Now I See . . . board book series

Written by Mac Barnett

Illustrated by Jon Klassen

Tundra Books

24 pp.

Ages 2–5

April 2026 

 

There are only 35 words in the four board books in Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen's new series, Now I See. That's because each book has the same 35 words, in the same order, and describing almost the same things. What changes is what is happening to the people and places over the four different seasons, and that is communicated with the dramatic and yet straightforward artwork of Jon Klassen.

 

The four books are as follows:

 

Now I See Spring

978-1-77488-673-1

Now I See Summer

978-1-77488-677-9

 

 

 

 

Now I See Fall

978-1-77488-665-6

 

 

 

Now I See Winter

978-1-77488-669-4

 

 

 

 

In each book, a double-page spread focuses on an illustration of one element and then its identification. They are the house; the tree; the garden; me (shadow of a child on the side of a house); some birds; a treat (that's nice and sweet); the farm; the sky; the wise old cat; something red; and the perfect hat. The final text is a declaration that, "it's my favorite time of the year." But, in each book, each element is a little different. The tree might be leafing out in Now I See Spring, fully green in summer, losing its red leaves in the fall, and bare in the winter. Each season brings something different in where we live, what we wear, what we like to eat, and what we see. And they are all true.

From Now I See Spring, written by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen

Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen collaborate to produce extraordinary books. There's their Caldecott Honor books Extra Yarn (2012) and Sam and Dave Dig a Hole (2014)—Jon Klassen won the Caldecott Medal for his own This Is Not My Hat (2012)—and their Shape trilogy of Triangle (2017), Square (2018) and Circle (2019). The Now I See books equal these earlier books in their verve, teaching an important concept without instruction. They teach by helping children make observations and connect to that which they experience in their own lives. And, by reading all four books together, children will see how the seasons change and their reading of simple words, repeated in each book, will be reinforced.

From Now I See Winter, written by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen

Mac Barnett gets the text right by keeping the words simple—mostly articles and nouns—and giving them rhythm, though not necessarily rhyme. The text has a quiet pep to it, carrying the reader from one scene to another. And Jon Klassen's watercolour and digital art is the ideal medium for giving a lot in an unambiguous way. His lines and shapes give us the seasons with their distinctions, emphasizing both colour and shape to the familiar and perhaps less familiar. 

From Now I See Summer, written by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen

Exceptional concept books are those that do more than teach. They delight with their words, they charm with their artwork, and they engage readers by inviting them to be part of the story. Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen's Now I See series is fresh in its exceptionality.

Circle

Written by Mac Barnett

Illustrated by Jon Klassen

Candlewick Press

978-0-7636-9608-5

48 pp.

Ages 4-9

March 2019

Young readers met Circle and her friends Square and Triangle in Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen's earlier books in the Shape trilogy, Triangle (Candlewick, 2017) and Square (Candlewick, 2018), but now it's Circle's turn to reveal herself. In each of the books, the shape at its centre have dealt with personal issues of trust and self-confidence and, above all, friendship, and now Circle finds herself similarly challenged in this final book in the Shape trilogy.

From Circle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

Circle and her friends Square and Triangle are playing a game of hide-and-seek near Circle's waterfall but she insists that they cannot hide behind the waterfall. But Triangle chooses to do just that and Circle slips in behind the falls to find him.

From Circle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

It is very dark in the cavern behind the falls but, as Circle goes in farther, calling out to Triangle, it becomes pitch black. Only Circle's eyes are visible until a second pair appears. As Circle chastizes Triangle for his rule-breaking and disregard for his friends, the second pair of eyes remains silent. Finally Circle apologizes for her rant and tells Triangle that they love him, just as a third pair of eyes appear behind Circle with Triangle's voice thanking Circle for her declarations. Then things get a little harried as the two realize the third set of eyes does not belong to their friend, though in hindsight, Circle recognizes something highly relevant.

"You know," she said, "that shape in the dark might

not have been bad. It might have been a good shape.

We just could not see it."

From Circle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

Let's talk about the subtlety of message which is perfectly understated for the very young for whom this board book was written. Kids will know about playing and rules and friends and getting frustrated and angry and then taking all back. They'll know about being afraid of the dark and confronting their fears. But, while Circle speaks to all that, in the hands of that dynamic duo of American Mac Barnett and Canadian Jon Klassen, it also speaks to larger issues of forgiveness and tolerance. Big concepts for a little book but presented in such a sophisticated way that it will permeate any barrier.

From Circle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

There is a quietness to Jon Klassen's earthy illustrations, created with a combination of coloured pencils, gouache and crayons, evoking the natural setting for the stories of the three shape friends. Like the rocks and the cavern and the shapes themselves, the illustrations have substance but are not oppressive, while giving hints of harmony and freshness with the touches of mint green for Circle's waterfall. It's so easy to fall into Jon Klassen's art and swim around, even if in the pitch darkness of the deepest depths of that cavern.

I am sorry to see this trilogy end but I am ever hopeful that the partnership of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen will continue, as it should, to add to the canon of picture books that tell powerful stories with distinction and without preaching.

Shape trilogy by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen