Where the Deer Slip Through

by Katey Howes, Beth Krommes (illustrator)

Discover the wonder that wildlife brings to a small woodland farm in this lyrical cumulative picture book with stunning scratchboard illustrations from Caldecott Medalist Beth Krommes.

This is the hedge that grew and grew.
The wall of stone a bit askew.
This is the gap where the deer slip through,
when the sky is still more pink than blue…

Throughout the course of a beautiful summer day, from sunrise to moonrise, a host of animals find their way through a gap in the hedge, bringing the farm to life.

Genres: Picture Books, Nature, Animals, Poetry, Childrens, Fiction, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

Published June 3, 2025

Reviews

[Ivonne Rovira]

While I enjoyed author Katey Howes’ poetic account of the wildlife that live cheek-by-jowl with a farm and a little girl who sees them as a pleasure rather than pests, the real stars of this book are the illustrations. And no wonder! Caldecott Medal winner Beth Krommes provided the striking pictures. Just a wonderful, wonderful read!

Once again, I owe my friend Beverly for recommending this lyrical picture book.

[Emma Smith]

This book is so lyrically and poetically written it made me tear up! This is the perfect evening read-aloud for before bedtime, for nature lovers, animals lovers, and lovers of good literature. The illustrations, by a Caldecott-winning illustrator, are gorgeous, too.

[Elizabeth]

Where the Deer Slip Through is an absolutely stunning picture book, and I know I would have loved it as a child. The text is a very lovely rhymey, alliterative, repetitive poetic work that basks in the beauty of nature surrounding a rural home. The artwork is absolutely breathtaking. The cover is obviously gorgeous, and the contents are even more gorgeous. I really enjoyed reading this one. Like a beautiful meditation. Highly recommended for all budding nature lovers and art lovers.

RIP Katey Howes

[Ann Haefele]

Gorgeous artwork will have children pouring over the pages to find all the details included in the illustrations. The descriptive writing is calming. Perfect read aloud book with a child right next to you so detailed illustrations can be seen clearly. Probably not a book a child would pick up on his own but will grab attention once it’s in his hands.

[Nancycampbell]

Visually stunning book depicting the various animals that enter a farmyard over the course of a day. Katey Howes lilting rhymes are a worthy companion to Beth Krommes' richly detailed scratchboard and watercolor pictures. This is a book meant to be listened to and poured over, again and again.

[Peacegal]

Gorgeous, woodcut-style illustrations are a delight to behold. It's always wonderful to see a book that appreciates, celebrates, and welcomes wild creatures, and their habitats, as part of the environment surrounding a rural home and farm.

[April]

An all around gorgeous book! The text is dreamy and serene and beautiful. The art is intricate and beautiful and filled with wonderful details. I find myself flipping through the pages of this book again and again and again. it is just so lovely!

[Tina Hoggatt]

Gently rhyming text takes us through a day into night on a farm where deer, rabbits, bats, birds and humans slip into the pleasures of the landscape and air - and away into the pines. Brilliantly illustrated by Beth Krommes in her signature style.

[Sharon Skinner]

Lovely and lyrical. Excellent rhyme. Fabulous illustrations by Beth Krommes. A great bedtime book.

[Kirsten Murphy]

What a beautiful book! I love the lyrical text and the relationship it has with the incredible illustrations created on scratchboard - it’s like an art exhibit sitting in your lap!

[Morton Public Library]

Books for quiet time | Cumulative tales | Detailed illustrations (appeal terms from NoveList) - Emma

[Book Nerds In MN]

Oh this book brought back so many memories of a farm my grandparents used to live on. The artwork is INCREDIBLE, and a beautiful story of life going on outside from dusk to dawn.

[Denise]

I was skeptical, I saw the recommendation come up on my 2026 hunt for mock Caldecott. I sat down with my 5 year old and before the first 2 pages were done we were completely engrossed in every detail and counting and naming everything we saw. Be warned, you're probably not going to read this fast, (even though the text is beautiful and engaging) because your kiddo is going to excitedly point and exclaim with glee at the hidden world they discover. We spent several pages reveling in dandelions. Yes, the noxious lawn weed we grown-ups detest is absolute magic here to the point of transporting me to view them with the same delight my daughter did.
Prepare to read this at your child's pace, and get lost in the beautiful world where the deer slip through.

[Mary]

A stunning picture book about animals quietly leaving the forest to visit a nearby farm. The black-and-white images on scratchboard and watercolor illustrations are exquisite and work beautifully with the soft rhyming cumulative text. A lovely story to read in the early morning, share at bedtime, or anytime to reflect on the wonders of the natural world.

"And this is the curtain that nighttime drew
between two days -- the old and new.
It hides the moon, her bright debut.
And hushes the doves with their soft, low coo."

