I really enjoyed this story and it had some great messages about sharing!

It is a great children's book that is well written and easy to follow and understand.

The story has some wonderful illustrations that work well with the story.

I liked the focus on teamwork and how they work together in the end - it is a positive read and I liked that the Squirrel changes his thinking as the book progresses and realises that working together and sharing is the way forward.

It is 5 stars from me for this one - very highly recommended!

In the Winter Woods teaches children about working together to achieve a goal. Winter is here, and Mouse, Fox, and Raven need to fill their empty bellies with food. In the forest, squirrel is overheard talking about his nice stockpile of nuts, fruit, and mushrooms. In response to the three friends' request to share, he refuses and states that squirrels don't share. Squirrel rushes off to find his food, but when he cannot find it, he becomes anxious and realizes he needs assistance. Upon asking his friends for assistance, they ask if he plans to share it with them once it is found. What do you think Squirrel says? Do they all work together and fill their empty stomachs?

I have mixed feelings about In the Winter Woods. Most of the plot centers around the difficult winter the animals are having and how they're all struggling to find food. The squirrel, of course, has a hidden stash of food and says he doesn't have enough to share. Then, the squirrel can't find his stash and asks the others for help. They call him on it, reminding him that he just said he couldn't share and now is asking for their help. He swears to change if they help him find it. They eventually do find the stash of food and the squirrel surprises them by keeping his promise and sharing. I understand sharing is a common topic for little ones but I wish this had been a bit more sophisticated and nuanced. For example, if the squirrel really didn't have enough I don't think he does have to share or that saying he can't share is rude. However, I do think asking his friends for help he should share with them for their efforts. The illustrations are cute and engaging. I think this would be a fun read-aloud, particularly if a class or group of kids is having a hard time sharing or being a part of a community.

Squirrel can’t remember where he stockpiled the food he saved for this snowy winter, but is willing to share if fox, crow, and mouse will help him find the stash. The text uses the repeated phrase “But it’s winter, and winter is not willing to share,” which will engage both emergent readers and younger children who hear this at storytime. Although the text is somewhat lengthy with a paragraph on each spread, it uses repetition and dialogue that will engage the audience. The full color illustrations show the animals in the snowy forest, and resemble watercolor paintings. Translated from the German by Elisabeth Lauffer, this was originally published in Germany in 2021. Review based on an ARC.

I enjoyed reading In the Winter Woods. Fox, mouse, and crow are SO hungry and there's no food in sight because it's winter and winter doesn't share. Squirrel seems to have a stash but he isn't willing to share either, until HE ends up not being able to find his stash.

What a great story about the power of friendship and sharing, as well as a lesson in not being greedy. The illustrations are sweet and I'm sure this book would be truly enjoyed by many children!

The simple and beautiful artwork caught my eye and then the fox. Love a children's book about animals. The text styling is great, very easy to read, crisp and clear. I like the repetition in the prose about winter not being willing to share. Adds a lot of meaning to the story because it's so true. This is a bit more lengthy of a read for a picture book, I'd say maybe 4th grade level, but the story is very nicely told.

what a marvellous book!
The winter scenery is so compelling.
I loved that this book fosters a sense of community and sharing.
Very good message for younger children,
beautiful illustrations.

This was adorable. Great for educators who teach the season or need a book on sharing. Great illustrations. Would make a fabulous shared read! I could see my third graders loving it. Great for ages pre-k - 3.

“The only way out of this mess is by helping each other out. No ifs, ands or buts about it. We have to stick together.”

It’s winter, and winter is unwilling to share, but Fox, Crow and Mouse are all so hungry. If only they had food! Squirrel saved and saved and saved, having plenty of food, for theirselves. Except the winter forest trees looks too similar and Squirrel can’t remember where they put their stash.

Maybe if the forest critters work together, they can find Squirrel’s stash and all have some food for winter? What follows is a sweet story about working hard together to be able to survive hard things, and that sharing is caring, even when it isn’t easy.

The illustrations are so cute and perfectly capture the essence of this tale, leaving the moral of the story as one the reader won’t soon forget!

The artwork was very beautiful. The book initially spoke to me because of the art and the fox but unfortunately the book was a bit boring. There wasn’t a lot of action and not much happened. I think there could have happened more, which would make the book better. However, I still gave it three stars because of the beautiful artwork, which is a story on itself.

Deep in the winter, all of the animals are hungry. Fox, Mouse, and Raven don’t have any food saved up, and Squirrel can’t find his stash. Can the animals work together to fill their bellies?

