A Warm Winter Tail

By: Carrie A. Pearson
Illustrated by: Christina Wald
Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing
Publication Date: August 2012
ISBN: 978-1607185291
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: November 16, 2012

How do animals stay warm in the winter when the winds blow and the temperatures drop? Do they put on winter jackets and sit close to a fire? No? Then how do they stay warm? Other children’s books have asked these questions but this one, in a clever twist, answers them by having various animals ask their mothers how humans stay warm.

A young fox asks his mother:

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?

[and the mother fox answers]

No fur tail for draping
for covering and caping;
their blankets are cotton and wool.

Through this unique storyline, readers will learn how foxes, turtles, bears, birds and numerous other animals deal with the chill of winter. The drawings are bright and realistic and add much to the enjoyment of the book. Above each baby animal that asks the question is a bubble with an imaginary human dealing with winter the same way as that animal (with a fox tail, wings to fly south, etc.). As with all Sylvan Dell books, at the back are four pages of educational aids for teachers and parents with additional learning tools on their website.

Quill says: An excellent introduction to the various ways animals deal with the cold.