When Winter Comes

by Nancy Van Laan, Susan Gaber (Illustrator)

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

What happens to fish, flowers, field mice, and other living things when ponds freeze and the air turns blustery? Walk with a curious child and his parents as winter's first snow falls and find out....

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Nature, Storytime, Poetry, Pre K

34 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Nancy Van Laan was born in Baton Rouge, La. Her father was a colonel in the US Air Force, and the family moved frequently as Van Laan was growing up. She began making up stories to pass the time on long car trips. Although Van Laan had a learning disability, she loved to read. She began drawing and writing poetry as a child and enjoyed illustrating her own stories. Van Laan also loved ballet and began taking lessons at the age of nine. By age seventeen, she had her own ballet company in Birmingham that performed on a weekly program broadcast on Alabama Educational TV (now Alabama Public Television). Van Laan’s dancing career ended after an injury she sustained as a student at Sullins College in Bristol, Va. After completing her AA degree at Sullins, she enrolled at the University of Alabama, earning her BA in radio and television in 1961.

Van Laan moved to New York after college. She worked briefly at an advertising company and then joined ABC-TV where she worked as a network censor from 1962 to 1966. Van Laan began writing at this time and also studied art. After her first two children were born, she resigned from ABC and began painting professionally, creating murals for schools and private clients. She earned an MFA in theater from Rutgers University in 1979 and wrote two plays which were performed regionally. Van Laan moved to eastern Pennsylvania where she taught English at a private boarding school from 1984 to 1989. She also taught creative writing at Rutgers from 1986 to 1989. Van Laan published her first book, The Big Fat Worm, in 1987. Two years later, she left teaching to write full time. Since then, Van Laan has published over two dozen books. One of these, Rainbow Crow, was featured on the PBS television series Reading Rainbow. Van Laan lives and writes in Doylestown, Pa.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little story about a child on a walk with his/her parents (and adorable little dog) as the snow begins to fall. Brimming with a child's curiosity about what happens to things in the winter ("Where do the fish go? Where do the birds go? Where do the flowers go? Where do the caterpillars go?") The pictures are really sweet and this has a nice sense of both family and nature.

[Afaf Ammar · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Where oh where do the songbirds go when winter comes and the cold winds blow?
South, they fly warm-weather bound to bask in the sun on the soft, mossy ground.
Where oh where does our little one go when winter comes and the cold winds blow?
In a warm, warm bed when winter comes round, listening to the wind
with it's gusting sound, watching the snow as it falls to the ground" 🌨❄🌨

The story and the illustrations are both very warm,
Loved it 💙❄🤍

18.12.2021

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet rhyming book, about when winter comes.
There's a soft, gentle beauty to the pictures.

[Cassandra Gelvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

As bland as the snow.

Very repetitive. I certainly couldn't read this to my kid because it would drive me crazy.

Every other page is, “Where, oh where does the X go/When winter comes and the cold winds blow?” And then it says where it goes. It's in rhyme. It's all about the different plants and animals and what they do during winter, and then the little kid goes to sleep at the end.

Pretty boring. Pictures look like oil paintings, which is kind of cool. They're not highly realistic, but they're pretty. So I've got to give it that.

This would certainly confuse my child because I live in southern California. A pretty realistic depiction of what happens to nature in the winter.

For more children's book reviews, see my website at http://www.drttmk.com.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun take on the changes from Autumn to Winter.

Ages: 3 - 6

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

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[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet little story about how different animals, butterflies, plants, etc., deal with winter.
The writing style is cute and the illustrations are darling. It's nothing incredibly memorable, but it's sweet all the same.:)

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was lying there. I read it.

[Dinah Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

We borrowed this book from our local library.
Short sentences on each page, makes for the perfect preschool length . Mom, dad, Child go out for a winter walk through nature and marvel about the beauty and wonder where has all the creatures gone. Beautiful illustrations . Want a personal copy.

[Anda Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple story that is great conversation starter with young kids about what happens when it gets cold outside. We liked the artwork as well.

[Jane G Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Where oh where do caterpillars go
when winter comes and the cold winds blow?

Inside their cocoons,
so tightly wound,
waiting for spring
to bring green to the ground."

The text of this book about winter is really quite basic, but there are sweet little surprises here and there, such as the "waiting for spring to bring green to the ground" above. I just love saying that aloud. It's a very spare text, made for real little munchkins, to give them a sense of what's happening around them during the cold and snow of winter. It highlights the leaves falling to the ground, the flowers that wilt and wait, the caterpillars and songbirds and mice and deer...

The illustrations beautifully match the text. Not only are the colors inviting and appropriate, but the layout of the pages, and the decisions to bring some of the illustrations very close to the reader, and others to zoom way out work very well.

I love these books celebrating winter, but have found that they sometimes make me want to abandon this Paradise in which I live, which is terribly disconcerting!!!

Oddly, one of my favorite pages in this book is the endpaper. The front and back endpapers are identical, and beautiful...

