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.
October 17, 2016
“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. Up to age 4.
January 1, 2017
PreS-Gr 1-Wander through a snow-covered forest and discover some of the inhabitants. Starting with a chickadee and ending with a hibernating woodchuck, Palermo introduces readers to an array of animals in their winter home. The repetitive and rhyming text is great for beginning readers. The story opens with the question, "Winter, winter, cold and snow;/Chickadee, Chickadee, who do you know?" This same pattern is repeated throughout as each animal leads to another. Song has created wonderful winter scenes with cut-paper illustrations that bring a unique and compelling texture to each tree, animal, and background scene; young children will find the images very appealing. Similar picture books include but are not limited to Nanuk the Ice Bear by Jeanette Winter and The Wind That Wanted To Rest by Sheldon Oberman. VERDICT An excellent seasonal read-aloud, this title is perfect for beginner readers, and the engaging illustrations will be fascinating to young children.-Meaghan Nichols, Archaeological Research Associates, Ont.
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 2016
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)
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July 1, 2017
With a rhyming text reminiscent of (but not as strong as) Bill Martin Jr's picture books, Palermo indicates how various wild animals survive the winter. Song's simply constructed, rather flat collages provide visual reinforcement, but no further detail. Notes with more information about animals' winter habits are appended.
(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)