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Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold
In this outstanding picture book collection of poems by Newbery Honor-winning poet, Joyce Sidman (Song of the Water Boatman, Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night), discover how animals stay alive in the wintertime and learn about their secret lives happening under the snow. Paired with stunning linoleum print illustrations by Rick Allen, that celebrate nature's beauty and power.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published November 4, 2014
19 people are currently reading
953 people want to read
About the author
Joyce Sidman
34 books125 followersThe Newbery Honor winner Joyce Sidman is today's foremost nature poet for children. Accolades for her books include two Caldecott Honors, a Lee Bennet Hopkins Award, winner of the Claudia Lews Award, and many stars and best of lists. For her award-winning body of work, she won the Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. She lives in Wayzata, Minnesota. Visit www.joycesidman.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 293 reviews
January 30, 2018
First thing: there is a fox on the cover and a fox on each page and yet there is not a poem to a fox; why? OK, the poems are about animals surviving the cold winter in nature. They are good poems. Then on the side they give a block of text on how the animals actually survive the cold with facts. My niece loves the facts and found this book interesting. She had lots of questions.
I enjoyed the art and the poems. This is not a story really. It is a collection of poems about surviving the cold.
I enjoyed the art and the poems. This is not a story really. It is a collection of poems about surviving the cold.
March 28, 2019
Lovely illustrations accompany poems that educate. How do animals cope, where do they go in winter are subjects addressed.
January 30, 2022
Award-winning children's poet Joyce Sidman and engraver and small press operator Rick Allen, who previously collaborated on the Newbery Honor-winning title
Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night
, joined forces again in this poetic examination of the lives of animals and plants in winter. Twelve poems about everything from migrating tundra swans to brumating snakes, snowflake formation to arboreal wisdom, is paired with lovely artwork featuring the fauna and flora in question, as well as a curious fox who makes his way through the book. A glossary of terms, both scientific and poetic, is included at the rear...
Although Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold is the fifth picture-book I have read from Sidman, it is the first I have encountered from Allen, whose work here I found absolutely lovely. I like to look for information about artistic medium on the colophon of picture-books, and here there was a particularly extensive and quite entertaining example:
"The images for this book were made through the unlikely marriage of some very old and almost new art mediums. The individual elements of each picture (the animals, trees, snowflakes, etc.), were cute, inked and printed from linoleum blocks (nearly two hundred of them), and then hand-colored. Those prints were then digitally scanned, composed, and layered to create the illustrations for the poems. The somewhat surprising (and oddly pleasing) result was learning that the slow and backwards art of relief printmaking could bring modern technology down to its level, making everything even more complex and time-consuming."
This description was sufficiently charming that I found myself seeking out the website for Allen's Kenspeckle Letterpress, where I spent a good hour exploring his artwork. Time well spent!
As delightful as the visuals here were—unsurprisingly, given my love of foxes, it was the cover image which first drew me to this one—the poetry was every bit as appealing, and I enjoyed all twelve selections, as well as the factual notes accompanying them. Certain phrases just stood out to me—"our wings knew," in reference to the tundra swans; the description of the mass of bees as burning like a golden sun—while in other cases I was most interested in the form used. Sidman employs both a pantoun (Under Ice) and a triolet (Triolet for Skunk Cabbage) in this collection. All that being said, I think my favorite was What Do the Trees Know?
"What do the trees know?
To bed when all the wild winds blow.
Roots are deep and time is slow.
All we grasp we must let go.
What do the trees know?
Buds can weather ice and snow.
Dark gives way to sunlight's glow.
Strength and stillness help us grow."
If I have any criticism to make of this one, it is that I would have wished to see a poem featuring the fox. That being said, his presence is felt throughout, so perhaps we are meant to identify with him, making his way through the wintry world and observing it, just as we are meant to do. Recommended to young poetry readers and animal lovers, and to picture-book readers looking for wintry titles.
Although Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold is the fifth picture-book I have read from Sidman, it is the first I have encountered from Allen, whose work here I found absolutely lovely. I like to look for information about artistic medium on the colophon of picture-books, and here there was a particularly extensive and quite entertaining example:
"The images for this book were made through the unlikely marriage of some very old and almost new art mediums. The individual elements of each picture (the animals, trees, snowflakes, etc.), were cute, inked and printed from linoleum blocks (nearly two hundred of them), and then hand-colored. Those prints were then digitally scanned, composed, and layered to create the illustrations for the poems. The somewhat surprising (and oddly pleasing) result was learning that the slow and backwards art of relief printmaking could bring modern technology down to its level, making everything even more complex and time-consuming."
