Winter Holding Spring

by Crescent Dragonwagon

A young girl, Sarah, and her father confront their feelings of grief, sorrow, and love as they begin to come to terms with the death of Sarah's mother and remember all the good times they shared with her

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 31, 1990

About the author

Crescent Dragonwagon is the daughter of the writers Charlotte Zolotow and the late Hollywood biographer Maurice Zolotow. She is the author of 40 published books, including cookbooks, children's books, and novels. With her late husband, Ned Shank, Crescent owned the award-winning Dairy Hollow House, a country inn and restaurant in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, for eighteen years. She teaches writing coast to coast and is the co-founder (with Ned) of the non-profit Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars -- This story was not what I expected. I go into many books 'blind', but the title and cover gave me no true impression of the pages between. This is a very touching story about 11-year-old Sarah and her father who are both trying to navigate life without Her. Sarah's mom and his wife died in April; the story begins in August. The title refers to the idea that "things are always ending, while things are always beginning". The main examples of this are shown in the seasons. You can find spring in winter, summer in spring, etc. It becomes, however, the means for their both finding reason in Mom's/wife's passing. As the months and seasons pass and as they ponder, Sarah - again an 11-year-old - concludes, "'Love is alive in me and always will be.'" She is the embodiment of the generations who came before and the ones to come. It is a beautiful message about death.

[Elsa Acosta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about grieving and hope. A friendship between dad and daughter.

[Chappyfamily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very deep for a child’s book, a lot to think on. Very descriptive writing too.