I adore this book Ivy in Bloom by Vanita Oelschlager. It's the story of a little girl who is anxiously awaiting spring as she observes the changes in nature surrounding her. The author Vanita Oelschlager creatively builds the story with the use of lines from some of the greatest poets of the past.

At the completion of the story is a fantastic bibliography spotlighting each of the poems that were used in her creation. It delivers the poem/passage highlighting the portion used within the tale. It gives a few sentences about each poet, when they lived, where they were from and what work to find the poem or passage in. This is a wonderful way to get children (and parents) exploring further works by each of these great authors.

To put the topping on the cake is the magnificent illustrations done by artist Kristin Blackwood. As a mom I know the one thing that draws a child back to a book over and over again is the illustrations. This was the first time I've seen Blackwood's art and I am thrilled to have discovered her. Upon further exploration of the website: VanitaBooks.com I see that this author and illustrator have paired up to do other works together. In fact there is a companion book about a little boy featuring fall. Included in the About the Author page in the back, is also a section About the Art which explains the technique that Blackwood uses in her drawings.

All in all this is a fantastic children's book. A great start for kids into the beautiful world of poetry. It appears the only way to purchase this book is through the author's website, which only gives a phone & fax number. It doesn't appear to have an easier way to place the order. I would really suggest an online order form be added to the website. The proceeds from this book go to charity, which is another reason to make this easier to buy. Not only will I be ordering this book for my own library, I'm going to add its companion Ivan's Great Fall too.

I'm happy to have received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher VanitaBooks, LLC. I am leaving this review here voluntarily.

The coming of spring is celebrated, poetically described, and vibrantly illustrated in this exuberant book. It has to be read and seen to be appreciated,and I strongly suggest that anyone who enjoys picture books for children do exactly that.

This was a beautiful book and I love any opportunity to give children a nod to the classics.

The concept is really great and likely sounds way easier than it really is to create such a mashup. Some parts may not seem to transition as smoothly, but that seems unavoidable due to it essentially being a remix and it ultimately all tied together nicely.

The illustrations are so sweet and fitting. I received a chance to preview this book through NetGalley, but need to purchase a physical for my shelf. I’d love to see a version for adults as well, though this one is enjoyable for all ages.

This book is as good as it's cute. I wish I'm sitting outside in a grassfield right now just so I can read the poems with the right setting.

This book is so pretty. I sat and read it with my daughter. It was a good introduction to poetry and brings the beauty of spring

This was cute collection of poems. Perfect for children to read in the end of winter/spring season. As an adult, I also enjoyed these poems. The artwork beautifully accompanied the poems and helped bring everything together.

I thought that this book was lovely and the lines used were perfect.

The book was easy to follow and understand and I loved the end of the book where it showed the lines that had been extracted from the different poems used from the great poets and writers from the past.

It is 4 stars from me for this one, highly recommended!

Ivy in Bloom might be a short read, but it does not lack depth in any way shape or form.
When the long winter days feel like they are going to drag on and on, we follow along with the character as she thinks about what is to come when spring approaches. The style of writing and illustrations are beyond that of just a cute book. The author uses lines from others' writing and poems and displays them in the back of book. I think this is a great way to bring more poems and writers to the reader's attention.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Ivy in Bloom.

This book is a favourite in our house. I love that I was able to introduce my kids to some of my favourite poets in this way.

The illustrations are absolutely lovely.

This was just ok - I love poetry and read poems often to my kids. But this book wasn't all that interesting.

An interesting book that is full of illustrations, colourful and alive. A perfect book to introduce children to poems. the rhythms and adjectives are easy to understand for the little one. Suitable for K-1

As a reader who is NOT familiar with poetry, Ivy in Bloom was the perfect little intro into the world of well-known poets. Vanita brilliantly depicted the EXACT sentiments of anyone who lives in areas where it feels as if Winter may never end and Spring may never begin...it's the season of yucky. grimy, dirty slush-y snow,

I was stunned to learn how the artwork and illustration was done- HOW COOL!? I also didn't notice the first time, but the colors were bleak and dreary starting out- to follow the ennui and mood of the prose. Page by page, as the words and emotions turned brighter and more joyful and hopeful- the colors started to jump off the page..introducing brighter greens, reds and a larger color palette.

I will never LOVE poetry, but for anyone who does and wants to share that in a fun and playful way- this is for you!

This is such a cute poem book! I think it would be a great book to teach children about poems. The illustration were done beautifully.

"Ivy in Bloom" is a sweet little book. In this book the title character is getting a little impatient waiting for spring to arrive. We follow her as she thinks about all the wonderful things spring has to offer. The art style is so cute and the girl in this book reminds me of the video game "Little Misfortune". This book uses lines from poems and other writings from great authors like E. E. Cummings and Charles Dickens. At the end of the book it shows you where each line in this story comes from so readers can find more poems to read. I think this is a great way to introduce children to poetry and classic writings. The only problem I have is that I wish it were longer.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book for free.

As a New Englander that is approaching forty, I think this short little poem about winter fading into spring transcends age.
If you live in a region that is more winter than anything else you will find companionship and empathy within these pages. What a great tool to help kids through that often tough period of time!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review Ivy in Bloom

It's a simple story that is definitely for kids who are not yet on chapter books, but may be a little older and able to read the longer sentences.

2.5

Overly ambitious project to bring poetry closer to preschool children, using phrases and some lines of classic poets. <--point to the title (seriously, couldn't you make it longer?)

The art is cute, nice colors.

Considering the age for whom it is addressed, I did not like the size or the font they used.

It's good that the sales are oriented to charity, and that they put the poems at the end (clearly aimed at parents, because putting a few lines does not connect you to the poem, putting the complete poem in a book and illustrating it would be better, in my opinion )

In addition, that girl, as much as she sighs for spring, it is seen that she had a pretty good time playing in winter ;)

File type corrupted, Netgalley is unable to provide a readable file. I contacted them about the corrupt pdf and they responded that my program must be too old. I use ADE, which is the only file type they make available to me for download. Its too bad, this book seems really beautiful and I would love to read it but Netgalley is being unhelpful and unwilling to take my complaint seriously.

*I looked into this issue, and multiple people have had this issue and Netgalley refuses to address it. This is the second book that has had this corrupt issue. Netgalley do better. I am willing to change my review once the issue is resolved (If there was a better way to read this one (normal PDF for instance and not a ASCM-locked PDF aka you need ADE), thank you

Thank you, VanitaBooks, for the copy.

I feel the book is a celebration of the seasons and the months all year round, more specifically the winter! I love the illustrations so much! They speak to me. The character is so relatable. I am one of those people who is happy and content with their own company. It doesn't matter if we are alone. It doesn't define loneliness. How Ivy celebrates her being along with nature is one of the best things I have read.

Wow! I must say I truly enjoyed this one! It is such a cute story told through verses! I loved this illustrations and the originality of the book!