Deceptively simple, "Wally Takes a Weather Walk" is full of info and should be a great prompt for discussion between children and adults. Heck, adults can learn a thing or two, too. Why do leaves fall? What shape is a rainbow? Why does the lightning flash? Why are our shadows longer or shorter from season to season? Oh, so many questions, all answered in an easy to understand way.

I liked that the various scenes were repeated in different seasons, making it clear that the weather does have an impact on our daily lives and neighborhood. As an Alaskan who has grown accustomed to our long, cold winters with lots of snow and cold, it was fun to read the discussion of why it snows, not to mention see the uniqueness of snowflakes discussed. The former teacher in me sees many a snowflake making activity (among many others) to come. And, rather appropriate since it's been raining outside my window, good info on the colors of the rainbow and how they bend light. Light prisms are amazing!

Anyway, lots of info with both direct and subtle suggestions of how to expand this information in various way. At times the book itself asks simple questions, like how many bees are buzzing around in one illustration or more directly in the author's after note reminding us that going outside is a great way to learn. A link is given for more information, btw.

Thanks #NetGalley and #Zeitgeist - #ZKids for allowing me to don both my own quizzical nature once again as well as allowing my mind to zone in on practical ideas to expand the information within. Fun offering and children should enjoy the simply, yet fun illustrations.

Recommended age: 2-4 years

Writing style: The main text on the page rhymes. The text also includes prompts to increase engagement with the reader, such as "Can you spot the squirrel and count the busy bees?" Also, on each page is a fun science fact. For example, one fact describes the different types of clouds, and another one explains how rainbows are formed.

I had trouble determining which text to read first when turning the page. The main story is at the bottom, but the top contains the fact blended into the background. Some of the facts are very difficult to see because they are low-contrast because of this blending. If they were in text boxes or a thought bubble, it would have helped.

Lexile range (unofficial): 410L - 600L
Decoding difficulty: 3/5
Vocabulary difficulty: 4/5
Sentences difficulty: 4/5
Patterns difficulty: 5/5

Illustration style: Colorful, bright illustrations that fill the entire page.

Reality-based: Yes, Wally shows us each of the four seasons focusing on the weather changes. The facts would be good starting points for various science unit studies.

Thoughts: Wally Takes a Weather Walk would be a good addition to books about the changing seasons or the weather. I can imagine using it to go over the different types of weather in preparation for morning circle time, which usually includes today's weather. The illustrations were realistic and looked like what a child would see in the different seasons.

The science facts were interesting, and I even learned something new, but the execution fell short. They distracted me from the story and could have been easier to read. Maybe if Wally could be saying the facts, like so many children love to do, then it would have been more successful.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is great book to introduce children to weather and weather related science. It's written in a relatable style and the illustrations are engaging. Thanks #NetGalley

First of all, I want to thank the author and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Wally takes a weather walk by Bree Sunshine Smith is coming out on August 29, 2023.

This book takes you on a journey with Wally through all the seasons and exploring the different weathers. This is a great educational book and would be perfect if read in a classroom setting. Loved all the weather facts as well!! #WallyTakesaWeatherWalk #NetGalley

This delightful storybook takes Wally and his little readers on a journey through the seasons, exploring and learning about the various types of weather along the way. The author is a meteorologist and mother and does a great job of pulling from both roles to create this book for young readers, aided by lovely artwork.

Thank you Bree Sunshine Smith, NetGalley, and Zeitgeist, Z Kids for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a fun and educational book with lots of great facts about the weather for all seasons! Colorful with fun illustrations!

A delightful children’s book to teach about the weather. The story is cute and what I really loved is the tidbits of facts on each page. I learned a few new things as an adult! My little one learned things too. We both loved the colorful pictures.

This is a great little mix of a fiction story with nonfiction elements. You'll read about Wally going on a weather walk and what he experiences, but each page also has little facts about the weather as well. I always like when a kid's book rhymes, too! It's not the most exciting book or anything, but it is still a good choice for kids learning about how the weather works

I liked this book. Even though it's recommended for toddlers I think older children would like it too. The information that is in this book was very educational that's why I feel older kids would find it appealing. All of the colors in the book are great for younger children. I would recommend this book to my local library, family and friends with children.

My daughter loves books about weather and she liked looking through this one with me. We liked talking about what kind of weather happens in the different seasons.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

I personally wasn't a fan of this book. I found the art to be bland and the amount of text on each page makes the whole book look too crowded and busy.

Wally takes a Weather Walk is a sweet book about the changing seasons and the weather that comes along with it. Wally is presented with various weather facts in a fun rhyming cadence, along with additional callouts on the page listing quick weather facts. At the end, there's even a link to more weather crafts and experiments.

A fun and cute children’s book that is also educational. I read this story to my toddler, and she was really engaged. I love that this book was written by a meteorologist. The story was fun and whimsical while also providing learning opportunities, and the illustrations were so colorful and bright. Great book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Zeitgeist for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book – I loved that the story also had facts added in as you went through so not only did you get the fun story with Wally, there were things that you learnt along the way – so for me as a mum that was always going to be a plus.

I was delighted that my 5 year old daughter really enjoyed it too. She read the book to me at bedtime and really enjoyed it. She was able to link things in the book to what she has learnt in Reception and Year One at school and that was great for her.

She loves science and nature and this book was great for her on both points, in fact she asked to read it again the following night and said it was really good – so it was a hit with her too.

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

This was a cute book with fun facts throughout the book. It kept my 4 year olds interest as I read through. We enjoyed the illustrations and information about everything weather related that Wally encountered.

This was a cute seasonal story that included fun weather elements. The illustrations were very fun and colorful. My 3 year old enjoyed this a lot. My 6 year old was not interested and said it was a book for babies. So I would say this is for the younger crowd. I liked how there was a story to keep the kids' interest and then little scientific facts sprinkled throughout.

Cute book about weather and playing outside. Has lots of colors good to keep toddlers entertained and add a little bit of learning along with it