed.
The world is white.
The snow melts.
The calf has grown.
Spring is here.
Parallel structure helps to suggest the relentlessness of time. Subject-verb. Subject-verb. Subject-verb.
A subtle shift, from present to perfect tense, represents the "climax" of the story: "The calf has grown."
I'm moved by the calf--who, of course, makes me think of my children--and I appreciate the restraint in this book. It's harder than it looks.
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