A big thank-you to Charlesbridge Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced read copy of this book!
This adorable book by Daniela Kulot would make a wonderful addition to an elementary aged library. The story teaches about animals in the winter and the important lessons of sharing with those in need and the good that happens when we all work together. I recommend this wonderful picture book to elementary school teachers and parents with preschool and early elementary aged children. My six year old daughter enjoyed this read!

This is a beautifully illustrated story that will charm children and parents, as well.

A story of both the beauty of winter, but also the hardships on the animals living there, For Mouse, as she crawls from her hole hoping to find something to eat, she is so very hungry, but winter has its own agenda.
Even the crow is so hungry, he'd settle for just a little, but it is winter.
When Fox and Crow realize that Squirrel has very little food, but they try to convince him to share. But Squirrel won't share.
So when Squirrel reaches into the hollow of a tree, he realizes nothing is there, then looks around and realizes that all the trees look the same.

This is a story about friendship, but also about how we should treat others as equals, and help those that we can.

Pub Date: 15 Oct 2024

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Charlesbridge

Winter leaves the wooded creatures hungry. Overhearing whispers of the squirrel’s hidden stash, they gather, pleading for him to share. But will the squirrel offer his share of food?
It is a perfect picture book to teach importance of sharing and cooperation. Another reason to treasure this book is the beautiful illustrations, which bring its story to life in a way words alone cannot.
Ideal for ages 3- 7.

Book Review: In the Winter Woods by Daniela Kulot, Translated by Elizabeth Lauffer

Rating: 4 Stars

I recently had the pleasure of reviewing In the Winter Woods, and it's an adorable children’s picture book that completely charmed me! The story revolves around Squirrel, who is a bit of a hoarder when it comes to his food stash. As winter sets in, Fox, Mouse, and Raven find themselves in a tough spot—hungry and searching for anything to eat. They hear Squirrel boasting about his secret food reserves and think they might get lucky if he shares a bit. But Squirrel is not about to part with his treasures, and before long, he forgets where he buried them!

What I loved about this book is its heartwarming message about compassion. In the end, it’s only through teamwork that all the animals manage to fill their empty bellies, reminding readers of the importance of sharing. The story will definitely resonates with the little ones, teaching valuable social-emotional lessons along the way.

Now, let’s talk about the illustrations—wow! They are absolutely gorgeous! Each animal is beautifully depicted, with unique personalities that really jump off the page. I found myself enchanted by the vibrant colors and details that bring the winter landscape to life. The text is short and engaging, making it perfect for younger readers.

However, I did notice a few parts where the flow felt slightly awkward, which might be attributed to translation nuances. That said, it doesn't detract too much from the overall experience. Whether you read it solo or share it with a little one, this book is sure to be a hit. It also makes a thoughtful gift for homeschoolers as it promotes sharing and kindness.

Overall, In the Winter Woods is a delightful read that leaves you feeling warm inside—just like a cozy winter day! I highly recommend it for anyone looking to add a lovely story to their collection.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

We all adored this book about helping each other in times of need. The illustrations are so delightful and although a simple story, an important one. Great for sharing and reading together.

It's winter and the animals are hungry. Except Squirrel, he has a stash of berries, nuts and mushrooms hidden in a safe place. If he only could remember where it was?
Fox, Mouse and Crow offer to help Squirrel search, in one condition. Squirrel needs to share the food.

Nice story that encourages helping each other and sharing. Beautiful snow-filled illustrations in muted natural tones.

A cute winter read about how the animals are so hungry. I don't like the fake curse words the animals say at the beginning, so for that alone this would not be a book that we would read in my house.

a 3.5 rating. The winter scenes are beautiful-- really lovely. The message is good but heavy handed and clumsy. Still, books about sharing are important for kids, and squirrels really DO forget where they put their nuts!

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.