MOLLY'S SEASONS

The author of Under the Sun (1987), in which Molly's mother describes the daily progress of sunlight as the sun sets on other children around the world, presents the seasons as Molly experiences them in Maine; then, extending the concept, she describes polar seasons (``Winter means darkness and noon looks like night,/Summer means sunshine and midnight is bright'') and the reversal in the Southern Hemisphere. A concluding note will help parents answer further questions. The simple but evocative watercolor illustrations are as appealing as the carefully honed text, and including the calendar pages for each season helps to tie seasonal clues like pumpkins and icicles to a more concrete image of passing time. A quiet but skillfully crafted book. (Picture book. 3-8)