Stories about the author's ancestors and family history, some factual, some with fictionalized elements.

Michael Downing is obsessed with Daylight Saving, the loopy idea that became the most persistent political controversy in American history. Almost one hundred years after Congressmen and lawmakers in every state first debated, ridiculed, and then passionately embraced the possibility of saving an hour of daylight, no one can say for sure why we are required by law to change our clocks twice a year. Who first proposed the scheme? The most authoritative sources agree it was a Pittsburgh industrialist, Woodrow Wilson, a man on a horse in London, a Manhattan socialite, Benjamin Franklin, one of the Caesars, or the anonymous makers of ancient Chinese and Japanese water clocks. Spring Forward is a portrait of public policy in the 20th century, a perennially boiling cauldron of unsubstantiated science, profiteering masked as piety, and mysteriously shifting time–zone boundaries. It is a true–to–life social comedy with Congress in the leading role, surrounded by a supporting cast of opportunistic ministers, movie moguls, stockbrokers, labor leaders, sports fanatics, and railroad execs.

Caldecott-winning artist of A Sick Day for Amos McGee, Erin Stead, dazzles once again in this ode to the first stirrings of spring.

Ruth the bunny is excited to share the smelly springtime smells of spring with Bruce! But what will Bruce think of all that stink? Little Bruce Book

Pea pods, cucumbers, and strawberries provide plenty of opportunities for counting in the garden Follow Dad, Grandma, and other family members as they pick and count. Hidden numbers on every page give readers an opportunity to search and learn.

Spring is in the air! Bear, Bird, and Mouse are all excited that winter snows are melting away, but their friend Rabbit is not. There are too many things about winter that Rabbit adores, and spring just seems to spell trouble. His friends offer an abundance of reasons to love spring and the changing seasons, but will Rabbit listen? Daniel Kirk has written a lively and humorous tale with the gentle message that change can be fun.

Traversing the wild landscapes of the American West, prose and photography combine to create a lucid, dream-like vision of visitations and allegorical animal encounters with Snake, Owl, and Dragonfly, among others. The Spring tells a stirring, elegiac tale of death, love, rebirth, survival, and resilience.