Winter has come early and fiercely to New England this year. The first snowfall was before Halloween - an almost unheard of occurrence. And I never remember there being snow on the ground on Thanksgiving Day –until this year. It has been bitterly cold, and more snow is expected tomorrow. After an unseasonable warm winter last year, this has been quite the rude awakening.

So when we were at the library the other day, it seemed fitting to get some books about winter to share with my young daughters. They are fascinated by the snow, but also curious about it. On display at the library I saw When Winter Comes by Nancy Van Laan. Its beautiful gentle cover drew me in, and after a brief skim through decided to check it out. Snuggling with my girls on the couch later that afternoon, made me realize I did the right thing.

The details…

When Winter Comes is a delightful book about what happens in the world during the winter. It is 33 pages long, but only about half the pages contain words so it can be read in about 5 minutes. It is an ideal book for anyone under age 5.

The book is told in rhyme, and is in a very predictable format. The first 2 lines of each verse are:

Where oh where do the *blank* all go
When winter comes and the cold winds blow

The item in the blank ranges from the leaves to flowers to birds to animals.

After that there are 4 more lines to the verse that answers the question.

So for example:

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

The leaves go tumble
Tumbling down.
Snow is their blanket.
Their bed is the ground.

The above stanza is told over 4 pages, as each page is a double page spread. Each double page spread contains a full size illustration by Susan Gaber. They appear to be tempura paintings and they are absolutely wonderful. They truly add to the story.

What do I like about this book?

There is so much to like in this book! Where to begin?

I like the fact that each stanza begins the same way. Children love repetitiveness and knowing what to expect. This book follows a pat formula throughout and it works!

I love that it incorporates nature and learning into the story. Children learn about hibernation and migration and regrowth and seasons. At the same time it is not too heavy, so they want to learn about it.

As I said above the illustrations are absolutely beautiful! The cover is what initially drew me to it, and I was not disappointed.

I also love that it is poetry. Yes, there are lots of children’s books that rhyme, but this book really feels more like a collection of poems. I love reading poetry to my kids and I hope they will have a lifelong appreciation for it.

What don’t I like?

Really, I am wracking my brain here to find something not to like in this book, but that’s next to impossible. The only thing I can say is that I want more! I wish it were a bit longer –add a few more stanzas. My kids can handle it –whenever I finish it, I am asked to read it again, and again….

Final Thoughts

I highly recommend When Winter Comes by Nancy Van Laan! This is an absolutely delightful book that is educational while being a fun read. I am going to regret having to return this to the library, and know that I am going to have to buy a copy to keep. I am also going to look for more books by Van Laan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note: I am not sure why Epinions has “A Lullaby” in the title of this book. As you can see on the cover (the same one I have) those words on not part of the title. I can’t find them anywhere in the book.

_______________________________________
Publisher: Simon and Shuster (An Anne Schwartz Book – Athenium Book for Young Readers)
Copyright: 2000
ISBN: 0-689-81778-9


Recommended: Yes