Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle:
How Animals Get Ready for Winter
Who hibernates, migrates, and tolerates? Find out how various species get ready for winter in this bouncy rhyming nonfiction picture book.
Winter is coming! While you’re outside skiing and building snowmen–or inside drinking hot cocoa by a fireplace–animals all around are coping with dropping temperatures and darker days. Solve the mystery of animal survival by seeing how animals prepare BEFORE and then survive DURING this coldest, darkest season of the year. Visit with 12 animals who migrate, hibernate, or tolerate to survive winter’s brutal grip.
Author: Laura Purdie Salas
Illustrator: Claudine Gévry
Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner (9/3/19)
ISBN: 978-1541529007
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FREE Activity Sheets
Click on any image to open a downloadable .pdf file.
Memory Game | Draw | Color |
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Decode the Message | ||
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Download some winter coloring pages from the awesome Elizabeth Dulemba.
Book Trailer
Reviews & More
Review: School LIbrary Journal: “a well-organized, clearly written, and delightfully illustrated work. Too charming to miss.”
Review: Kirkus: “With smooth rhymes and jaunty illustrations, Salas and Gévry introduce three strategies animals use for coping with winter cold. The author’s long experience in imparting information to young readers is evident in her selection of familiar animals and in her presentation.”
Review: Booklist: “…the back matter reveals the overall organization in paragraphs of text that explain the three main survival strategies (migrate, hibernate, tolerate) and discuss the four examples of each. Within the pastel artwork, rounded forms, soft edges, and warm colors create an endearing look.”
Review: Perfect Picture Book Friday: “[T]he rhyming text is engaging and fun to read aloud and provides a lyrical aspect to the nonfiction content…The whole book is a gem that you and your little animal enthusiasts will love!
Review: Sal’s Fiction Addiction: “We humans need ways to deal with the brutal cold that winter can bring … animals are no different. The title gives readers a hint that there are three ways to do it.”
Book commercial by a 2nd grader: I’m so happy this student from Yealey Elementary School in Kentucky loved the rhythm of the book and learning about animals!
Interview: Christy Mihaly at GrogOrg: “For several intense months, I tried one different approach after another. Could the animals open fortune cookies that would reveal their winter tactics? “You will go on a long journey,” etc. But I couldn’t get enough variety. Could I highlight numbers? Work in lots of winter survival facts by highlighting one size or speed or something about each animal. Mind-boggling numbers, and also use maps, graphs, and charts, etc. Nope. That was a big fat zero. Could it be a school play or school newscast with students sharing what they did for winter break? It could, but it wasn’t.” Interview, writing process, plus rhyming tips!
Blog review: Teacher Dance: Linda Baie says, “It’s challenging not to tell about every bit of this book that is perfect for autumn learning.”
Blog review: Archimedes Notebook: Sue Heavenrich shares ideas and resources for extending the book.
Press release: “Minnesota children’s author Laura Purdie Salas was born and raised in Florida, so you might think she knows nothing about winter preparation. But she’s lived in the Twin Cities long enough to hone her winter survival skills. During the bitter days of February, she sometimes hibernates under the blankets for a cozy nap. Or she temporarily migrates to Florida for a quick family visit. Or she tolerates the cold with a giant mug of hot cocoa and a great book!”