Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers on September 24, 2024
Genres: Children's
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An atmospheric tribute to the beauty of winter and its creatures.
One red fox walks across the white snow—quietly stalking winter. Two ravens croak and gurgle—raucously talking winter. Three snowshoe hares hop on big paws—silently tracking winter. Four red squirrels feast at their midden full of cones—hungrily cracking winter. Wherever you look, another creature is making its mark on the snow-covered season.
Inspired by the author’s years in Alaska, this lyrical book celebrates the rhythms of the tundra and its inhabitants. Poetic lines and stunning scratchboard art create the perfect read for chilly days—whether winter is just beginning or just starting to melt into spring.
As the leaves turn their hue, the temperature softens, and the sun sets earlier and rises water, our thought turn toward fall and beyond that the inevitable winter. While winter is not my favorite season, there is a beauty to a snow-laden forest that is unrivalled. Counting Winter manages to capture that perfectly, all while introducing kids to the various winter wildlife that thrives in the snow and using the concept of counting to do so.
We’ve all seen counting books. I don’t have to explain the concept to you. Nancy White Carlstrom takes readers through numbers one to twelve in an exploration of the winter forest, beginning with one red fox and ending with twelve children excited to play in the snowy wonder. There are a few descriptive lines for each number and the text is beautifully illustrated in scratchboard style by Claudia McGehee.
It’s the unique scratchboard style, with its thick black lines—making it look almost like a colored woodcutting in print—that stood out most to me. In an afterword, McGehee explains the process of illustrating in that style, which is fascinating and makes the book useful for art teachers. There’s also a section at the end that gives more information about each of the animals counted in the book.
In the end, this is a rather simple book but it holds a range of uses. Young pre-readers will benefit from learning to count. Older readers can learn about the animals featured. The illustrations are engaging and draw readers in. It’s altogether a beautifully crafted book.