Winter is for Snow

by Robert Neubecker

An ode to winter finds two siblings exploring a snowy wonderland of sledding, building snowmen, and catching snowflakes before snuggling up in the cozy warmth of their family home.

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Childrens, Family, Fiction, Christmas, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2013

About the author

Robert Neubecker is the award-winning author-illustrator of Wow! City! and Wow! Ocean! He has illustrated many other books for young readers. His work has been published by Slate, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times. He lives in Park City, Utah, with his family.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snow ball fights, sledding, snowmen, and so much more. This book is a love letter to all the wonderful things winter sends our way!

Winter is for Snow by Robert Neubecker is a back and forth, pro & con list of grumbles and loves of winter between a brother and sister. From fun to wet! This story has it all! Can this pouty little girl be convinced winter is much more than colds and chills?

Color, movement, and life made these pages feel so big and alive. Every corner was filled with activity—- people walking, shoveling, smiling, and skiing. You will see something new each and every time you read and explore this winter wonderland.

A fun wintery read.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I shared this with the library story time crowd I began with the page BEFORE the title page which shows a window in nine phases. I said, "Sometimes before you go to bed you might look out the window. It's pitch black outside and you see ONE snowflake (pointing to the first window). Then there are THREE snowflakes (pointing to the second window). Then there are SIX snowflakes (pointing to the third window). Then there are TWELVE snowflakes (pointing to the next window -- which is actually filled with 14 snowflakes but we didn't stop to count)." There are five more windows, so the numbers I throw out keep getting bigger -- "til there are so many snowflakes it looks WHITE outside".

This story has two voices -- a boy who LOVES snow and a girl who says NO. It works well to share this using two performers but one performer can pull it off nicely.

The phrase "WINTER IS FOR SNOW" is repeated frequently through the story and it is also the title of the book. I wanted the children to participate with the telling so I turned to the cover of the book and read the title again to them. Then I had them repeat it with me. I said, "every time I turn to the cover of the book and point to the title will you say it aloud with me?" Then we practiced a time or two and returned to the story.

It turns out this was GREAT FUN to share.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice rhyming story about winter. Would be a nice read aloud for a winter themed story time or to children who need to be reminded of all of the fun things you can do in the season. The illustrations are great.

One thing I would comment on is technically winter doesn't begin until late Dec. just a few days prior to Christmas. The inclusion of the holiday in the story limits its use to December since in January and February is when places usually receive the majority of the snowfall.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be fun to do in storytime with two readers... one to be the enthusiastic boy and one to be the skeptic girl. This could pair well with the new You Make Me Smile for an enchanting winter storytime :)

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Ah - this is a good one! A happy brother who loves the snow and everything surrounding it, and a grumpy sister who doesn't care for it at all - until the end. Their words are in different colors (blue and read) and the four-line stanzas all gently rhyme. Super book!

[Bonnie Demarchi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beautiful illustrations and cover art enhance this rambunctious ode to everything winter. A young boy works hard to convince his sister that winter is really wonderful and fun.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a humorous rhyming tale about two siblings with opposite views about winter and being outside. It would be a great book to read aloud.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brother and sister have very different reactions to the newly fallen snow outside. The boy opens the curtains and quickly announces that “Winter is for snow!” But his younger sister is not convinced. The boy tries and tries to explain how wonderful winter can be, but she remains grumpy. She does get on her coat, books, hat, mittens and more to head outside though, still protesting about how it is too cold outside and she’d rather watch TV. Once the two reach the sledding hill, her resistance is starting to crumble and she puts her tongue out to catch some snowflakes. Back home warm in front of the fire, it is now her turn to talk about how amazing winter and snow are.

Written in clever rhymes, the book also has a wonderful rhythm to it that makes it great fun to read aloud. The entire book is written in the dialogue of the two children as they go back and forth about winter. The little boy has so many examples of why winter is incredible, including ones from the Arctic, sledding and skating, snowmen, and holidays. It is a wonderful, jolly take on winter that we don’t see enough.

Neubecker’s illustrations are simple and large, perfect for sharing with a group. The two children have bright orange hair, and more colors come in when the outdoors is shown. I love that winter outside is more than blues and whites, it is filled with the colors of a community celebrating snow themselves.

This is a great book to share for a non-holiday winter story time with its rhyming text and exuberant love of snow. Appropriate for ages 2-5.

[Kate McGinty aka Caryn Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

In rhyming text, a cold-loving brother and his snow-hating sister argue cheerfully about the pros and cons of winter. Will they be able to see eye-to-eye?

