"When Winter Comes" - a bookwrap

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Unwrapping 

When Winter Comes: Discovering Wildlife in Our Snowy Woods 

Authored by Aimée M. Bissonette

Illustrated by Erin Hourigan

Specs

* Ages:  4-8 years

* Grade Level: PS-3

* Hardcover:  32 pages

* Publisher:  Little Bigfood; Illustrated edition

* Pub. Date:  October 13, 2020

* Language:  English

Editorial Reviews

PreS-Gr 2-As one intrepid human family goes to the woods to play on a snowy day, readers are privy to all the ingenious and hidden shelters that animals create during the harsh, cold months. The family, whose members are white, ducks behind a fallen log during a playful snowball fight, where readers see a group of tree frogs sheltering within. When they snowshoe through the woods, intricate tunnels are shown below them, made by mice who are looking for seeds and bark. The frozen lake, where they ice fish, is actually hosting a "slushy slumber party of sleepily swimming rainbow trout." Though it may look as if the woods are empty in winter, Bissonette (North Woods Girl) creatively displays how they are not. Hourigan's joyful illustrations will encourage children to take a closer look at the world around them. VERDICT A wonderful purchase to add to collections on nature and the seasons.-Amy Nolan, St. Joseph P.L., MIα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. --School Library Journal

"Through intriguing cutaway scenes, many illustrations also reveal the animals scurrying about or resting underground and beneath the snow and ice. This lively picture book offers a fresh perspective on the animals-in-winter theme."--Booklist

Unwrapping Some Illustrations for You

The Book

This delightful book is a celebration of winter surprises.  To many humans, when the winter land is surveyed, conclude that the world is covered in cold, white, uninviting snow and frozen lakes and definitely not for them to pursue.  These images foster a desire to stay tucked inside their cozy homes and curled up beside their warm blazing  fireplaces.  This book is designed for those families who love to experience the great outdoors. They bravely ( and happily )  take on the challenges of the cold weather and see beyond the blankets of snow and ice.  They simply love to dance with winter!  

They bundle up and head outdoors to explore and partake in winter adventures.  Parents want their little ones to know that this season is not a dormant period in which you retreat, but one for indulging in so many fun winter activities.  They also discover that many forms of wildlife are embracing the winter in the snowy woods.  

"When winter comes, 

and deep snow blankets the woods, 

and ice forms cold and smooth on the lakes, 

thick enough for us to skate on, 

some people think our woods are empty. 

But we know better."

 

"The fallen log that is used to hide behind in a snowball fight is a shelter for tree frogs, caterpillars, ladybugs, and slugs. The drifts of fallen snow that families snowshoe across have winding tunnels made by meadow mice in search of seeds and bark. The towering trees families ski among shield birds from winter winds. "

The poetic text is lovely to read aloud and teaches kids to observe nature around them.  It highlights the importance of quality time spent together as a family.  The illustrations greatly enrich the text and are very realistic.  The message proclaims the joys of engaging in the season that we call winter.  I highly recommend this book. 

Storywraps Rating - 5 HUGS!

Meet the Author

AIMÉE M. BISSONETTE is the author of three picture books, North Woods Girl (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2015), Miss Colfax's Light (Sleeping Bear Press, 2016), and Aim for the Skies: Jerrie Mock and Joan Merriam Smith's Race to Complete Amelia Earhart's Quest (Sleeping Bear Press, 2018). North Woods Girl won the Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award, Midwest Booksellers Choice Award, and Friends of American Writers Award. Miss Colfax's Light was named in ALA's 2017 Amelia Bloomer List and was a recipient of the 2017 International Literacy Association Children's Book Award for Primary Nonfiction.

About the Illustrator

ERIN HOURIGAN is an illustrator and author in Portland, Oregon. She grew up in Southern California playing in the waves and dreaming up stories everywhere she went. She studied illustration at Cal State Fullerton before moving to Oregon, where she learned to trade the waves for pine trees and rivers. She draws much of her inspiration from the world around her and loves spending time outdoors, whether it's on a hike or just playing with her dog, Scout.

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