[Elayne Crain]

I bought "Where the Deer Slip Through" by Katey Howes and Beth Krommes on the Friday morning of ALA, read it in a hotel room, and have been thinking about its writing, on and off, ever since--its luscious language, for sure, but also its unusual (though beautiful) cadence.

Which sent me down a rabbit hole, exploring the difference between rhythm and cadence? From what I can tell, it feels like all writing that is meant to be read aloud needs a certain rhythm, and cadence is, perhaps, the most natural of the rhythms. Whereas most rhythms, especially poetic ones, can feel a bit like dance steps (cha-cha and slides) or even a march, the special rhythm of cadence is sort of like a wave, following its own natural form of valleys and troughs, while retaining a bit of wildness.

And, reading this book aloud, because the rhyme is not regular, there are places where the text confounded my expectations. Made me slow down. Made me linger, even re-read. This kind of inventiveness is something that Margaret Wise Brown was terrifically good at, and it's apparent Katey had a gift for it, too.

And putting these thoughts together made me think of how brilliant it was for Katie to write this story (which is, at least on the surface, about wildlife making their natural way into the fenced structure of a farm) in this way. To set up certain expectations—and then to sneakily show you how beautiful it can be when a little wild slips through. How “deer,” in fact.

There’s even more to study in this book. Some of the language is so lovely, it almost makes one ache. A quiet is “torn.” A “full moon makes her bright debut.” And “this is the curtain that nighttime drew between two days—the old and new.” I mean.

So I’ll be thinking about it more, I’m sure. But, this week it's the #picturebook I'm most currently jealous that I didn't write.

[Sandy Brehl]

In WHERE THE DEER SLIP THROUGH, the text is written in verse of the highest quality. Using a pattern that introduces new natural entry points and creatures with callbacks to previously introduced wildlife, the text offers rhymed lines in phrases that parallel cumulative text with less predictability and a superb but seemingly spontaneous sequencing of lines. "Where the deer slip through" is the resolve line on several pages, slipping in with the subtlety that deer achieve when appearing and disappearing from our surroundings.
From the dawn opening throughout the day and on to the woodland view of a star-filled sky, the humans (indoors and out), foliage, and fauna are portrayed in lines and scenes that invite readers to explore and extend their views, to appreciate the shifting angles and perspectives, to associate these densely articulate images with your/our own experiences when, and where, the deer slip through into our lives.
Spend some time with this one, and I suggest you check out other KROMMES titles to fully appreciate not only the visuals and text of each picture book, but also the wise decisions in pairing such distinctive illustration style with powerful verse. I feel confident that you'll be recommending these to others and sharing them as often as possible.
And may the peace be with you!

[Sherry]

The soft, soothing sonorous text leads us around a small farm nestled amid the hills that rise into the pines. From dawn to dusk to deep night, we meet the wildlife that squeeze through the gap where the deer slip through.
Soft, subtly scratch board drawings beg toe reader to find all the creatures hidden hidden amid the plants and flowers, trees and stones:bees and bunnies, butterflies and deer, farm animals, vehicles and buildings, salamanders and chipmunks, acorns and leaves, bugs and squirrels, owls and doves, a child and chickens. As night falls and the moon and stars come out, doves coo and all the animals farm and farm settle for the night, and the curtain is drawn “between two days —the old and new.”
This is a perfect read aloud with a child snuggled close to seek and find all the exquisitely drawn flora and fauna amid its pages.

[Tasha]

In a yard with a hedge and a stone wall, there is a gap where the deer slip through to bring their young and munch the grass. There is a hollow where the rabbits squeeze to reach the dandelion patch. The wall has a crack where the lizards come through to bask on the stones. There are branches that the doves fly through and a hole in a tree where the bats swoop. And finally, the curtain in the house that is drawn to let someone sleep as the animals curl up too.

Told in rhymes, this picture book has a classic and timeless feel thanks to its structure as a nearly cumulative tale. The illustrations too, have a classic feel that is made modern with its use of scratchboard and watercolor.

A lovely bedtime book that shows what nature can do in a small backyard. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

[Jackie "the Librarian"]

Beautiful watercolor and scratchboard art accompanies this quiet cumulative rhyming story along the lines of The House That Jack Built. At a farm in the hills, with a gap in the stone wall, the deer slip through. In subsequent verses, rabbits tumble where the dandelions grow, doves coo, and at the end of the day, the bats soar and dip and glide. The day ends with the moon shining down on the dew.
The illustrations have delightful little details for readers to find, other animals and insects also enjoying the day and night.

Absolutely lovely, highly recommended, especially for bedtime reading.

