“Winter is here...
Winter is outside, of course,
but it’s inside, too,
feathering the window
and dusting the dog
and sitting on the table.
Winter comes without a sound…
and it comes with many.
The wind howls in every language
and the windows rattle.”
The wind does, indeed, howl in every language. WINTER IS HERE, written by Kevin Henkes, is a poetic, sensory-filled ode to the snowy season. Laura Dronzek’s acrylic illustrations show children traversing and playing in the snow. While the book features a suburban setting, this is a universal experience shared by every little child who lives in snowy climes or has been transported there to experience “real” winter.
Long ago, I left snowy winters behind, but the memories remain. Some would be foreign to today’s kids, like the old-style winter galoshes with metal buckles to snap them closed. But most are still common to today’s young people, like being the first one out in the morning, gently breaking the thin, fragile sheets of ice that have formed over yesterday’s puddles of melted snow. Or the magic of seeing your breath, licking an icicle, stepping into a too-deep pile of snow, or watching a truck sanding an icy street.
WINTER IS HERE is filled with skates and toboggans; squirrels and cardinals; snowmen and bunnies; ice and snow; and a lot of warm clothing.
If there were ever a book to make me fondly recall runny eyes, a running nose, and frozen toes, this is it. Accompanied by ice cubes in a paper towels, WINTER IS HERE will be the perfect story for next July, when kids are moaning and groaning about the heat.
40 pages Ages 3-7 978-0062747181
Recommended by: Richie Partington, MLIS, California USA
See more of his recommendations: https://richiespicks.com/>https://richiespicks.pbworks.com
**************
From Caldecott Medalist and Newbery Honor author Kevin Henkes and acclaimed painter Laura Dronzek, the bestselling and award-winning creators of When Spring Comes and In the Middle of Fall, this picture book about winter celebrates the sights, sounds, and smells of the season.
Snow falls, animals burrow, and children prepare for the wonders winter brings. Caldecott Medalist and award-winning author Kevin Henkes’s striking text introduces basic concepts of language and the unique beauty of the winter season. Laura Dronzek’s expressive paintings beautifully capture the joyful wonders of winter.
This is an engaging companion to the best-selling When Spring Comes and In the Middle of Fall. Winter Is Here is an ideal choice for story time, seasonal curriculums, and bedtime reading.---from the publisher
