ALA Booklist (Sun Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 1996)

This revised edition of an easy-reading title in the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series begins with an Asian American girl and boy in a country neighborhood in the fall. Then the simple text and full-color illustrations show how various animals in that place prepare for winter. Some birds and insects migrate. Bats and woodchucks hibernate. Squirrels gather food and store it. Some don't prepare for winter at all; they must hunt for food all day long. There are some easy practical suggestions for helping animals in winter. A final picture shows the children looking forward to spring. The words are immediate (His heart beats slowly. He sleeps, sleeps, sleeps. He hibernates), and the clear, active illustrations will draw new readers to a popular subject. (Reviewed December 1, 1996)

Horn Book

Simple descriptions of migration, hibernation, food storage, and food scavenging show young readers how animals survive (or avoid) cold and snowy winters. Also included are suggestions for how children can help animals who rely on plants during the winter by putting seeds and fruit outdoors, and watching to be sure that food is always available. Color illustrations accompany the clear text.

Kirkus Reviews

Winter is coming, and the animals are preparing: Some birds, bats, and butterflies migrate; other animals hibernate. The squirrel and pika gather food and store it; mice, deer, rabbits, and the handsome red fox on the dust jacket forage and hunt all winter long. The concluding pages show ways to help animals during the season: leaving seeds, suet, and fruit for the birds; dried corn for the squirrels; and shrubs with berries for foragers. A surprising amount of information appears in the short sentences and brief text of this Let's-Read-and-Find-Out title. Most of the animals, appearing without their scientific names, are familiar, with the exception of the pika. The illustrations are unusually attractive, swept clean of extraneous detail, and using a limited palette to heighten the drama: One effective spread shows brown deer and white snow against a stormy green-black sky. An informative volume. (Picture book/nonfiction. 3-6)"

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4--This newly illustrated edition of Rain and Hail (Crowell, 1983) is a concise and informative look at the water cycle. Branley provides a fundamental understanding of how water is recycled, how clouds are formed, and why rain and hail occur. A few easy science activities are included. Words that might be unfamiliar to readers are defined in context. The pen-and-ink with watercolor wash paintings clearly interpret the concepts presented on each page. Throughout the book, speech bubbles from a group of children provide further clarification. This beginning reader would be especially useful to elementary teachers, but will also fill a niche for young researchers.--Stephani Hutchinson, Pioneer Elementary School, Sunnyside, WA