WONDERFUL WINTER

Goldstone follows up his Awesome Autumn (2012) with a salute to all things winter.

As autumn’s tome was devoted to change, this one fashions winter as “a season of wondering and waiting.” Some of the things Goldstone imagines that readers might wonder about are how animals survive the cold, how snowflakes and icicles form, and why breath is visible in the cold. And there are all sorts of things people wait for in the winter: for days to get longer, for snow to enjoy winter sports, for everyone to get on their outdoor gear, for winter holidays. Trees wait out the winter by dropping their leaves or having specialized foliage, like evergreens, while animals cope by hibernating or slowing down, and many have adaptations to help them find food or survive the cold. Rounding out the book are spreads delineating things readers can feel, hear, and taste and shapes readers can see in winter. The final page looks forward to “Spectacular Spring,” and the backmatter gives instructions for six wintry crafts, including fake snow, paper snowflakes, and pine cone bird feeders. Photos get readers up-close and personal with the sights of winter; many are cropped to look like mittens, and many pages are decorated with stunning photographs of snowflakes.

Readers will be doing a snow dance and waiting for winter all the more.