Winter, Winter, Cold and Snow
A gentle story using repetition and rhyme that takes readers through a snow-covered forest to learn about its many animal inhabitants. From owls, to woodchucks, to chickadees and more, children will be delighted to see what all of the animals are doing in winter. Adorable cut-paper illustrations add charm and appeal for young readers.
Backmatter includes additional facts about each animal and their wintertime habits.
Interest Level | Preschool - Kindergarten |
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Reading Level | Kindergarten |
Dewey | 591.5/4 |
Lexile | |
ATOS Reading Level | |
Guided Reading Level | F |
Publisher | Sleeping Bear Press |
Language | English |
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Available Formats | Hardcover (9781585369539), PDF (9781627539791), ePub (9781634718721), Hosted ebook (9781627539999), Kindle (9781634718837) |
Copyright | 2016 |
Number of Pages | 24 |
Dimensions | 11 x 9 |
Graphics | Full-color illustrations |
Publishers Weekly - Winter, Winter, Cold and Snow
Winter, winter, cold and snow;/ Chickadee, Chickadee, who do you know?” Using variations on this refrain, Palermo constructs a chain of animal interactions in a wintertime forest. Each animal responds to the question by describing another creature (“I know Bear, asleep in her den;/ she might wake up when the sun shines in”), who answers the same question on the following page. Song makes good use of varying textures in her cut-paper illustrations: corrugated papers suggest a wolf’s fur while crinkled ones lend visual depth to snow-covered hills. Though neither the straightforward rhymes nor somewhat cartoony artwork makes the strongest of impressions, it’s a diverting introduction to a handful of animals.
Kirkus Reviews - Winter, Winter, Cold and Snow
In Palermo’s picture-book debut, various animals against snowy backdrops tell readers whom else they know and how those animals go about surviving the winter. “Winter, winter, cold and snow; / Chickadee Chickadee, who do you know? / I know bear asleep in her den, / she might wake up when the sun shines in.” Bear introduces children to Beaver, whose lodge entrance is under the ice; Beaver in turn tells about Deer, who tries to be quiet while eating twigs. Then come camouflaged Rabbit; Wolf, listening for the sounds of a mouse under the snow; Owl, who is nocturnal; and Woodchuck, who ends the tale, as he is hibernating and won’t tell whom he knows. Palermo’s rhythm and rhyme sometimes stumble, and the repeated question “who do you know” is the grammatical equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard for many. Song’s illustrations appear to be a combination of mixed media and cut-paper collage, the papers wonderfully textured and patterned. Her child-friendly animals are more cartoonish than realistic, but that may be appropriate in a book that substitutes good words for scientific terms: “munching,” “stealthy,” “sleek,” “soars” but not “nocturnal” or “hibernating.” Backmatter not seen. A wintertime version of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Picture book. 1-4)
Author: Sharon Gibson Palermo
Born in Philadelphia, Sharon Gibson Palermo now lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She holds a B.A. and M. Ed. from Boston University and a M.A. Ed. from Mt. St. Vincent University in Halifax.
Illustrator: Christina Song
Christina Song is a cut-paper illustrator based in Oakland, California. She was born in Texas, raised in Georgia, Tennessee, and Los Angeles, and has also lived and worked in New York City. She loves to get out and enjoy the urban and natural landscapes of the Bay Area with her husband, Ici the dog, and Ranger the rabbit.
- Beginning ot text
- Winter Habits
- About the Author/Illustrator
Author/Illustrator biography |
Educational front/back matter |
Original artwork |
Reviewed |
Full-color illustrations |