Chaucer's First Winter (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Chaucer's First Winter Hope Morrison Krensky, Stephen . Chaucer's First Winter; illus. by Henry Cole. Simon, 200932p. ISBN 978-1-4169-9026-0$16.99 R 4-7 yrs When Chaucer, a bear cub, hears from his friends, a fox and a squirrel, about all the wonderful things you can do in winter, the young bruin opts to skip out on [End Page 158] hibernation and experience the winter season with his pals. It's every bit as good as he hoped, with winter joys such as catching snowflakes on his tongue, sliding down huge hills, throwing snowballs, building snow caves, and discovering rows of shiny icicles. When spring arrives, Chaucer can hardly wait to tell his parents about all the fun he has had; unbeknownst to him, his folks have been watching him all along. The standout element of this clever book is Chaucer's naïveté and wonder as he experiences winter's offerings, and Krensky's descriptive writing neatly conveys his joy in exploration; young listeners will readily identify with Chaucer's preference for ice skating over napping. Cole's acrylic, colored pencil, and ink illustrations are a little slickly sweet, but they effectively showcase the wonders of the season, from the snow lining the branches of the pine trees to the tender depiction of the three friends snuggled together at the base of an old tree. Pair this with Wilson's Bear Snores On for a hibernation storytime or a good pair of readalouds on a cold winter's night. Copyright © 2009 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois