Someone Walks By: The Wonders of Winter Wildlife [Hardcover]

Polly Carlson-Voiles (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 2008 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Someone Walks By through the north woods in winter. Readers can see the tracks in each detailed depiction of winter habitat, but they don't discover the mystery animal until the last pages. On the way, they see frozen wood frogs, a bear in her den with her newborn cubs, sleepy chipmunks, fish and otters swimming under the ice, owl hunting and hare hiding, and many other creatures surviving and even thriving in the cold, snowy winter environment. The artwork in this book is created from intricately cut colored paper with watercolor detailing. Children will enjoy finding the many animals on each page. A glossary defines different types of snow and amazing facts about winter animals.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Set in the northern woodland in winter, this picture book shows how a variety of animals adapt to the frigid, snowy environment. A wide variety of winter homes and coping skills are introduced, from the snapping turtle that “snoozes deep in mud, his heart a slow and lazy drum” to the mice, shrews, and voles traversing “crystal tunnels” beneath the snow. Poetic metaphors, internal rhymes, and repeated sounds give a lyrical tone to the prose. A typical double-page spread introduces several animals (mainly mammals, rodents, and birds) in a few lines of text and two collage illustrations that combine cut papers into effective compositions enhanced with ink drawings and watercolors for details and patterns. Each page includes a border showing the tracks of one or more featured beasts and birds. The concluding page offers a collection of animal factoids, tightly packed into one long paragraph. An attractive addition to school units. Grades K-3. --Carolyn Phelan

Review

Armchair Interviews -

Delightful message. Beautiful illustrations. This author/illustrator has created a stunning trek across a Northern winter environment. The illustrations are bold and tell a story without a word. Animals are hiding on every page waiting for a child to find them. The cover art could be framed for its beauty. Home schooling parents could use this book for many days of lessons on animal s winter survival, hibernation and hunting for food. Any child and adult will find the story intriguing with the illustrations alternating between showing life on top of the snow and underground (like rivers, caves, etc.). The story moves quickly as we learn about all the animals found in the north woods. Whether we are learning about day and night activities of mammals and birds, the give and take of nature is obvious. What does a porcupine eat? How do animals store up food for winter? What does it look like inside a bear s den with mother and cubs? Each above ground page focuses on one animal and its footprints border the page. Kids could practice drawing them. The title idea of someone walks by is answered at the end as two wolves howl from different directions, I am here to each other so the mates can connect. The wonderful way the author describes things like: Two wolves run and dance on moonlight paws racing with shoulders pressed together. You can see them run and almost feel their togetherness. Armchair Interviews says: This book is a wonderful combination of all three: story, storytelling and superb visuals. ----Armchair Interviews- Connie Anderson, Dec. 2008

Midwest Book Review

How wild animals can survive throughout the winter months is always a fascinating subject for young readers. Deftly written and charmingly illustrated by Polly Carlson-Voiles, Someone Walks By takes as its enticement for children ages 5 through 10 a series of tracks in the snow. Following these tracks through the north woods in deep winter, children will learn how animals stay warm, eat, care for themselves, and move about when there is snow on the ground. From froze wood frogs, to a bear in her den with newborn cubs, to chipmunks in their shelters, to otters swimming under the ice, and so many more denizens of the deep woods, Someone Walks By is as informative as it is entertaining. Enhanced with a glossary defining different types of snow and other winter terminology, and also available in paperback edition, Someone Walks By is an enthusiastically recommended addition to school, community, and family library collection for children. -----Midwest Book Reviews, March, 2009

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Raven Productions; hardcover, library binding; softcover edition (October 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0980104556
• ISBN-13: 978-0980104554
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 10.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,208,475 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Northern treasure, March 1, 2009

By 

C. L. Hall "Lea Hall" (Sarasota, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Someone Walks By: The Wonders of Winter Wildlife (Paperback)

"Someone Walks By" is one of those books that was so good I had to give it away (to prospective parents) as soon as I'd read it. What's rare is Ms. Carlson-Voiles' combination of very concentrated natural history lessons with utterly lovely illustrations. The language is distilled to such clarity that I paused several times to marvel at the way it speaks to both adult and child consciousness. I also wondered how she knows all this, as some of the animal lore seems so subtle. Now I am wishing for a companion book about subtropical forests!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SOMEONE WALKS BY: THE WONDERS OF WINTER WILDLIFE, December 6, 2008

By 

Paul McNear "Elle & Paul" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Someone Walks By: The Wonders of Winter Wildlife (Paperback)

A must for every family library,
SOMEONE WALKS BY: THE WONDERS OF WINTER WILDLIFE by Polly Carlson-Voiles
is a glimpse inside the north woods in deep winter, a glimpse inside the lives
of the animals who live there, both above and below the ground.

With an expert precision of mosaic cut paper techniques, a keen sense of the
natural world and a gentle voice, Carlson-Voiles captures the lives and expression
of over twenty inhabitants of these woods, their means of survival, and their ability
to love.

This book is a fantastic gift for children, who will carry it with them throughout
their adult lives as will art lovers and lovers of the earth and her wildlife,
a treasure for any family library.

5.0 out of 5 stars Polly Carlson-Voiles, a very talented collagist, brings winter forest life to life in this book! "Kruk, Tok!", October 12, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Someone Walks By: The Wonders of Winter Wildlife (Paperback)

The forest is alive and in and around and on top of the snow creatures are walking by. The rabbit hops through the deep snow, the otter makes his way carefully across the icy stream, and the red squirrel keeps a careful watch to see who will amble by next. There are many creatures hiding in the forest and no one could be certain of who would be walking by soon. Would the mother bear snuggling together asleep with her cubs in their den be next? Other snuggly creatures are in the forest too!

"Secure deep within the rock,
in a thin and perfect cave,
little brown bat and friends
snuggle and shiver together
in their winter sleep."

Polly Carlson-Voiles, a very talented collagist, brings winter forest life to life in this book. A little splash of watercolor to the collage is a marvelous touch to the art work. The storyline is very poetic and soothing. There is a large array of animals for children to look at and learn about and there is an "amazing fact" page in the back talking about animals who share a winter habitat and how they survive and thrive. Do I hear a raven squawking at us? "Kruk, Tok! Someone's coming. Take care!"