ALA Booklist (Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

Alone in the snowy woods with his dog, a boy discovers the wonder of winter trees, one at a time, in a big, quiet space. On every double-page spread, four lines of simple verse and bright linoleum block prints decorated with watercolor and collage capture the stark outlines and the details of what he sees, hears, and touches ("Crunch! Our footsteps make the only sound"). The botanical facts are part of the wonder ("Trees that once had leaves are bare"); he looks closely at six different trees, appreciating the bur oak's massive, intertwining limbs; a bird nesting in the trunk of the paper birch; the sharp needles ("Ouch!") of the white spruce; and more. The blend of play, science, poetry, and art is beautiful; and notes at the back provide more facts about each tree. Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" will make a lovely read-aloud connection.

Horn Book

Tramping through snowy woods with his golden-furred dog, a red-jacketed boy observes the shapes of seven common trees, including maple, birch, and white spruce. Brief rhyming text presents simple facts about the trees, and the digitally enhanced linoleum block, watercolor, and collage illustrations are graphically pleasing. Together, text and art pay homage to some of nature's wintry wonders.

Kirkus Reviews

Readers can almost hear boots crunching in the snow during this subtle, stylish wintry nature walk. A boy and his dog move from tree to leafless tree as the text describes the different shapes, textures and growth habits of their discoveries. The juxtaposition of words describing the trees and the images of boy and dog either making snow angels or a snowman together provides a needed playfulness to the quiet, informational and at times somewhat clunky rhymes. Evans's clean, nostalgic illustrations combine block print, collage and watercolor perfectly to invoke the peacefulness of newly fallen snow, bringing to mind, in the best way, a letterpress holiday greeting card. The simplicity of the illustrations sometimes foregoes the details of the trees for the sake of their muted and sophisticated style. It wouldn't serve as a field guide, nor is it meant to, but still works for the nature lover. A short glossary of trees is included in the back. Overall, a visually striking, cozy winter read. (Picture book. 4-7)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2 This book looks at the subtle charms of trees in winter. On a walk through a forest, a boy observes the branches, shapes, and various barks. He and his dog make snow angels, watch animals quietly eating, and tap a maple tree for syrup. The style of this book, both in text and pictures, is as quiet as its subject. In a simple poetic form, seven trees are described: sugar maple, American beech, paper birch, yellow poplar, bur oak, Eastern hemlock, and white spruce. Readers get a sense of what they look like from a distance ("the egg shape of the maple tree/the taller oval of the beech" and up close ("the peeling bark of paper birch/feeds hungry hares that eat their fill"). Evans's intriguing illustrations mix prints, watercolor, and collage, and are tweaked with digital enhancement. The lines are thick but supple, and the boy's red jacket and golden dog enliven the soft colors of the winter landscape. This title won't jump off the shelves, but it will be appreciated by nature lovers and primary classrooms studying trees and seasonal scenery. Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL