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Winter Is Here: A Picture Book Celebrating Winter's Wonders for Children
From Caldecott Medalist and Newbery Honor author Kevin Henkes and acclaimed painter Laura Dronzek, the bestselling and award-winning creators of When Spring Comes and In the Middle of Fall, this picture book about winter celebrates the sights, sounds, and smells of the season.
Snow falls, animals burrow, and children prepare for the wonders winter brings. Caldecott Medalist and award-winning author Kevin Henkes’s striking text introduces basic concepts of language and the unique beauty of the winter season. Laura Dronzek’s expressive paintings beautifully capture the joyful wonders of winter.
This is an engaging companion to the best-selling When Spring Comes and In the Middle of Fall. Winter Is Here is an ideal choice for story time, seasonal curriculums, and bedtime reading.
Snow falls, animals burrow, and children prepare for the wonders winter brings. Caldecott Medalist and award-winning author Kevin Henkes’s striking text introduces basic concepts of language and the unique beauty of the winter season. Laura Dronzek’s expressive paintings beautifully capture the joyful wonders of winter.
This is an engaging companion to the best-selling When Spring Comes and In the Middle of Fall. Winter Is Here is an ideal choice for story time, seasonal curriculums, and bedtime reading.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published October 30, 2018
10 people are currently reading
368 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Henkes
147 books1,214 followersKevin Henkes is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. As an illustrator he won the Caldecott Medal for Kitten's First Full Moon (2004). Two of his books were Newbery Medal Honor Books, Olive's Ocean in 2004 and The Year of Billy Miller in 2014. His picture book Waiting was named both a 2016 Caldecott Honor Book and a Geisel Honor Book. It was only the second time any author has won that combination of awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 195 reviews
February 9, 2020
A lovely book about all the moods and joys of winter. There is so much to do in winter. If only we would get just a day or two of it here. There have been 3 days the temp stayed below 32 degrees here, now at night it does more. We had a day of flakes, that’s it. There has been no winter. So, this book brought the winter to me.
There is nice artwork and cozy scenes with a dog. It’s a beginning story about winter. It’s not much of a story, just what we feel in winter. I love the ice pond where you can see the leaves beneath the surface. That captures winter.
The nephew loves an action or funny plot, so you can imagine that something like this, just images of winter, did not do it for him. He wants to build a snowman, yes, but they didn’t even do that here. He gave this 1 star and he wanted another story. They have also started Harry Potter 4, so he is being spoiled with that great story.
There is nice artwork and cozy scenes with a dog. It’s a beginning story about winter. It’s not much of a story, just what we feel in winter. I love the ice pond where you can see the leaves beneath the surface. That captures winter.
The nephew loves an action or funny plot, so you can imagine that something like this, just images of winter, did not do it for him. He wants to build a snowman, yes, but they didn’t even do that here. He gave this 1 star and he wanted another story. They have also started Harry Potter 4, so he is being spoiled with that great story.
December 29, 2018
As someone who absolutely appreciates and yes, actually really does massively adore winter as a season (provided that it indeed is a coldly freezing snowy and not just mild, rainy and snowless winter), Kevin Henkes' 2018 picture book Winter is Here (with accompanying illustrations by Laura Droznek) has to and for me generally lyrically, textually as well as visually successfully enough captured both the many positives but also some of the negatives of winter (the all encompassing beauty and silence of snow, how visually, snow often tends to appear as greyish during the day but then esoterically blue at night, but also that winter means cold weather and thus having to wear increasing layers of clothing to keep warm), although I certainly do wish that Kenvin Henkes would spend rather a bit more time waxing poetic about the may outdoor joys of wintertime sports and leisure activities (for while sledding, making a snowman and skating are briefly alluded to by Laura Droznek in her accompanying pictures, Henkes' narrative actually never really expands on this at all and in fact the author's printed words spend considerably more time complaining about how snow is everywhere and how difficult winter can thus also be as a season, not to mention that both downhill and cross country skiing are sadly totally and utterly ignored for some incomprehensible and in my opinion annoying reason).
A generally pleasant little wintertime interlude is Winter is Here, with a for the most part more than successfully enough rendered combination of Kevin Henkes' text and Laura Droznek's pictorials (with especially her many and varied illustrations of snow, snow and more snow presenting a personal and aesthetic high point for me). However, I also do not really consider Winter is Here as in any manner a total must-read (or a must-share with children), as while I have definitely and indeed appreciated and even quite liked the book for what its intended purpose is supposed to be, there really is also nothing either spectacular or in any manner truly novel and outstanding regarding Winter is Here, as really and truly, many similar and sometimes even almost identical descriptions and depictions of the winter season in picture book format do exist (and for me to rate Winter is Here with more than three stars, both Kevin Henkes's narrative and Laura Droznek's pictorial accompaniments would need to be much more original, with considerably increased imagination and not simply a so-called same old, same old rehashing of standard wintertime truths and concepts).
