A Cozy Winter Day

by Eliza Wheeler

New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Eliza Wheeler welcomes readers to Acorn Village, where a community of adorable forest animals celebrates all the wonder that winter offers.The busy animals of Acorn Village love to spend winter days doing all sorts of cozy activities together, whether they’re indoors reading, baking, and doing art projects or outside playing in the snow. And at the end of the day, the coziest activities await—sharing songs, hot drinks, and stories in front of a crackling fireplace, and then snuggling into bed and drifting off into dreamy sleep. Eliza Wheeler’s charming illustrations give her story the feel of a beloved classic and are full of rich, cozy details sure to ignite imaginations and make readers want to visit Acorn Village again and again.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Kids, Friendship, Juvenile, Nature

40 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2024

About the author

Eliza Wheeler is the author-illustrator of MISS MAPLE'S SEEDS (Penguin), which debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list. She is also the illustrator of the Newbery Honor winning novel by Holly Black, DOLL BONES (Simon & Schuster), and Mara Rockliff's picture book THE GRUDGE KEEPER (Peachtree). Eliza is the recipient of numerous Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators awards, including the Grand Prize Award for best portfolio at the 2011 SCBWI National Conference.

Eliza grew up in northern Wisconsin in a family of teachers, musicians, and artists. Some of the strongest influences on her creativity have been the wild Wisconsin seasons, canoeing the Brule River, picking blueberries with her grandmother, and digging through the snow with her brothers. Eliza currently lives with her husband in Los Angeles, California. See her work at www.wheelerstudio.com

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and cozy but doesn’t necessarily bring anything new to the picture book world.

[Tiffany Hough · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO cozy.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

how might one leave america and move into acorn village immediately right now today just asking for a friend

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Come spend time with the animals of Acorn Village and experience the wonders and joys of being cozy on a wintery day. This read is sure to bring delight, and a look forward to enjoying a cozy winter day when it presents itself.

[Kristiana Cankowa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Много сладка, красива и уютна история. Илюстрациите са толкова красиви, а текста написан в рими е страхотно допълнение. Една наистина страхотна детска история в която са използвани герой - животни и всичко се е получило много красиво.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Мила история в рима - един наистина уютен зимен ден, в който някой гледа снега навън, друг се гушка в завивките, а трети приготвя нещо много вкусно и ароматно в кухнята. Една страхотна история за най-малките

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet and perfectly cozy.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cozy, just like it's title, with gorgeous illustrations!

[Elizabeth]

I want to live in Acorn Village. What a charming place! And cozy, too, of course. (I have concerns about the owl, but she doesn't seem to prey on her neighbors, so that's reassuring.)

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

A cold, snowy snap in Acorn Village's weather causes the animal inhabitants to settle in for a cozy day. Dad Rabbit shops for ingredients for a vegetable stew, and comes home to Pop Rabbit making breakfast. The rabbit children get dressed in comfy clothes. The beavers stack up firewood, the hedgehogs gather yearn, and the intrepid Pearl takes her tiny baby squirrel for a first hike. Hilda the owl sleeps in, of course! A cozy winter's day is best spent in a warm nook, and is great for doing a variety of projects around the house. When the sun comes out, however, it's great to get outside for some fresh air, properly bundled up, of course. This makes it even nicer to get out of the cold, put on fresh, dry clothes, and gather by the fire as a neighborhood to eat stew and snuggle under blankets while visiting. To end the long day, nothing is cozier than settling into beds and dreaming wintery dreams. Hilda, the night owl, stays up to pen a story about a cozy village.

This is a super cute book with lots of delightful illustrations rich in details. It reminded me a little of Richard Scarry's books, but that may be because The Bunny Book was one of my favorites, and the rabbit family figures largely in this story. It would be fantastic to be able to crawl into the pages and sit in the window nook under a blanket, reading and smelling all of the delicious cooking.

It was also fun to spend some time outside in the winter sun; the illustrations use light very well, and the after dinner and bedtime scenes seem especially atmospheric with the glow of the fire place inside and the night sky outside.

It's always tough to go from being outside in warm weather to preparing to be stuck insdide when the weather turns colder. Prepare young readers for this change in weather by celebrating A Cozy Winter's Day and other books about the fun that winter can hold, like Stumpfova's The First Snow, Melling's Ruffles and the Cold, Cold Snow, Gore's Danny's First Snow, or Fergus' Zander Stays. For extra bonus points, read the book while having a steaming cup of hot cocoa!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having enjoyed Miss Maple's Seeds and Home in the Woods by this same author/illustrator, I prepared myself to be enchanted by the illustrations. Created with digital media, they feature five animal families, including one [the Hopps] with two dads, living in Acorn Village. Living up to the book's title, the contents show the different families cooking, sledding, finding nooks, all nestled up cozily in some spot or other. Youngsters will find the scenarios relatable as there's nothing so wonderful as staying warm indoors when it's really cold outside. If there's some sunshine, heading outdoors isn't problematic, especially when there's a warm home and food to which to return after playing. The text and scenes are sentimental, delicate, and imaginative with some of the houses hanging from trees while others have been carved into the roots of a tree. The front endpapers show the village in the daylight hours, and the back endpapers depict it as everyone settles down for the light; the scene is dark yet cozy with little points of yellow lights adorning the houses. I hope the author/illustrator will return to Acorn Village at some point for further insight into the villagers' lives.

