Is This . . . Winter?

by Helen Yoon, Helen Yoon (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

A dog experiencing Christmas for the first time is a hilarious thing, and Helen Yoon is here to show us all exactly why in the first of a series we can't wait to see more of.

What’s with all the blinking lights? With her trademark visual humor and comic timing, Helen Yoon takes a look at some odd winter traditions.

High five! It’s winter! For one spirited little puppy, winter means romping in the snow, birds to chase, fragrant evergreen trees, and joy, joy, joy! Then again, winter also means . . . oddly unfriendly deer? Millions of little lights? Contorting inflatable snowmen? Wait, what? If this is all winter too, then winter is kind of . . . weird! Helen Yoon’s fresh and hilarious take on the winter season—part of a quirky new series of picture books—is a blend of bumbling affection and slack-jawed wonder.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536234527
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/12/2023
Series:	Helen Yoon's Is This . . .?
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	11 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Helen Yoon is . . . very funny and very sharp. The author-illustrator of Sheepish (Wolf Under Cover), her critically acclaimed debut picture book, as well as Off-Limits and I’m a Unicorn, she is a professional illustrator and freelance concept designer. Helen Yoon lives in the Los Angeles area.

Editorial Reviews

★ 08/28/2023

Throughout this exuberant kickoff to the Is This...? series, Yoon portrays an amusing dog’s-eye view of Christmas season novelties—yard ornaments. Pulling against a red leash, a small brown pooch in a yellow scarf bounds across a snowy landscape, greeting everything that has a face. “High five! It’s winter!” the rambunctious pup gleefully announces to birds, a painted mailbox, and a squirrel. After a catastrophic collision with a snowperson (“Where’d you—go...?”), the pup encounters holiday yard decorations, much to its confusion. (Addressing a light-up Rudolph, the hound invites, “Would you like to sniff my butt?”) Amid an extravaganza of candy-colored decor, a giant blow-up Santa emanates a “Ho Ho Ho” that sends the protagonist hiding. Employing mixed-media techniques and comic perspectives, Yoon presents the wide-eyed subject’s boisterous personality with confident sketches that capture the small dog’s outsize holiday energy. Ages 3–7. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Throughout this exuberant kickoff to the Is This...? series, Yoon portrays an amusing dog’s-eye view of Christmas season novelties—yard ornaments. . . . Employing mixed-media techniques and comic perspectives, Yoon presents the wide-eyed subject’s boisterous personality with confident sketches that capture the small dog’s outsize holiday energy.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Using mixed media art, Yoon takes simple text and creates a cute story about the oddities of winter through the eyes of a puppy. Comical. . . Illustrations of the recognizable winter decorations, combined with the cute brown puppy and surrounded by white space, gives a seasonal feel without being overwhelming. Short sentences are good for the young audience, and especially for reading aloud. . . A cute story about discovering a new season.
—School Library Journal

Yoon’s trademark energetic mixed-media art (see also Is This…Easter?) captures the puppy’s outgoing personality—and some of the silliness of over-the-top holiday displays.
—The Horn Book

From the Publisher

09/01/2023

PreS-Gr 1—While on a walk, an energetic puppy plays in the snow and high fives friends. But the puppy is surprised by the reactions of the seasonal and holiday decorations. A snowman suddenly disappears when the puppy jumps on top of it, and the light-up reindeer refuses to give a high five. The puppy doesn't know what to think about winter. Using mixed media art, Yoon takes simple text and creates a cute story about the oddities of winter through the eyes of a puppy. The tale is comical as the puppy discovers each new thing, though the story ends rather abruptly. Illustrations of the recognizable winter decorations, combined with the cute brown puppy and surrounded by white space, gives a seasonal feel without being overwhelming. Short sentences are good for the young audience, and especially for reading aloud. VERDICT A cute story about discovering a new season. Pair with Leo Lionni's A Little Book About Winter and Divya Srinivasan's Little Owl's Snow.—Hilary Tufo

School Library Journal