juliaheagle's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
relaxing
slow-paced
2.5
This book has great illustrations that pair with the poems. There are a lot of words so it could be easily overwhelming for younger readers, I would suggest readers to be 8 or 9 years old. The book discusses different animals and things that have to do with an area with a cold climate. This could be a great book to use sections of when talking about different climates, ecosystems, or winter.
bet27's review against another edition
3.0
nature poems + nature facts + illustrations = good idea for learning and appreciating the world around you
jselliot's review against another edition
inspiring
relaxing
slow-paced
5.0
Beautiful illustrations and beautiful poems.
cacia's review against another edition
4.0
Five stars for the illustrations, three stars for the poems, four stars for the interesting, little-known information the book presents in an appealing format, and four again for the artistry and technique exhibited in the poetry (as well as the glossary's brief descriptions of a few of the poetic forms employed). Overall, a beautiful book and one well worth reading.
In the past eighteen months, I have read a wide variety of picture books, several of which have been poetry collections. Of those, this is one of the few that I would actually read to a child, ranking it among [b:When We Were Very Young|821003|When We Were Very Young (Winnie-the-Pooh, #3)|A.A. Milne|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348198334s/821003.jpg|3355608] and [b:A Child's Garden of Verses|20413|A Child's Garden of Verses|Robert Louis Stevenson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401644174s/20413.jpg|3077944]. Though Winter Bees's poems are not as wonderful as those in the aforementioned books, they are all enjoyable.
The information given regarding aspects of the animals or the works of nature explored in the poems gives structure to the book and gives the poems an element of interest they themselves could not carry on their own; by learning more about the subject of the poem, one can understand why it was seen as worth writing poetry about. The synthesis of the illustrations, the poems, and the facts is delightful, making the book a well-rounded whole.
In the past eighteen months, I have read a wide variety of picture books, several of which have been poetry collections. Of those, this is one of the few that I would actually read to a child, ranking it among [b:When We Were Very Young|821003|When We Were Very Young (Winnie-the-Pooh, #3)|A.A. Milne|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348198334s/821003.jpg|3355608] and [b:A Child's Garden of Verses|20413|A Child's Garden of Verses|Robert Louis Stevenson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401644174s/20413.jpg|3077944]. Though Winter Bees's poems are not as wonderful as those in the aforementioned books, they are all enjoyable.
The information given regarding aspects of the animals or the works of nature explored in the poems gives structure to the book and gives the poems an element of interest they themselves could not carry on their own; by learning more about the subject of the poem, one can understand why it was seen as worth writing poetry about. The synthesis of the illustrations, the poems, and the facts is delightful, making the book a well-rounded whole.
snowelf's review against another edition
4.0
Gorgeous! Pair with [b:Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night|7999433|Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night|Joyce Sidman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1423356800s/7999433.jpg|12514837] (same author/illustrator pair) for a similar and equally interesting look at other busy hidden creatures.
pumpkincore's review against another edition
4.0
I love Joyce Sidman's words and Rick Allen's images: I can't imagine a better power duo. I love that this isn't just rhyming; Sidman uses a variety of structures to create a well-rounded educational experience. I especially loved the informational blurbs that accompanied each poem.
I would not recommend these for very young readers though. Even with a parent's help, there's a lot of vocabulary that's difficult for a budding reader to chew through. Even with middle readers, there might be a few questions for parents before they can fully digest it, but I think that age group would get the most from this book.
I would not recommend these for very young readers though. Even with a parent's help, there's a lot of vocabulary that's difficult for a budding reader to chew through. Even with middle readers, there might be a few questions for parents before they can fully digest it, but I think that age group would get the most from this book.
kazalicious's review against another edition
4.0
The illustrations matched the poems beautifully. Most poems corresponds with an animal and has a fact box talking about how the animals winter. There are poems about snowflakes or plants and those also have corresponding fact boxes. The glossary at the end is a nice addition for young readers.
This would be a wonderful book to pull poems from for a changing seasons story time, a nightly bedtime poem to read, or even a quick facts about winter book for research papers.
This would be a wonderful book to pull poems from for a changing seasons story time, a nightly bedtime poem to read, or even a quick facts about winter book for research papers.
readingthroughtheages's review against another edition
4.0
Love the variety of poems. This is one of those great books - the poetry is good, there is nonfiction information about each topic or animal and the illustrations are amazing. Love that they are hand-colored!