Author: Megan Montague Cash
Title: What Makes the Seasons?
Illustrator: Megan Montague Cash
Genre: Picture Book
Subgenre: Juvenile Literature
Theme: How plants grow and respond to seasonal changes.
Primary and Secondary Characters: None
Awards: None Found
Publishing Company: Penguin Group
Date of Publication: 2003
Brief Summary and How to Use With Students:
What Makes the Seasons is packed full of educational teachings and do not know where the praises should begin. This book begins by discussing the four seasons and what happens to cause the seasons to change. It also shows cute pictures and describes how and why animals hibernate. Every turn of the page brings about a new learning concept that can be used with almost any elementary grade level.
For kindergarten this book would be great for discussing what makes each season different. Students can discuss the characteristics associated with the seasons as well. An example, students could describe winter by saying it is cold and snowy. For first grade students can learn how to use adjectives to describe the seasons. Students can also begin learning about what plants need to grow and why they grow in spring and summer time. Second grade students can begin to build on their prior knowledge of plant growth and start learning about a plants life cycle. Third grade students can begin to learn about why animals hibernate. Fourth graders are introduced with photosynthesis and can expand on their knowledge of a plants life cycle and how they grow. They also can compare the living conditions of Earth with other planets. Fifth graders can learn how the earth’s rotation and tilt causes our days and seasons to change.