This description was sufficiently charming that I found myself seeking out the website for Allen's Kenspeckle Letterpress, where I spent a good hour exploring his artwork. Time well spent!
As delightful as the visuals here were—unsurprisingly, given my love of foxes, it was the cover image which first drew me to this one—the poetry was every bit as appealing, and I enjoyed all twelve selections, as well as the factual notes accompanying them. Certain phrases just stood out to me—"our wings knew," in reference to the tundra swans; the description of the mass of bees as burning like a golden sun—while in other cases I was most interested in the form used. Sidman employs both a pantoun (Under Ice) and a triolet (Triolet for Skunk Cabbage) in this collection. All that being said, I think my favorite was What Do the Trees Know?
"What do the trees know?
To bed when all the wild winds blow.
Roots are deep and time is slow.
All we grasp we must let go.
What do the trees know?
Buds can weather ice and snow.
Dark gives way to sunlight's glow.
Strength and stillness help us grow."
If I have any criticism to make of this one, it is that I would have wished to see a poem featuring the fox. That being said, his presence is felt throughout, so perhaps we are meant to identify with him, making his way through the wintry world and observing it, just as we are meant to do. Recommended to young poetry readers and animal lovers, and to picture-book readers looking for wintry titles.
February 5, 2019
I honestly didn't care for Sidman's poems; many were just too cutesy for my taste. HOWEVER . . . on the opposite page is a description of the featured creature, and the ways it survives the winter, and those bits were FASCINATING. I even learned of a critter I didn't know existed - springtails, aka "snow fleas." The other thing that makes this book a winner is Rick Allen's stunning artwork.
September 13, 2015
I'm giving a lot of 5-star reviews today, and poetry seems to be especially inclined toward good ratings. But I do truly love picture books that introduce real poetry to children in a beautiful way, using words they can understand that still sing on the page. I loved the bits of information on the sides of the pages, though I could have done without seeing the massive snarl of snakes or trying to picture a brumate of 20,000 snakes. Ick!
May 6, 2015
Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold; written by: Joyce Sidman, illustrated by: Rick Allen; Copyright 2014, 31 pages
*Poetry #1 (NCTE Noteable Poetry Books)*
This book is a collection of 12 poems about various living things in the wilderness during the season of winter. Briefly, they cover snakes, trees, voles, beavers, and many more animals. These poems of a variety of styles tell how animals survive in the winter, and really what they do with their time while they wait for spring to return again.
My favorite poem in the book was titled "Brother Raven, Sister Wolf". this poem showed the beautiful symbiotic relationship between a raven and a wol fin the forest.
You might have noticed that I rated this book a three. While I like the additional informational pieces of information on the side of each page, i wish that the poems were a little more creative. I do not know that I would recommend this book, but I would take out the poem I mentioned earlier to share with my class. I would recommend this book for 3rd-5th grade.
*Poetry #1 (NCTE Noteable Poetry Books)*
This book is a collection of 12 poems about various living things in the wilderness during the season of winter. Briefly, they cover snakes, trees, voles, beavers, and many more animals. These poems of a variety of styles tell how animals survive in the winter, and really what they do with their time while they wait for spring to return again.
My favorite poem in the book was titled "Brother Raven, Sister Wolf". this poem showed the beautiful symbiotic relationship between a raven and a wol fin the forest.
You might have noticed that I rated this book a three. While I like the additional informational pieces of information on the side of each page, i wish that the poems were a little more creative. I do not know that I would recommend this book, but I would take out the poem I mentioned earlier to share with my class. I would recommend this book for 3rd-5th grade.
December 13, 2015
One of ALA's 2015 Children's Notable Books--
This collection of poems written about tundra wildlife in the winter is beautifully written and illustrated with intricately detailed linoleum prints. I very much enjoy the way each poem is accompanied by an informational "aside" text block/blurb, offering factual information about the animal or plant that each poem is about. There is also a glossary of terms at the end of the book to describe larger words that may be unfamiliar to young readers.
