From Marcus Pfister, creator of the bestselling Rainbow Fish series, a thoughtful book of thirteen rhyming couplets that create a calming meditation on life and the great questions it inspires. How do birds learn how to sing? What brings summer after spring? What turns the leaves from green to brown and sends them floating gently down? In thirteen engaging couplets, Marcus Pfister opens children’s eyes to the wondrous mysteries all around them. It is refreshing to see a text that encourages questioning. –Kirkus Reviews Visually appealing . . . and lets children ponder the answers. –Booklist Maybe the questions we ask are what matter most. –Publishers Weekly Inspired by an Italian song, this brightly illustrated picture book asks a series of questions related to the natural world. The rhyming text, translated from the original German, is simple enough for sharing with preschoolers. A horizontal painting, showing the cross section of the ground with four stages of a young plant�s growth, illustrates the question �How do seeds know how to grow, to reach up from the earth below?� The artwork for �What makes fire burn red and gold and makes it much too hot to hold?� is more abstract, with flowing shapes in overlapping tones of white, yellow, orange, and black. Best known for the Rainbow Fish series, Pfister uses a less controlled approach here, applying acrylic paints by printing them on paper using thick cut-cardboard shapes as blocks. Interesting fractal-like effects add texture. An illustrator�s note explains the technique and encourages readers to try it. This visually appealing picture book asks open-ended questions and lets children ponder the answers. Preschool-Grade 2. --Carolyn Phelan Booklist Reviews Bertie At Bedtime: Bertie and his father may be hippos, but this story of getting a child fed and ready for bed is universal and familiar. At first, young Bertie doesn't want to eat supper because he is busy playing. Dad says he will play with Bertie after supper and toothbrushing, and he keeps his promise chasing Bertie, giving him a fun bath, and playing hide-and-seek. After three books (including classics such as Good Night, Hippo) and a quick succession of bedtime dances, at least one hippo is ready for bed: Dad. Pfister's hippos are an irresistible pair, full of sweetness and life. Although Pfister uses a single floral pattern for wallpaper, flooring, furniture, and clothes, he keeps the art from becoming boring by running the pattern through vivid and appealing shades of purple, blue, green, pink, and orange. The book's last spread is a charmer: as Dad lies curled up on a bundle of blankets and pillows, Bertie cuddles up close. "Good night, Daddy," he says. "Tomorrow we can play some more." " Booklist Reviews Bertie At Bedtime: Bertie and his father may be hippos, but this story of getting a child fed and ready for bed is universal and familiar. At first, young Bertie doesn't want to eat supper because he is busy playing. Dad says he will play with Bertie after supper and toothbrushing, and he keeps his promise chasing Bertie, giving him a fun bath, and playing hide-and-seek. After three books (including classics such as Good Night, Hippo) and a quick succession of bedtime dances, at least one hippo is ready for bed: Dad. Pfister's hippos are an irresistible pair, full of sweetness and life. Although Pfister uses a single floral pattern for wallpaper, flooring, furniture, and clothes, he keeps the art from becoming boring by running the pattern through vivid and appealing shades of purple, blue, green, pink, and orange. The book's last spread is a charmer: as Dad lies curled up on a bundle of blankets and pillows, Bertie cuddles up close. "Good night, Daddy," he says. "Tomorrow we can play some more."" Marcus Pfister was born in Bern, Switzerland. After studying at art school in Bern, he trained as a graphic artist. His first picture book was published by NordSüd in 1986, but his breakthrough as author and illustrator came in 1992 with the publication of The Rainbow Fish . Since then he has published more than 60 books, which have been translated into about 65 languages and have won many international awards. He lives with his family in Bern.