"Baby animals ask their mothers whether humans keep warm the same ways they do and are set straight regarding blankets and winter clothing. The rhyming text has a mildly humorous touch..."
Young children often wonder how some animals can survive the winter cold. In this book, various young animals ask how humans can stay warm in the winter. For example, a fawn asks its mama if humans grow hollow hair so they can trap heat during the cold months. Young readers will learn how these animals adapt to cold temperatures. Double-page illustrations capture the essence of the accompanying text. Eleven different animals are featured in this picture book which can be read as a stand-alone or as an introduction to a variety of science topics. School librarians and teachers will enjoy the additional information presented in “For Creative Minds” and, especially, the additional activities offered online through the publisher’s website. The teaching activities are cross-curricular and there are interactive quizzes available. Sheila Acosta, Children’s Librarian, Cody Library, San Antonio, Texas [Editor’s Note: Available in e-book format and paperback.] HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
A cozy “tail” compares the adaptations animals and humans have for surviving winter’s chill. Baby animals ask grown-ups how humans keep warm in the winter. A fox kit asks, “How do humans keep warm in the winter, Mama? / Do they wrap their tails tight / ’round their bodies just right / as heaters to chase out the chill?” Mama answers, “No fur tail for draping, / for covering and caping; / their blankets are cotton and wool.” Each baby in turn asks if humans adapt as they do. The wide variety of animals portrayed ensures that most winter adaptations are covered, though camouflage is lacking. The “For Creative Minds” section includes a spread of extensive further information and two pages of activities—matching animal to adaptation (the only place where the animals are identified by captioned thumbnails) and then sorting the animals into their four classes. More activities and learning materials are on the publisher’s website. Wald’s lifelike illustrations incorporate speech bubbles for the babies’ questions and include humorous imaginings of how humans would look with animals’ adaptations, e.g., a child with butterfly wings.
Turning the tables on humans and their curiosity about them, baby animals such as red foxes, box turtles, honeybees, and Monarch butterflies ask their mothers how humans cope during winter’s freezing months. All of the babies are sure that humans must have some way to adapt to the cold that is similar to their own adaptations, a conceit that turns out to be somewhat true as illustrated in the sketches of human clothing and shelter. Intriguingly, the illustrator has created sketches of human behavior in a black and white palette and the illustrations of the animals in larger, color illustrations, supporting the animals’ worldview. Back matter includes a matching activity and additional information on animal adaptation. Young readers will enjoy reading this title and finding even more activities on the publisher’s website.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
The wonderful thing about A Warm Winter Tail is that you can choose to add on as many or as few activities as you would like. You can incorporate the deeper study into your school work or simply read it as a storybook. I think page numbers would simplify using it with the activities. This book is sure to be a hit with boys, kinesthetic learners who like non-fiction, or anyone who loves animals and nature. A Warm Winter Tail is an example of how you can create more opportunities for learning from a simple story, which is especially appealing to young learners. Snuggling up on the couch on a cold winter day to learn is much more fun than sitting at a desk with a textbook studying the same concepts. As a homeschooling mom, I appreciate the ease of having high quality resources available that simplify planning and stretch learning materials further.
Each page highlights one of twelve animals and in asking the question of how humans keep warm in winter, our little friends are really giving away how they, themselves, keep warm. Our little fox says to his mama, “Do they wrap their tails tight ‘round their bodies’ just right, as heaters to keep out the chill?” In his question, we’ve discovered how foxes keep warm in winter without even realizing we’ve learned something new!
...This is a great book for grabbing a cup of hot cocoa, snuggling up in quilt and reading aloud to your kids. Even the illustrations will warm you.
Each page also has a silly illustration of humans and how they might look or act if they stayed warm like other animals do. This 32-page book is catchy with words and is a quick read.
In this creative story, Carrie Pearson shares with readers the different ways in which animals (and humans) survive throughout the cold winter months. Through the use of a text bubble, baby animals inquire about how humans keep warm during the winter. The mother animal responds by the use of "no" and then sharing the ways in which that specific animal keeps warm throughout the winter. While the inquiry is ultimately about how humans keep warm during the winter months, readers will learn so much more delve into this creatively written story!
Teachers and parents will love the educational section, which includes the following activities: Animals and Winter Adaptation Fun Facts, Winter Animal Matching Activity and Animal Classifications. One of my favorite things about the books at Arbordale Publishing is that they have cross-curricular Teaching Activities for their books.
We enjoyed this book a lot and I plan to do a winter day study using this book and the Arbordale website. Perfect book to use in school, at home or for a story time.
...The combination of illustrations and rhyming verses creates an enjoyable story for young readers, encouraging their imaginations to grow and their knowledge to expand.
Do you ever wonder how animals stay warm in the winter? Well, they wonder how humans do too! In a twist of perspective, wild creatures question if humans use the same winter adaptation strategies that they do. Do they cuddle together in a tree or fly south to Mexico? Take a look through an animal’s eyes and discover the interesting ways animals cope with the cold in this rhythmic story.
I think this is a particularly cute book. Down here in Florida we do not have a true winter but my daughter does ask about snow and other cold winter related things. This was a great way for her to learn about the animals and what they do during winter. I am also a huge fan of rhythmic stories at bedtime.
I read A Warm Winter Tail for my 5 year-old on 12/3/16 as an afternoon story time and again on 12/10/16 at night. He really likes this book, especially the picture above. It’s interesting how some animals keep warm in the winter by hiding themselves in a hole on the ground. They looked like mice, but I can’t be sure. Are they other forms of a mouse? If the author could add the names of the animals within the story, that fact would help a lot. I really like the facts at the end of the book though. And at the end of the book, it’s revealed that they are called Deer Mice. My son and I enjoy our reminiscent after our read of how the animals keep warm in the winter compare to us even a week later after our read. This book is absolutely great!
The young reader will learn from this fascinating, full-color illustrated book how animals keep themselves warm in the winter. The fur tail of a fox comes to the rescue. Turtles dig in the mud. So the young reader learns how each animal has a specific method of keeping warm during the cold winter. The fine artwork helps the young reader appreciate the methods that nature provides for each and every animal.