[Book Nerds In MN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course, but I'm really curious how anyone could give this lower than four stars? I wonder if the ARC copy that some reviews here represent wasn't the same finished product as the book I just read? I'm not sure but in any case as a Minnesotan who is involved in kids' reading programs in my community, works at a bookstore, has children and nieces and nephews, I thought this book was adorable and I loved the cozy winter story that applies 100% to us here up north. The illustrations are so good you could spend so much time rereading this book and looking at the details of that alone. The story was sweet and a perfect length. Loved it and highly recommend it!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's difficult to describe this book without using the word "cozy" because it's entire premise is about creating cozy. In the quaint woodland Acorn Village all the adorable animals are joyfully preparing for a Cozy Winter Day. This involves getting ready inside with food and warmth, comfy clothes, and fun indoor projects. Then eventually everyone goes outside for a day of Winter Playtime fun. There isn't much of a story, but the expressive detailed illustrations are wonderful and there is enough charm in the characters and the village that the reader is left wanting to revisit this world soon. More please!

[Talia Messina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m such a big fan of Eliza Wheeler that I automatically preorder any picture book she writes and illustrates. When I heard that she is working on seasonally cozy books, I couldn’t wait to read the next one!
Think Richard Scarry’s Busy Town but in a winter woodland and you’ve got A Cozy Winter Day. I love Eliza’s depictions of woodland critters going about their winter days cooking, baking, knitting, napping, and finding nooks for books. Each scene is so detailed and lovely that I find new things each time I look.

[Alana/MiaTheReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are adorable, and my daughters absolutely loved them. I always love Eliza Wheeler books, but this one fell a little flat for me. Still, a very cute book. The main family in the story has a Dad and a Pop - my eight-year-old read this to mean that "Pop" was the grandad who lived with them (many grandfathers in our region are called "Pop-pop, Papa, Popi, etc.), but some may interpret as a two-dad family. Just something to note based on your preferences for what you and your family read.

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

How would you spend a cozy winter day? This book offers quite a few ideas, showing rabbits and other woodland creatures enjoying their cozy activities throughout the day. If you're looking for a plot, this book isn't it—while there are little problems throughout the story, they're really not the focus of the book. The illustrations are entirely magical, though, and made my reading experience very worth while.

[Nicole Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book for my honest opinion.

This book is pure winter cottagecore for kids. The animals are cute and cozy as they go throughout their wintry day, full of sweaters, warm drinks, crafts, books, and warm fires to keep out the cold. A great book for kids to see that there are other winter activities than just the holidays or playing outside.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very cute and cozy-- winter time set in Acorn Village. But something about the illustrations had an AI feel (I'm just tainted by the flood of AI images lately, I think.) And the digital drawings didn't give me the vibe I was looking for. I did appreciate the diverse animal characters.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son and I read probably 100 new picture books a month from the library and rarely do I ever feel the urge to buy one to keep indefinitely. I love this book and the cozy feeling it gives us. I’ll be moving to a colder, grayer climate soon and I’ll be buying this book to remind myself of the joys cold weather can bring.

[charlene.librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a broad cast of characters and an endless number of activities for everyone to prepare, help, and have fun, the inhabitants of Acorn Village make their way through a cozy winter day. The neighbors go along from early breakfast until bedtime. There are many details to notice and consider if you've ever thrown a snowball or sit in front of a crackling fireplace fire.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story about animals in a winter town in the woods and the different things they do in winter. Has a slight holiday vibe to it, but more of a solstice feel then Xmas. Too long for ST in my opinion.

[Jana Henderson (Reviews from the Stacks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

So beautiful! All of the details are incredible and whimsical. My only concern is a scene where the characters give thanks to the soil, sun, etc. for the food that grows, rather than thanking the One who made them.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would like winter a lot better if I lived the life of the animals in Acorn Village who really know how to embrace a winter day! Geared toward a preschool-1st grade audience, you could spend hours looking at all the little details in the illustrations.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations but there seems to be two male rabbits who live together (“Dad” and “Pop”) with their children. Nothing much is made of this and my four-year-old did not notice, but if you’re into normalizing traditional marriage, this might not be the book for you.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC from Edelweiss.

[Kai Charles(Fiction State Of Mind) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very sweet story about the importance of community and rest.

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cozy and adorable. Cocoa is a must while reading this one.

[Sue Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An active winter day in Acorn Village. Makes me want to have a cozy day, but I'm not a fan of winter.

[Margaret Gerberding · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful picture book to read to your kids as you snuggle under a blanket! The animals of Acorn Village will entertain and delight all readers.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small village of forest animals celebrate a cozy winter day together. The illustrations are lovely. A perfect book to read to celebrate winter and togetherness.