Buddy Bear's mother takes her son on leaf walks each season of the year. As they amble outdoors, Buddy asks questions about the plants and trees, and his mother patiently, sometimes a bit awkwardly, describes such processes as a plant's food cycle and leaf coloration. Mother-son picnics, interactive sections (a page of leaf shapes to identify), and silly jokes ("What did the tree take on vacation?" "A trunk!") are infused among the lessons to keep things lively. Unfortunately, the juxtaposition of somewhat detailed botanical facts with the bears' affectionate dialogue is often jarring, and the static, cut-paper collage illustrations seem too young for the subject matter presented. Still, children will enjoy learning about the change of seasons, leaf-related terminology (blade, veins, chlorophyll, carbon dioxide, etc.), plant growth, and more. The book closes with an illustrated glossary of the leaf as a "food factory," a poem, a leaf-rubbing activity, and back endpapers with labeled leaf shapes. Karin Snelson Copyright c American Library Association. All rights reserved