Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle: How animals get ready for winter by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Claudine Gevry

You may ask, "Do we not have enough books about fall/animals getting ready for winter?" and I will answer "No." You can ALWAYS use more fall books, especially if you live somewhere with four seasons (of course, the seasons are getting a bit less seasonal, but we'll enjoy them as long as they are around!).

This new title, written by poet Laura Purdie Salas with sweet illustrations by Claudine Gevry, is a worthy addition to the oevre. Cheerful rhymes march across the pages in short, sweet sentences. Hummingbirds are the first animal, with their couplet reading, "Dive into snapdragons. Double your size!/Dine on delectable tropical flies." The book goes on to show a variety of animals preparing for winter, from whales to garter snakes, mice to moose. It ends a bright spread of children playing in the fall leaves and then in the snow. Each spread's couplets are accompanied by a brief sentence about the animal in small type.

Gevry's soft, colorful illustrations show the gentle side of the animal. A cute red fox leaps into the air, but the pounce and catch of her hunting are not shown. Delicately marked gray and yellow garter snakes swirl together, and the whale swallows a giant swirl of bright pink krill. Those chipmunks are way cuter on the page than in real life too! Although the giant heap of food looks about right for what they've collected from my feeders all fall (and summer).

Back matter includes a paragraph on each of three winter survival strategies - migration, hibernation, and toleration and a final paragraph talking about how animals mix and match these different strategies. The next section of back matter gives more in-depth information on each animal from the book, including their winter survival strategy. There is also a glossary.

Verdict: This is a great nonfiction read-aloud, especially for young listeners, with plenty of additional information for teachers or caregivers to use with older kids. A great addition to books about animals getting ready for winter.

ISBN: 9781541529007; Published September 2019 by Milbrook/Lerner; Borrowed from another library in my consortium