Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

As a father reads bedtime stories, the animals outside are preparing for winter. Alongside poetic rhyming text, beautiful woodcuts show foxes, loons, beavers, and other animals getting ready for cold weather. Winter arrives on the last page as the child and father sleep. Back matter with additional information about the animals would have been a useful supplement. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

This nature-themed picture book brings readers through autumn and just into winter.Author Casanova and illustrator Wroblewski team up to deliver an homage to the North American woods as autumn slips into winter. Casanova's singsong rhyming text is filled with evocations of the quiet busyness of common forest animalsdeer, bear, beaver, and owl, among year-round residents, and such summer visitors as loon and hummingbirdas they prepare for winter months ahead. The narrative doesn't give nature information so much as it soothes and quiets readers' spirits with its gentle and lyrical telling of preparation and rest. Wroblewski's full-color woodcut illustrations feature masterful design in their overall composition and accuracy in their depiction of natureand here is where more information about the nature of the animals and the environment can be found. Beavers fell trees, and the illustration shows exactly how that tree trunk looks after it has been gnawed by the animal's large front teeth. Raccoons catch crayfish, and the illustration shows them rolling the crustaceans in the stream before eating, as they do. In the illustrations' splendid accuracy, the grandeur of the natural world speaks for itself. The illustrations' movement and flow belie their laborious technique; fur appears textured, the sky is subtle, viewpoints are stimulating, and the animals move fluidly. The two humans shown appear white.A soothing and superb story to read to nature lovers at bedtime. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

PreS-Gr 2-Bold woodcuts limn the cyclical text as the woodland season turns from fall to winter, captured in amber, gold, pale sage, and light cerulean with black accents. Leaves swirl in the wind, birds set off on southward courses, bears slip into comfy dens, and the rest hunker down for a cold, dark season. Casanova's simple lyrical language cups the annual change in few well-chosen words, leaving a parent and child in cozy, indoor sleep as winter's first snow coats the ground. Strong illustrations and a carefully crafted text illuminate a forest habitat as the seasons change. VERDICT A lovely choice for one-on-one and small group sharing.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.