Winter

Las Estaciones

by Julie Murray

Big changes come in winter--from the weather to the activities we do. Pairing very simple text and vibrant pictures of winter, readers will learn what they can expect in this season and all the fun things they can do. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Abdo Kids is a division of ABDO.

24 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 2015

Reviews

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonfiction/Twin Text Entry #1
This was an informational nonfiction book that tells of some of the fun activities people can do in the winter time. Some of these activities are: building a snowman, shoveling snow, and sledding. I would consider this book to be intended for the primary grades because it includes large text and pictures. The sentences are also small and made easy to read. An example is, "Winter can be fun! Sam builds a snowman" (14).

I decided to pair this text with the fiction book, "Snip, Snip...Snow!" by Nancy Poydar. It is about a girl named Sophie who really wanted snow. She went to school, and her teacher had the class make their own snowflakes out of paper. Then, to Sophie's surprise, it started snowing during the school day.

I would consider both of these books to be for the primary grade levels because of the vocabulary and simple concepts. The author of, "Winter" told of the how great the season can be. The author of "Snip, Snip...Snow!" showed a little girl's excitement for the season and how much she loved it. While reading both of these books, students will learn about the joys of winter and the fun things that they can do.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

This entry in the Abdo Kids Seasons series provides a very basic introduction to the Winter season, highlighting the most basic of facts - air gets colder, days get shorter, snow falls, some animals sleep, and people try to stay warm while participating in a variety of winter activities. Simple sentences are paired with colorful photos of mostly white children. The glossary consists of two words - pile and warm. A code provided at the end of the book allows readers to access additional content - crafts, downloadable games, videos and websites. Unfortunately, one of the suggested websites which is labeled Fun Winter Facts takes you to the AAA Heating and Air Conditioning commercial site for services in the Kent, Washington Area and another takes you to a Wikipedia article. Lackluster and disappointing. Overall, a basic title, but likely to be used in teacher collections, seasonal storytimes, and displays.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beginning readers are introduced to winter in this “Seasons” series title. The nonfiction book is filled with large photographs of activities, animals and weather associated with winter. Each spread features a large photo-illustration and limited text, easy enough for beginning readers to tackle. Back matter includes a picture glossary (but with only two entries), index and publisher’s website for enrichment activities. The title is an easy, solid nonfiction addition to a classroom or elementary library.