When winter comes, where do things go? When winter comes what happens to the plants and flowers? And what happens to mice? And all of the creatures that run around during the other seasons? And in When Winter Comes by Nancy Van Laan, you have a sweet rhyming story about where things go and what happens to the plants and such when, “when winter comes and the cold wind blows.”
Susan Gaber has these delightful illustrations. You are able to read them along with the text. They are actually poetic with their colors and the swirls and lines. The feelings they invoke are that of winter: muted, cold, but also the warmth of burrows and the amazement of learning. The character you follow along on their learning journey, also brings warmth to the story at hand. And Gaber’s signature style is there, though maybe not as obvious as it is in other works. Gaber illustrated a favorite book of mine from years ago, Raisel’s Riddle (currently out of print).
There is not a lot of text, but enough to move this story along. You will not mind rereading. Even back-to-back multiple readings. Possible a slightly early reader (with a little bit of assistance) could do solo reading.
The book evokes a happy feeling. It is pleasant, straight forward, non-preachy and has only a hint of the fantastical. It is realistic in the telling and showing. Most ages will be able to enjoy, even if it is only just sitting and reading the art.
I am a sucker for beautiful picture books! This one looks lovely, and even though it may be “below” my children’s reading level, I’ll look for it on our next trip to the library.
Me too! I think this book actually might be aimed at adults more than kids anyway. And depending on the age, it could be adapted to a few different levels.