A generally pleasant little wintertime interlude is Winter is Here, with a for the most part more than successfully enough rendered combination of Kevin Henkes' text and Laura Droznek's pictorials (with especially her many and varied illustrations of snow, snow and more snow presenting a personal and aesthetic high point for me). However, I also do not really consider Winter is Here as in any manner a total must-read (or a must-share with children), as while I have definitely and indeed appreciated and even quite liked the book for what its intended purpose is supposed to be, there really is also nothing either spectacular or in any manner truly novel and outstanding regarding Winter is Here, as really and truly, many similar and sometimes even almost identical descriptions and depictions of the winter season in picture book format do exist (and for me to rate Winter is Here with more than three stars, both Kevin Henkes's narrative and Laura Droznek's pictorial accompaniments would need to be much more original, with considerably increased imagination and not simply a so-called same old, same old rehashing of standard wintertime truths and concepts).
November 30, 2018
A simple look at winter. A companion to When Spring Comes and In the Middle of Fall.
February 9, 2020
Kevin Henkes and his wife, artist Laura Dronzek, have their finger on the pulse of the four seasons. Each season has a different vibe, presenting unique beauty and challenges. Winter weather may descend gradually or suddenly, but in certain regions snow comes every year, falling from the sodden skies like a billion particles of feather. You can't wish winter away; why not appreciate the season while it lasts?
Rivers, lakes, and ponds solidify if the temperature drops enough. You can only ice skate on frozen water, and you can only mold a snowman or sled downhill if there's snow. The white stuff piles up in streets and on roofs, and icicles stretch from house gutters toward the ground. Frigid air tries to sneak inside houses that are insulated from the outdoors. Playing in snow is fun if you're bundled up, but winter takes a toll on people, animals, and things. Pristine snowy landscapes have a special beauty, but when winter reluctantly recedes for another year, spring is welcome relief. The cycle of seasons is a comforting routine.
Winter visits us whether we invite it or not. Having summer and fall's temperate weather be replaced by blizzards is disagreeable, but winter brings a contemplative quiet that cleans the slate for a fresh start in spring. It's a reboot we all can use, even if we despise the cold. Spring feels that much brighter and warmer for the winter we just endured. Laura Dronzek's acrylic artwork for Winter Is Here is gorgeous, and Kevin Henkes's words could hardly fit it better. This is a pleasant book for winter reading.
Rivers, lakes, and ponds solidify if the temperature drops enough. You can only ice skate on frozen water, and you can only mold a snowman or sled downhill if there's snow. The white stuff piles up in streets and on roofs, and icicles stretch from house gutters toward the ground. Frigid air tries to sneak inside houses that are insulated from the outdoors. Playing in snow is fun if you're bundled up, but winter takes a toll on people, animals, and things. Pristine snowy landscapes have a special beauty, but when winter reluctantly recedes for another year, spring is welcome relief. The cycle of seasons is a comforting routine.
Winter visits us whether we invite it or not. Having summer and fall's temperate weather be replaced by blizzards is disagreeable, but winter brings a contemplative quiet that cleans the slate for a fresh start in spring. It's a reboot we all can use, even if we despise the cold. Spring feels that much brighter and warmer for the winter we just endured. Laura Dronzek's acrylic artwork for Winter Is Here is gorgeous, and Kevin Henkes's words could hardly fit it better. This is a pleasant book for winter reading.
October 30, 2018
At least there is a story here, even if I'm not seeing his classic illustrations!
December 10, 2018
Richie’s Picks: WINTER IS HERE by Kevin Henkes and Laura Dronzek, ill. Greenwillow, October 2018, 40p., ISBN: 978-0-06-274718-1
“Winter is here...
Winter is outside, of course,
but it’s inside, too,
feathering the window
and dusting the dog
and sitting on the table.
Winter comes without a sound…
and it comes with many.
The wind howls in every language
and the windows rattle.”
The wind does, indeed, howl in every language. WINTER IS HERE, written by Kevin Henkes, is a poetic, sensory-filled ode to the snowy season. Laura Dronzek’s acrylic illustrations show children traversing and playing in the snow. While the book features a suburban setting, this is a universal experience shared by every little child who lives in snowy climes or has been transported there to experience “real” winter.
Long ago, I left snowy winters behind, but the memories remain. Some would be foreign to today’s kids, like the old-style winter galoshes with metal buckles to snap them closed. But most are still common to today’s young people, like being the first one out in the morning, gently breaking the thin, fragile sheets of ice that have formed over yesterday’s puddles of melted snow. Or the magic of seeing your breath, licking an icicle, stepping into a too-deep pile of snow, or watching a truck sanding an icy street.