[Ricardo Bizarro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy to read
VanLaan, Nancy. When Winter Comes. Illinois: McGraw-Hill, 2003.

Pages are not numbered

Awards:
• No awards

Summary: In this rhyming, repetitive book, a child wonders about changes in nature when the weather grows cold.

Literary Element #1: Pattern: To keep children interested this book uses a rhyming pattern such as “Where oh where do the leaves all go
When winter comes and the cold winds blow?”
This makes for a nice pattern throughout the book. It repeats the same sentence and then answers where they go in the next page. Only it replaces certain words.

Literary Element #2: Imagery: Various illustrations are put in the book. A lot are pictures on both pages which really help carry out the story. They are soft and vivid with colors.

Literary Element #3: Tone: The story has a rhyme tone to it which makes it sound like a nursery rhyme. It gives the story a jingle feel to it which would be fun to any young reader. It also makes it easy to follow.

[Samantha Penrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fantastic! The Illustrations are wonderful, and the text includes rhyme and reptition which gives it a great rhythm. The story is all about what happens to life when the winter comes.
The question and answer format will tell you what happens to the leaves, flowers, caterpillars, birds, mice, deer and fish when the "winter comes and the cold winds blow". It ends with a little child being tucked into a warm bed.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderfully written and illustrated book to help teach children what happens to the earth and things within it during winter. What happens to the birds, the worms, the turtles, the fish etc. Not so much Science as a Science book, but a very nicely done storybook taught in a way the children doesn't know it's a science book. My adult special needs son and I really enjoyed this book.

[Terry]

This is a very comfortable, soothing book...perfect for a nap-time read on a wintery day. It made this parent long for a nap as well! Read the full review.

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had my reservations about sharing a book that's mostly non-fiction in content with kindergarteners, but they were really interested. Had them remember fact about where animals go and then share by passing around Eddie, our moose.

[Sephire]

This book is okay. It is a rhyming, question and answer book about winter and what goes on in winter. It talks about what animals do during winter and what people do during winter. It is a good introduction to teaching children about different aspects of winter time.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the flow of this book, it is sweet and graceful.

[P · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is 3 stars, but the illustrations are right up my alley. 5 stars for illustrations. Beautiful children's book with lots to look at.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book that shows the different animals weather the winter in a question and answer format that would work well at storytimes.

[Erienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this for Lu's weather studies. We enjoyed it!

[Courtney Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for a little science of the seasons and how they change!

[Kemar Simpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Winter Comes is a good book. The book is catchy with it's repetitive words. The books was well illustrated. A great book for teaching children about winter.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminds me of Winter's Lullaby. Very gentle, rhyming book about animals in winter.

[Jannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Depicts various creatures and a little human, describing what they do when winter comes.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lyrical text begs to be set to music.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy, his family, and their Yorkie explore the many ways animals and plants transition into winter lifestyles, how they survive the winter’s cold, snow & ice. Lovely illustrations.

[Debra Golden · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice 'up close' pictures and very large type

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Where oh where do the leaves all go when winter comes and the cold winds blow?" So begins this poetic wintry picture book from author Nany Van Laan and illustrator Susan Gaber. The narrative enquires about a variety of plants and creatures, from flowers to songbirds, field mice to deer, and what they do in the winter, while a boy and his parents walk through a snowy world. When they eventually reach home, the final question—what does the boy do in this wintry season?—is answered by his warm bedtime...

Intended for younger picture book audiences, When Winter Comes pairs a rhyming sing-song text with lovely acrylic illustrations. Although not really a science book, it evokes a sense of wonder in the natural world, and in the changes brought by the turning of the seasons. I appreciated both the beauty of the natural environment here, and of the obviously loving relationship between the boy and his parents. Recommended to anyone looking for engaging picture books about the coming of winter, and the beauty of the season.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was ok. It goes over different animals and things and what they’re doing when it snows.
It starts with leaves and flowers, then goes to caterpillars, birds, mice, and deer, and fish.
The caterpillar and mice was a learning experience, because I didn’t know where caterpillars went during winter; they go in their cocoons. Mice tunnel underground and stay in their nests of thistledown.
It ends with what the boy does during winter, which is snuggle in his warm bed, listen to the wind, and watch the snow fall.

I didn’t like the illustrations. They weren’t my style. The little dog looked like Toto from the Wizard of Oz, so that was cute.

I liked the rhyming in here. My favorite was ‘Where oh where do the leaves all go
When winter comes and the cold winds blow?’
It did get a tad repetitive that each one started with 'where oh where' but I think this would be a good read-aloud book.

[Lori C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Nonfiction
Ages: PreK-2nd

This book asks and answers the questions that many children have about life during the winter. It provides simple answers to the question about where things go when winter arrives - answers that rhyme, no less. The illustrations are realistic and pretty. The words are simple and repetitive. There are quite a few lower elementary sight words in it; where, go, comes, they. It maybe isn't the most captivating read but it is a great introduction to nonfiction texts.