[Linda]

In poetic phrases, Katey Howes offers a special picture of a farm, the hedge surrounding it, but one gap there shows "where the deer slip through". There is more to love as the words in rhyme add to the busy time on this farm. For example, "This is the hollow the rabbits squeeze through/to a patch of grass where the dandelions bloom/down by the gap where the deer slip through." With beautifully wrought scratch-board illustrations, Beth Krommes gives her unique peeks at the animals on this farm that make their own way in life. The book will cause some wondering about nature's hidden lives. It's a lovely tale!

[Rose]

I’ve read this book many times since receiving it, and each time I notice something new in the words or pictures and feel its calming quality. Using a cumulative structure that follows a day from morning to night, Katey and Beth take us into the wonder of the natural world to meet the creatures that inhabit a tiny farm, or maybe your own backyard. Beth’s characteristic scratchboard panels are the perfect accompaniment to Katey’s lovely rhyming text. It is the kind of book kids will want to fall asleep to and dream about.

[Beverly]

This is a gorgeous book. On the verso of the title page, the illustrations are described: "The artist drew black-and-white images on scratchboard, transferred the pictures onto paper, and added watercolor to create the illustrations for this book." And they are beautiful! And the illustrations are perfect at mirroring and expanding on the cumulative, lyrical text. A number of different animals come onto the farm property, then leave, including deer, rabbits, lizards, doves, and bats. IMO, one of the best picture books of 2025.

[Elaine Fultz, kinda retired librarian]

Okay, so this is lovely, but all I can see is a Sidman's poetry title, which this isn't. Poetic repetitive text (but not cumulative, exactly) leads readers through the woods alive with deer, rabbits, bees, dandelions, squirrels, doves, etc. Would be great for ELA class and discussion of selective effective word choices.

"These are the branches the doves fly through, the quiet torn by a soft, low coo after the sun has dried the dew on the patch of grass where the dandelions bloom down by the gap where the deer slip through."

[Jane Healy]

This lyrical, lilting, sometimes rhyming cumulative story shows sunrise to moonrise on the land surrounding a farm, including a gap in the hedge where the deer slip through. We also see rabbits, lizards, doves, and bats, as well as the farm dwellers and their animals. Howes' use of poetic devices such as alliteration, rhyme, and strong verbs make this gentle story sing. The repetition lets the reader join in. Illustrator Beth Kommes' scratchboard illustrations enhance the text by setting the scene and adding rich detail that make the book one to read again and again.

[Holly Wagner]

This book is meant to read aloud over and over a thousand times. The lyric poetry will captivate and entertain and quite possibly lull a very young reader to sleep. The illustrations will engage readers for many, many repeats. Not only is this a great book for every elementary school library, it would be a great purchase for a young family just beginning their bedtime routines. It will be a classic.

[Claudia]

The illustrations are simply gorgeous. Every spread has animal creatures to discover and details to appreciate where the idyllic farmland of the poem meets nature. I liked Beth Krommes' illustrations just fine in her Caldecott-winning The House in the Night, but the limited color scheme of black, white, and gold wasn't super inspiring to me. But add color to her illustrations like in this book, and you have something truly special.

[Christie Kaaland]

Beautiful pined woods and rolling hills surround the farmhouse field created in Krommes' signature scratchboard illustrations for this meditative rhythmic poem. I can never resist anything illustrated by Beth Krommes, this cumulative tale shares the delights of a gentle garden setting surrounding by a very breachable rockery where deer, rabbits, lizards slip in and doves fly overhead from the pines.

[TheRetiredSchoolLibrarian |Mrs. Ferraris]

Summary: Various animals visit a farm through the gaps and cracks in the hedge surrounding it. Deer, rabbits, lizards, and other wildlife appear during the summer day, while others visit in the evening.

Comments: The text is written in rhyme and features cumulative verse as each animal joins the story.

The book is beautifully illustrated with black-and-white images created on scratchboard panels, transferred onto paper, and enhanced with watercolor.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

[Kristin]

Beautifully illustrated-love the detail in each page. And though the language was equally detailed and beautiful, it actually proved too cumbersome and lacked a natural flow necessary for a top tier read-aloud. It was a half-hearted attempt to structure as a cumulative tale (like 12 days of Christmas or “The House that Jack Built”), but this was done so inconsistently that it only confuses the reader.

[Kenneth]

Where the Deer Slip Through by Katey Howes, illustrated by Beth Krommes, is a wonderful, enchanting adventure. It is the tale of a small, hidden passageway to a garden and tells of how it is used throughout the day by various animals.
The illustrations are a type of Nordic fantasy that appear to look like wood carvings.
The prose is written as a poem.
This book is for those between 4-8 years old and will be loved by parents too.