I think that this book would work really well in a classroom setting and lends itself to creative lesson planning, mixing poetry and non fiction, but the density of the text and complexity of the illustrations may not be as engaging to young readers on their own.
This collection of poems written about tundra wildlife in the winter is beautifully written and illustrated with intricately detailed linoleum prints. I very much enjoy the way each poem is accompanied by an informational "aside" text block/blurb, offering factual information about the animal or plant that each poem is about. There is also a glossary of terms at the end of the book to describe larger words that may be unfamiliar to young readers.
I think that this book would work really well in a classroom setting and lends itself to creative lesson planning, mixing poetry and non fiction, but the density of the text and complexity of the illustrations may not be as engaging to young readers on their own.
June 26, 2015
A collection of poems about animal activities during winter.
I loved the illustrations in this book. I found the poems so-so. They didn't quite sing to me. I did like the notes on the critters on the side of each page. Overall a good pick if you're studying animal hibernation or seasons, but I'd pick a different collection for poetry units as most of these are free verse.
I loved the illustrations in this book. I found the poems so-so. They didn't quite sing to me. I did like the notes on the critters on the side of each page. Overall a good pick if you're studying animal hibernation or seasons, but I'd pick a different collection for poetry units as most of these are free verse.
April 4, 2016
Joyce Sidman has a way with words. Lyrical verses and gorgeous illustrations fill the pages of this book. It also provides an insight on how plants and animals cope with the cold, winter months. Overall, "Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold" is an excellent poetry collection for the young and old alike.
January 27, 2015
Loved it. I have been a fan of Joyce Sidman's for years. She is just incredible.
January 20, 2024
This was a spectacular poetry book for kids!! Beautiful poetry and imagery. Beautiful illustrations. After each poem is a small informational blurb on the animals from the poems. I read through the whole thing, and it was just a wonderful snow day read! My animal loving co-op kids are probably going to be fighting over this book. I don't usually add books under 100 pages to my Goodreads challenge, but it earned its spot today.
March 20, 2016
Joyce Sidman uses imagery-saturated verse alongside nonfiction prose to celebrate the Michigan winter survival of animals and plants like moose, bees, and trees. The piece spans twelve poems and prose, beginning in winter and ending in spring and focusing on some creatures that are not commonly known- like skunk cabbage.
“Snowflake Wakes” is poem about snowfall and the form of the piece has short lines so that they appear to be falling down the center of the page. The rhyme of the “Big Brown Moose” gives us the sense of the moose’s “kicking” and “prancing.” In “Brother Raven, Sister Wolf,” there is a dual-voiced verse where the raven and wolf go back and forth about the their teamwork- or lack thereof- during the hunt.
On the right of each of the poems, there is factual prose to learn more about the poem’s subject and a glossary included for all of the content-specific words. Rick Allen’s illustrations hug the poems and prose and are composed of multimedia: nearly two hundred cut, inked, and hand-colored linoleum blocks that are digitally scanned and layered. The illustrations are vivid, textured depictions of the natural world.
Students that love science, art, and are accustomed to the northern winters will be naturally drawn to this piece. Students that are not from the wintery north, will appreciate this artistic window into the wintery world. The combination of poetry and nonfiction prose as well as the inclusion of a glossary makes this subject accessible for first grade readers and will hold the attention of students as old as fifth grade. Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold would function as a dynamic read aloud to celebrate the musicality of each of the poems. The title has won the 2015 Claudia Lewis Poetry Award and the ALSC Notable Children’s Book Award.
“Snowflake Wakes” is poem about snowfall and the form of the piece has short lines so that they appear to be falling down the center of the page. The rhyme of the “Big Brown Moose” gives us the sense of the moose’s “kicking” and “prancing.” In “Brother Raven, Sister Wolf,” there is a dual-voiced verse where the raven and wolf go back and forth about the their teamwork- or lack thereof- during the hunt.
On the right of each of the poems, there is factual prose to learn more about the poem’s subject and a glossary included for all of the content-specific words. Rick Allen’s illustrations hug the poems and prose and are composed of multimedia: nearly two hundred cut, inked, and hand-colored linoleum blocks that are digitally scanned and layered. The illustrations are vivid, textured depictions of the natural world.