WINTER IS HERE is filled with skates and toboggans; squirrels and cardinals; snowmen and bunnies; ice and snow; and a lot of warm clothing.
If there were ever a book to make me fondly recall runny eyes, a running nose, and frozen toes, this is it. Accompanied by ice cubes in a paper towels, WINTER IS HERE will be the perfect story for next July, when kids are moaning and groaning about the heat.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
“Winter is here...
Winter is outside, of course,
but it’s inside, too,
feathering the window
and dusting the dog
and sitting on the table.
Winter comes without a sound…
and it comes with many.
The wind howls in every language
and the windows rattle.”
The wind does, indeed, howl in every language. WINTER IS HERE, written by Kevin Henkes, is a poetic, sensory-filled ode to the snowy season. Laura Dronzek’s acrylic illustrations show children traversing and playing in the snow. While the book features a suburban setting, this is a universal experience shared by every little child who lives in snowy climes or has been transported there to experience “real” winter.
Long ago, I left snowy winters behind, but the memories remain. Some would be foreign to today’s kids, like the old-style winter galoshes with metal buckles to snap them closed. But most are still common to today’s young people, like being the first one out in the morning, gently breaking the thin, fragile sheets of ice that have formed over yesterday’s puddles of melted snow. Or the magic of seeing your breath, licking an icicle, stepping into a too-deep pile of snow, or watching a truck sanding an icy street.
WINTER IS HERE is filled with skates and toboggans; squirrels and cardinals; snowmen and bunnies; ice and snow; and a lot of warm clothing.
If there were ever a book to make me fondly recall runny eyes, a running nose, and frozen toes, this is it. Accompanied by ice cubes in a paper towels, WINTER IS HERE will be the perfect story for next July, when kids are moaning and groaning about the heat.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
December 17, 2021
"Winter is here.
It's everywhere.
Winter is white and gray.
But with the dark of night,
Winter is blue.
Blue, blue, deep blue.
And even colder"
Beautiful and lovely poetic picture story celebrating the arrival of winter and waiting for the return of the warm spring with winterly illustrations which light up with blue, gray and white,
I loved it 💙❄🤍
قصة مصورة وشعرية جميلة تحتفل بقدوم الشتاء، وتنتظر عودة الربيع الدافئ برسومات شتوية تضيء بالأرزق والرمادي والأبيض،
أحببتها 💙❄🤍
17.12.2021
November 15, 2018
First sentence: Winter is here. It's everywhere. It's falling from the sky and sitting on the houses and dripping from the roofs and sticking to the trees in clumps and curls.
Premise/plot: Kevin Henkes' newest book is a poetic description of the winter season.
Winter comes without a sound...
and it comes with many.
The wind howls in every language
and the windows rattle.
My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I liked the text very much. But I loved, loved, loved the illustrations.
Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10
Premise/plot: Kevin Henkes' newest book is a poetic description of the winter season.
Winter comes without a sound...
and it comes with many.
The wind howls in every language
and the windows rattle.
My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I liked the text very much. But I loved, loved, loved the illustrations.
Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10
December 11, 2018
Winter officially begins in ten days, but for some of you in different parts of the country, it has definitely begun. Here's a book from Kevin Henkes that celebrates the winter full of snow. I love the line, "The wind howls in every language and the windows rattle". It's quite a big storm pictured beautifully by Laura Drozek, all through some days with soft-black outlining the colors and lots of grays and blues--winter! There is a surprise at the end.
November 11, 2018
Another lovely book from Kevin Henkes that flows right into his book Spring. I read it on a snowy weekend as winter is knocking at the door. The page about winter comes and stays, and stays, and stays resonates with this Minnesota reader! There is much in this book that my readers will relate with. I am excited to share with my students.
December 9, 2018
Reviewed for the Mock Caldecott Awards. Another beautiful picture book from Kevin Henkes. This was such a lovely account of how it feels to be in the midst of winter weather that I, never much of a winter person, actually kind of wished that we'd have a big snowfall so I could just cozy up in the house for about a week!
December 3, 2018
Age: Infant+
An enchanting view of winter that captures all the wonder and uniqueness that amazes and intrigues children. Henkes provides extra little details about winter including his illustration of snow curling in the breeze and the windows rattling from the howling wind. Although winter feels like it stays and stays and stays, eventually winter shrinks away and becomes spring.
I mean, I know Henkes is a prolific children's author but he continues to amaze me with his storytelling. It is poetic but not saccharine, simple but not boring, that connects with a child's imagination and their perspective of the world without appearing fake.
An enchanting view of winter that captures all the wonder and uniqueness that amazes and intrigues children. Henkes provides extra little details about winter including his illustration of snow curling in the breeze and the windows rattling from the howling wind. Although winter feels like it stays and stays and stays, eventually winter shrinks away and becomes spring.
