Winter Friends
ISBN 0385746261
Poems for ages 2 to 8
Click the book cover to purchase online!
Awards and Reviews
"A sequence of eighteen poems tells of a little girl's experiences on a snowy late-winter day. The verse forms vary from deft rhymes...to free verse to eloquent haiku, with the poetry inviting young listeners through strong emphasis on sound (internal rhymes and alliteration are rife) as it stretches their imagination through creative imagery.."
--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (recommended book)
"The poetry inside is invigorating, just like a crisp winter day... A book that provides something to smile about with each new reading."
--Booklist (starred review)
The Story
There’s a mystery to be solved in 18 poems! The young narrator finds a lost mitten in the snow and traces clues in the lively pictures by Hiroe Nakata to find the owner. Then the fun begins--with sledding, snowman building, a cocoa party, and at the end, the promise of more snow. A variety of forms (haiku, rhymed, free verse, and shaped) help increase children’s awareness of poetry. And there’s plenty of onomatopoeia, from the loud BRRR of the snow plow to the soft “s” sound of falling snow.
Writing Games
- The little girl describes some of her favorite snow activities in “Snow Angel,” “Baby Jo,” “Sledding,” and “Pigeons.” Write a poem or description of what you like to do in the snow. Use your senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell to give readers a deep sense of that activity.
- “Yellow Crocus” and “Sledding” are shaped or concrete poems, which means the poem’s written shape is the same shape as the object or activity. Try writing your own shaped poem, perhaps about a boot or snowflake (object) or skating or running (activity).