Students that love science, art, and are accustomed to the northern winters will be naturally drawn to this piece. Students that are not from the wintery north, will appreciate this artistic window into the wintery world. The combination of poetry and nonfiction prose as well as the inclusion of a glossary makes this subject accessible for first grade readers and will hold the attention of students as old as fifth grade. Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold would function as a dynamic read aloud to celebrate the musicality of each of the poems. The title has won the 2015 Claudia Lewis Poetry Award and the ALSC Notable Children’s Book Award.
July 27, 2016
Here's something to help beat the heat of summer! This beautiful picture book uses poetry, informational text, and stunning artwork to tell readers the ways that different animals deal with winter. I love the mix of poetry with factual information. This is an awesome mentor text for both types of writing! According to the title page, "The images for this book were made through the unlikely marriage of some very old and almost new art mediums. The individual elements of each picture (the animals, trees, snowflakes, etc.) were cut, inked, and printed from linoleum blocks (nearly two hundred of them), and then hand-colored. Those prints were then digitally scanned, composed, and layered to create the illustrations for the poems. The somewhat surprising (and oddly pleasing) result was learning that the slow and backwards art of relief printmaking could bring modern technology down to its level, making everything even more complex and time-consuming." I'm really glad that I have this book to share with my students.
June 18, 2017
One of the things that I have always thought about in the winter is how animals survive and what they do. Winter Bees Other Poems of the Cold answers this question that I have had. This is written be a Newberry Award Winning poet and was a great read. I think that this book is great because it answers questions that so many children have. They want to know about animals and how they live. This picture book does just that, while using the beautiful poetic form.
I think that this book would be great in the classroom for students to use to discuss animals and what they think their lives are like. They would be able to write their own poem about themselves and how they spend their winter days. I think that students would really like this book and would connect with the animals and what they do during the winter months.
I think that this book would be great in the classroom for students to use to discuss animals and what they think their lives are like. They would be able to write their own poem about themselves and how they spend their winter days. I think that students would really like this book and would connect with the animals and what they do during the winter months.
November 12, 2014
The cover of this beautiful, informative book captured my interest right away. It's gorgeous! The rest of the book doesn't disappoint. Sidman's wonderful poetry and Rick Allen's absolutely captivating illustrations combine to make this a must-have for the classroom library. Informational paragraphs follow up each poem, teaching us about tundra swans, snowflakes, honeybees, voles, chickadees, and more. I'm looking forward to sharing this with my students in December when I do a winter unit on figurative language and sensory details using short texts.
January 13, 2017
If you liked this book, you might also enjoy:
✱ Over and Under the Snow
✱ Lifetime: The Amazing Numbers in Animal Lives
✱ Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt
✱ Over and Under the Snow
✱ Lifetime: The Amazing Numbers in Animal Lives
✱ Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt
February 3, 2017
First, the text by Joyce Sidman is superb. Her poems eloquently capture the voices of a young moose with his mother, a bevy of tundra swans, falling snowflakes, trees, honeybees and more. Along with the poems are informational paragraphs—filled with fascinating details but still very readable—about each creature or element of nature.
Second, the illustrations by Rick Allen are gorgeous. According to a blurb on the copyright page, he created nearly 200 linocut prints of the individual elements, then digitally layered them to create the finished illustrations.
Second, the illustrations by Rick Allen are gorgeous. According to a blurb on the copyright page, he created nearly 200 linocut prints of the individual elements, then digitally layered them to create the finished illustrations.
May 7, 2016
Joyce Sidman never fails to delight and spark curiosity. The illustrations are simply breathtaking...just as a snowy winter day can be. Her expert combination of poetry and informational text give insights into how a variety of animals (as well as a few plants) survive the winter. Particular favorites of mine were What Do the Trees Know?, Big Brown Moose, Winter Bees and Brother Raven, Sister Wolf. I also love that Sidman uses a variety of poetry forms. Well worth reading and savoring.
November 20, 2014
Absolutely stellar in every way. The poetry was wonderful, each one a small gem, and replete with evocative images of winter. Rick Allen's illustrations are so beautiful they took my breathe away, the animals so life-like I expected them to breathe. The informative text was excellent too and learned new things.
I'd give this more stars if they were available!!!
I'd give this more stars if they were available!!!
October 11, 2015
An exquisite collection of animals-in-the-winter poetry which is both esthetically pleasing and highly informative. Sidman's well-crafted verse and Rick Allen's art are detailed and precise, making this a picture book that can be appreciated by the young scientist as well as the young poet. Absolutely lovely!