It’s a cute book with a sweet message about sharing, which I’m sure will be valuable for many kids. The illustrations are simple, but effectively convey the emotions of the animals and the beauty of winter. There wasn’t anything particularly compelling about the words and they were often repetitive, so I don’t see it becoming a family favorite, but I’ll definitely recommend it for kiddos who need a little help learning to share.

I’m of two minds on In the Winter Woods by Daniela Kulot (translated by Elisabeth Lauffer) as there seems to me to be a sizable gap between text and image in the book (a criticism complicated by it being in translation, so hard to know where the issue lies).

To begin with the positive, the illustrations throughout are lovely. Kulot brings a real luminescence to the titular woods. The landscapes often seem to glow with the snow-covered ground and white-clouded winter sky, occasionally lit even more by the rays of the sun. Truly, the settings are just beautiful. The pallet is understated for the most part, whites and soft grays and blues, with a few bright flashes of color via the reddish-brown squirrel and fox, who “pop” against the more muted background, and a few panels with a bright yellowish-orange sun casting a yellow light on the scene. The animals are cute, and Kulot does a nice job of subtly showing their emotions via facial expressions that are understated: anticipation or surprise, for instance. But while the characters are fine, the real star feature is those landscapes.

The text, as noted, was the weaker of the two main elements. It starts off OK, with each creature noting how hungry they are and how, sadly, “winter is not willing to share.”[ As a quick side note, parents might want to be ready for questions about if they’re so, so hungry, why fox doesn’t consider eating squirrel or mouse, given they would “gnaw on anything—maybe a tiny worm or a bone.”]. Some of their exclamations took me out of the story: “gosh-double-deer-dung-darn-it” or “holy hazelnuts.” As did some of the slips into language like “You must be kidding me.!” At other times, the opposite issue—some overly formal language—jarred. I also wished we had spent a little more time developing the story. When squirrel, who refused to share their stash at first, realizes they forgot where it was and needs the others to help him, their anger at suddenly being wooed because they’re needed is resolved too quickly, as is their search, which is over in just a few words. Finally, when they do find the stash and squirrel goes in after it, the story ends as one expects, with a change of heart and squirrel sharing with the others, which is certainly a good moral, but there may be a bit of confusion because at first the others hear “crunching and munching” from inside. Their assumption squirrel will not share turns out to be wrong of course, but it’s a moral somewhat diluted by squirrel choosing to eat some first before bringing out the rest of the stash to share.

Overall, while the text is relatively weak and the storyline doesn’t match its potential, the beautiful drawings more than make up for the flaws, so recommended albeit with the above caveats.

A fox, a crow, and a mouse are looking for food in winter. They hear a squirrel talking about its secret stash of nuts, but the squirrel is not willing to share. The squirrel finds its stash empty and must ask the animals it denied food for help.

I cannot express enough how beautiful this book is. It’s illustrated with muted tones that convey both winter quiet and the liveliness of an umber fox. The trees are drawn as pointed and infinitely branching, becoming both a background and a character in some panels. The story is so simple that the art has to sing and it does.

Lovely book to read in winter by a warm fire. The message of friendship and helping each other is great and the simple story makes for an easy read aloud.

An adorable book that focuses on the importance of helping others and sharing. A great, little story for younger kids with beautiful illustrations. The text was engaging enough to keep the attention of younger minds and really focused in of its meaning. A wonderful, well-rounded story.

Thank you Netgalley and Charlesbridge for this ARC of In the Winter Woods.

I love the illustrations and message of this book - sharing and helping others. Anything with animals is especially loved by my son. The message seemed a little more obvious / nail on the head than some other children's books so I would recommend for kids aged 2-4. Overall, very cute story about compassion and community.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Four animals are so hungry in the winter months. Can they work together to find something to eat? Gorgeous book, with a positive message, and lovely illustrations.

A super cute story that my 8 year old daughter loved! She and I read it together but she could have easily read this herself. It’s short and simple and ended with a good lesson in sharing and friendship.

Great book about a stubborn squirrel that won’t share … until he can’t find his stash! He then asks some hungry animals if they will help him locate his food and he will then share with them.
Illustrations were beautiful.

A gorgeous children's book with stunning illustrations and a story about how several hungry creatures in winter benefit from a squirrel who shares his food. Loved it!

All the woodland creatures must help to find squirrel’s stash of food for the winter so they don’t go hungry, but will they find it? Will squirrel even share if they do? Cute translation with a bright message of working together!