When Winter Comes [Hardcover]

Nancy Van Laan (Author), Susan Gaber (Illustrator)

Book Description

Where oh where do the leaves all go when winter comes and the cold winds blow?

What happens to fish, flowers, field mice, and other living things when ponds freeze and the air turns blustery? Walk with a curious child and his parents as winter's first snow falls and find out....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Winter's first snowflakes have arrived, and as they dance to earth with the lingering autumn leaves, a bundled-up family and their pet Scottie head outdoors to celebrate the world being transformed. "Where oh where do the leaves all go/ when winter comes and the cold winds blow?" begins Van Laan's (So Say the Little Monkeys) poetic text. Similarly phrased questionsDall with this lilting refrainDprompt a variety of rhyming answers. Caterpillars, for instance, retreat "Inside their cocoons,/ so tightly wound,/ waiting for spring/ to bring green to the ground." Even the family's red-cheeked child has a cozy haven from the ever-deepening snow in "a warm, warm bed/ .../ snuggling deep, fast asleep." Gaber (Pierre's Dream) uses a textured, antique-looking background for her wintry skies with a hint of holly berry-red and pine-green shades, and frames her nature scenes from a variety of viewpoints. Her characters' bright faces and vibrant outer vestments offer warm relief from the frigid winter scenery. Ages 2-7. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-This lilting book celebrates the onset of winter: "Where oh where do the leaves all go/when winter comes and the cold winds blow?" This question is repeated for flowers, caterpillars, songbirds, field mice, deer, and fish. The rhyming answers use simple and accessible language. Gaber's exuberant acrylic paintings show a child, mother, father, and dog taking a walk through the woods during a snowfall. The use of perspective in the illustrations unifies the book, as broad landscapes appear on the question pages, while close-ups of the family and the animals and plants being discussed appear on the pages with the answers. Through both words and pictures, this book conveys a sense of joy in the changing seasons. From the title page showing the characters bundling up to go outside, to the cozy views of field mice and deer cuddling close for warmth, to the final spread where the child has been tucked into a warm bed, this simple story is the literary equivalent of a cup of hot cocoa on a cold day.
Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, Eldersburg, MD
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689817789
• ISBN-13: 978-0689817786
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 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: #286,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful book!, October 20, 2000

By 

Mum K "books are friends" - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Winter Comes (Hardcover)

I picked up this book because I loved the illustrations and the author lives in Bucks Co., Pa (as do I). Well, my four year old son and I just loved it. And it made for good conversation after. The author addresses in such a nice, comfortable way what happens to flowers, fish, deer, birds and caterpillars in the winter. The illustrations are just beautiful and cozy. A wonderful winter book--or any time really.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story and illustrations!, February 25, 2003

By 

Amy Weiss (newfoundland, nj United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When Winter Comes (Hardcover)

I have been reading this book to my daughter for quite some time now and she loves it. So do I. I also read it to a local kindergarten class last year and they too loved it. It is simple,pretty and classic. Great book!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, March 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: When Winter Comes (Hardcover)

I saw this book in my child's school book order and just had to have it. My son was not so convinced, but reluctantly agreed to order it. Now he loves it! The author has put into words a story that I can share with my son the world that I grew up in. The poetry and pictures just completely draw us in.