January 6, 2015
Perfect combination of beautiful poetry, fascinating text and wonderful illustrations. My son makes me read "Snake's Lullaby" to him every night before he goes to bed and now he claims to love snakes. I think this is one that everyone would enjoy.
December 11, 2014
Thoroughly enjoyable. Joyce brings together a nicely balanced blend of forms and beautiful imagery to capture not only the essence of the winter creatures, but the mood of the forest during the season. The illustrations perfectly complement her poetry, too.
January 21, 2016
Gorgeous poetry with illustrations that make you say, "Ah..." Joyce Sidman, I love your work, your expressive language your perfect structure and your wonderful connections between fact and frolic.
February 6, 2017
SO GOOD!!! We all loved it and learned a TON! This book is a GEM! Hibernaculum--what a cool word!
August 27, 2017
Nice poems and good illustrations. It was a bit hard for my kids to relate though.
August 26, 2024
Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold is a picture book written by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Rick Allen (2014). It starts with a wordless spread of a branch transitioning from fall to winter, and ends with the same branch transitioning from winter to spring. The part in between addresses what a dozen animals do during the winter, with art, poetry, and prose. Each two-page spread has:
(1) a picture of the animal (and, somewhere in the picture, the fox who's on the cover);
(2) on the left, a poem about the animal (in first, second, or third person); and
(3) on the right, a paragraph with a factual explanation of how the animal spends the winter.
The poems are in a variety of styles, including a pantoum and a triolet. (The glossary, which is mostly comprised of nature terms, includes entries that explain these poetic styles.)
As for the art, it has a texture that I've never seen before. You can see some of the spreads here, but you need to enlarge them to see the unusual texture. How did the artist do it? He explains in a note on the copyright page, which I'm copying here:
(1) a picture of the animal (and, somewhere in the picture, the fox who's on the cover);
(2) on the left, a poem about the animal (in first, second, or third person); and
(3) on the right, a paragraph with a factual explanation of how the animal spends the winter.
The poems are in a variety of styles, including a pantoum and a triolet. (The glossary, which is mostly comprised of nature terms, includes entries that explain these poetic styles.)
As for the art, it has a texture that I've never seen before. You can see some of the spreads here, but you need to enlarge them to see the unusual texture. How did the artist do it? He explains in a note on the copyright page, which I'm copying here:
The images for this book were made through the unlikely marriage of some very old and almost new art mediums. The individual elements of each picture (the animals, trees, snowflakes, etc.) were cut, inked, and printed from linoleum blocks (nearly two hundred of them), and then hand-colored. Those prints were then digitally scanned, composed, and layered to create the illustrations for the poems. The somewhat surprising (and oddly pleasing) result was learning that the slow and backwards art of relief printmaking could bring modern technology down to its level, making everything even more complex and time-consuming.
October 31, 2024
Ever wanted to read your child poems about cold winter nights during the cold winter? Well look no further than this poem book! The themes of these poems are all correlated with one another, each poem informs your child on how different animals get ready for the cold winter months. The illustrations in this book are amazing, with great detail in every drawing. While every setting of the poems may be different in each story the underlying message is the same. This book is definitely worth buying, it won multiple awards including a Newberry!
October 29, 2022
Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold by Joyce Sidman is the perfect mixture of poem verses and informational text. Joyce Sidman does a fantastic job using innovative language that is easy enough for children to comprehend but creative enough to engage thinking. I also love how this book includes fun facts and information to go along with the poems. Joyce Sidman is a two-time Caldecott winner as well as a Newbery-winning author. Unlike poetry I have read before, this book contains many illustrations to aid in the understanding of the poems.
January 2, 2023
Art⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Story⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
A picture book enjoyable for any age, it offers exquisite hand colored linoleum block illustrations, imaginative poems of lyrical cadence, and fascinating paragraphs educating us on ways nature behaves in the winter.
A picture book enjoyable for any age, it offers exquisite hand colored linoleum block illustrations, imaginative poems of lyrical cadence, and fascinating paragraphs educating us on ways nature behaves in the winter.
January 11, 2019
Beautiful poems and illustrations -- full review here: https://www.theproblemsite.com/book-s...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 293 reviews