I mean, I know Henkes is a prolific children's author but he continues to amaze me with his storytelling. It is poetic but not saccharine, simple but not boring, that connects with a child's imagination and their perspective of the world without appearing fake.
December 12, 2018
A gentle book about winter.
February 28, 2019
As a Michigander and also someone who hates winter, I was reading the beautiful text and ogling the gorgeous illustrations and found myself thinking that winter isn't so bad after all.
February 13, 2020
Grace she says when the winter ice and snow melted at the end, then everyone was happy.
Hard word(s), no help needed: reaching, underneath
Hard word(s), help needed: crouching, feathering
Hard word(s), no help needed: reaching, underneath
Hard word(s), help needed: crouching, feathering
February 13, 2019
An enchanting view of winter that captures all the wonder and uniqueness that amazes and intrigues children. Henkes provides extra little details about winter including his illustration of snow curling in the breeze and the windows rattling from the howling wind. Although winter feels like it stays and stays and stays, eventually winter shrinks away and becomes spring.
I mean, I know Henkes is a prolific children's author but he continues to amaze me with his storytelling. It is poetic but not saccharine, simple but not boring. He connects with a child's imagination and their perspective of the world without appearing fake. Another great classroom staple.
Reviewed by: Miss Kelsey, Youth and School Services, Vernon Area Public Library
I mean, I know Henkes is a prolific children's author but he continues to amaze me with his storytelling. It is poetic but not saccharine, simple but not boring. He connects with a child's imagination and their perspective of the world without appearing fake. Another great classroom staple.
Reviewed by: Miss Kelsey, Youth and School Services, Vernon Area Public Library
December 27, 2018
I suspect my enjoyment of this book stems more from Laura Dronzek's lovely paintings than Henkes' words, but the two combined to make a delightfully wintry treat in this title.
Winter comes
and then it stays
and stays
and stays . . .
Winter comes
and then it stays
and stays
and stays . . .
November 25, 2018
Very simple text and vivid acrylic illustrations describe the sights and sounds of winter. A perfect seasonal pick for toddlers, and a lovely complement to Henkes and Dronzek's other collaborations (When Spring Comes and In the Middle of Fall)--here's hoping summer is next!
December 9, 2018
Gentle introduction to the winter season, although some of the youngest readers may think
winter = snow. Love the illustrations, especially the dog, that reminds me of my Brownie (altho she did not enjoy the snow)
winter = snow. Love the illustrations, especially the dog, that reminds me of my Brownie (altho she did not enjoy the snow)
December 13, 2018
The illustrations are lovely, and the text is pretty simple so I think it will make a nice readaloud. I couldn't really connect, and I don't think my students will, either, because our winters are cold but look nothing like the winter depicted in this book.
December 13, 2018
Perfect addition to any winter themed story time.
January 13, 2019
I really liked how Kevin Henke’s used personification to describe winter/snow. Students loved the red cardinal that was hidden in each illustration.
January 12, 2019
Being Wisconsinites, Kevin and Laura both know the seasons well! The third in their seasons series feels notalgic and poetic.
January 17, 2019
Really cute story and illustrations about winter. Goes along well with the fall and spring books by the same duo.
September 18, 2019
Love this picture book about my favorite season! Perfect for story time!
December 11, 2024
4.5 stars rounded up
Sweet but not a must read.
Sweet but not a must read.
February 11, 2023
Borrowed from the library. The kids enjoyed this one significantly less than the other winter books we checked out.
January 8, 2021
I LOVE Kevin Henkes's picture books about the seasons (When Spring Comes and In the Middle of Fall) His books have vibrant painted illustrations with lyrical text that paints a picture of the season. He evokes all of your senses. "Winter is here. It's everywhere." "Winter is reaching through the branches and crouching in doorways." This one does not disappoint and makes a great read-aloud with toddlers or preschoolers.
January 30, 2019
The soft illustrations and sparse text work together to sum up winter perfectly. From the opening two page spread of a snow covered park filled with humans and animals all occupied with winter activity: skating, sledding, building a snowman with text reading, "Winter is here. It's everywhere" the reader knows s/he is in for a special treat. There is an adorable dog that makes multiple appearances, lots of lovely snow covered areas and two pages about what it takes to get read to go out in Winter. In the end all of the cold and gray melts into a glorious spring - where the reader is back in the same park filled with folks and critters enjoying a multitude of spring activities.
December 6, 2019
As a straight read aloud, the elements of figurative language seem a bit confusing if taken at face value. I see puzzled looks from my very K-1 students when winter is described as soft and hard, quiet and noisy. That said, I think this might be a good way to introduce some creative expression for these often very liberal-minded kids. Am wondering if it might be a good short read for older students for identifying elements of figurative language. Hmmm. Regardless, my younglings do have fun comparing the opening scene and the closing scene and sometimes seem amazed to realize that the park is the same park.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 195 reviews