It's Winter! (Celebrate the Seasons)

Linda Glaser is the award-winning author of over 30 children's books including the Sydney Taylor Award-winning Hannah’s Way and Reading Rainbow featured book Our Big Home, An Earth Poem. In addition to teaching and writing, she conducts writing workshops for schoolchildren and adults. She lives in Minnesota.

PreSchool-Grade 1-This companion to It's Fall (2001) and It's Spring (2002, both Millbrook) is an exemplary exploration of a season. From the first spread, readers view an enthusiastic girl who delves into the pleasures and treasures of winter: "I chase and zigzag/here/and/there,/catching snowflakes in the air./They land on my face and on my hair./I stick out my tongue/and catch one./Yum!" The arrival of new snow overnight transforms the world around her into a rollicking playground. She takes a pleasant walk with her dog and describes the wonders of nature when bats, bees, and several other animals hibernate; active life goes on underneath a frozen pond, and birds and deer are about. At night, Orion takes precedence in the sky. Soon the days grow longer, the sun feels stronger, and there is a hint of change, but there is still time to sled and hope for another snow. Swan's beautiful cut-paper artwork is colorful, crisp, and stark. Rich textures bring depth to the lively scenes and the double-page spreads will give young readers much to ponder. Make room on your shelves for this fresh offering.
Meghan R. Malone, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.