The rhyme scheme works well overall, and the illustrations are cheerful, imaginative, and often humorous. This book would be especially fun to read aloud on the first very cold day of fall/winter or during the first snow fall. Would also work when discussing persuasive techniques in expository writing or seeing both sides of a tricky issue.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young boy extolls all of winter's virtues to his skeptical sister. His enthusiastic litany of the fabulous things winter has to offer finally wins her over at the end. The cartoonish illustrations are charming.

[Nanci Booher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun rhyming text story about a boy, who loves winter and everything it means, and his not-so-happy-about-winter sister. Great illustrations, this fun to read book will be on my storytime shelf very soon.

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

You betcha it is! My library branch could do this book as reader's theater or at a storytime as there are two definite camps regarding this season... Loved it - it brought out all the fun and charm of winter.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who dislikes cold weather and snow (Yes, I know. I shouldn't live in Michigan then) I completely understood the sister's resistance and dislike for it. I would've liked her to dig her heels in a little stronger. She gave in a little to quickly for my liking.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars This isn't getting 4.5 stars because it is a local Park City Utah Author (He lives 15 minutes from me) it is actually an great book! Love the story!! Love the pictures! ROBERT COME TO THE WASATCH COUNTY LIBRARY!! We would love it!!!

[Mandy Robek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love this book! A great mentor for opinion/persuasive writing and anyone who loves the snow.

[Hapzydeco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another case of do not knock it until you try it. Winter is snow. Neubecker with his illustrations and ode challenges the reader to go forth and make the best of it.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

CUTE! Didn't realize that there was ANYTHING to like about snow, but ok. Loved the illustrations and the creative rhyme.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nicely rhyming story told in two voices - a little boy who's excited about snow and winter, and his sister who doesn't. We see all the good, fun things to do in winter, and how he eventually encourages his sister to come out and appreciate them too. Some great illustrations too.

A great storytime read for winter, snow, or about trying new things. I'm keeping this for my older storytimes, for those kids who have a few winters under their belts to appreciate both being out and having fun in the snow, and being inside and staying warm and cozy. While one reader can do a good job with this one, it would also be a great one to read with two readers or to work into a puppet show. Some good repeated lines to encourage audience participation too.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this simple story about a brother and sister; one who loves snow, the other who doesn't. Living in the Midwest, you would think that everyone at least tolerated snow, but instead you hear complaint after complaint about the weather that we have always had. This book, in it's simple story and fun illustrations, addresses both mindsets. As the title says, Winter is for Snow,and looking at the bright side, may just make the winter months easier to enjoy.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cleanliness: a girl is a little grumpy and not in favor of snow but she changes her opinion.

Ages: 4 - 8

#winter #snow

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.

[Kevin McNally · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book definitely put a smile on my face. This book perfectly portrays the two opposite opinions of winter. Many love the winter due to the snow and the holidays. While many others do not like winter because of the cold. In a way this also can be a representation of how a persons opinion of winter can change with time. As a child I loved the winter time for all the fun I had with my family. As I grew older the cold became more apparent though.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes those of us who aren't big fans of a particular season need a reminder of just what makes every day of the year special:

Winter is for crystal trees
that sparkle in the light.
Winter is for silent streets
beneath a cloak of white.

This lovely book is a fine reminder of one of my favorite quotes by Mark Twain:

“I think that to one in sympathy with nature, each season, in turn, seems the loveliest.”

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two child narrators (a brother and sister) go back and forth over whether winter is good or bad, in rhyming text. Neubecker shows all of the good and some bad about winter. It emphasizes mostly the positive and the same is shown through cheerful wintery illustrations as Neubecker gets readers excited for winter.

[Dzana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Winter is for snow is a great book for children ages two to five. This book is about to siblings who have a civil discussion about snow. This book would be perfect to start a conversation about what activities to do in the snow. Some activities children can do are having snowballs fights, building a snowman, or making snow angles.

[Sondra Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read-aloud for one-on-one or a group story time. Using different voices for the different characters, or reading with a partner can make this even more engaging. It was a hit at my library's story time.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this! As someone who doesn't like winter, I could relate to the sister. Her brother, on the other hand, is a winter lover. This is a great read to a pre-school class because you can ask questions about what they like about winter or don't like about it.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy is excited about the snow but his sister is not. She wants to stay inside, so he has to do a lot of convincing to change her mind. Wonderful illustrations for this fun story in simple rhyme young readers will enjoy.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy, trying to convince his sister how wonderful winter is. The text is simple enough for the littlest readers, and the illustrations are nicely done. The cover is extra special, with lots of texture on the snowflakes. A really sweet winter book for your littles.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t love winter, and I just about made me want to play in the snow!

[Elena Maddox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy likes snow. Girl does not. Mentions winter holidays so best to use before the end of December. Good for pre-K and outreach.