A Whisper in the Snow

by Kate Westerlund, Feridun Oral (Illustrator)

Overview

This classic holiday book about a lost teddy bear makes a perfect gift for boys and girls 5 - 7 years old.

Can one lost teddy bear make it home for Christmas? The little rabbits and mice who find him in the snow certainly hope so. A lost bear means a sad Christmas for him and for the poor child missing their friend. Together the animals, with a little love, spruce up this shoddy teddy just in time to make a very special Christmas for his lonely owner. This is a heartwarming story about the power of hope, persistence, and finding the way home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789888341528
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	10/01/2018
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	645,873
Product dimensions:	9.70(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Kate Westerlund has written numerous children's books, including The Message of the Birds, for which she received her first Kirkus starred review. 

Feridun Oral is one of Turkey's most prominent illustrators of children's books. He also creates paintings, sculptures, textiles, and ceramics.

Editorial Reviews

Even the truly jaded may melt a bit over this charming, exquisitely illustrated Beatrix Potter-esque Christmas tale, which wears its holiday message and its life lessons (teamwork, compassion, critical thinking) as lightly as the season's first dusting of snow.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

"Fans of Beatrix Potter will love this enchanting Christmas tale." —Kirkus Reviews


"The enchanting illustrations pair perfectly with the book’s messages of hope, persistence, and finding your way home. This funny and heartwarming Christmas tale is great for one-on-one sharing." —Elizabeth Blake, School Library Journal

From the Publisher

10/01/2018
K-Gr 3—Deep in the woods, a trio of rabbits—Kip, Wally, and Agnes—and their twin mice friends Bella and Bob hear a whisper coming from a snow bank and uncover a lost bear calling for help. They soon discover a shabby teddy bear and decide they will nurse him back to health at the house of their friend Arthur, who happens to be a real bear. An old vest, a button eye, a jingle bell, a safety pin, a ribbon, and a lot of love are all that it takes to bring the teddy bear back to life. But, will this lost teddy make it home in time for Christmas? With a little help from the birds, the animals are able to find the girl who lost her teddy and safely reunite bear with owner just in time for Christmas. This sweet story, told entirely through the humorous dialogue among the animals, is the latest collaboration from the author/illustrator team behind The Message of the Birds. The enchanting illustrations pair perfectly with the book's messages of hope, persistence, and finding your way home. VERDICT This funny and heartwarming Christmas tale is great for one-on-one sharing.—Elizabeth Blake, Brooklyn Public Library

School Library Journal

★ 2018-08-20

Woodland animals out for a walk find a surprise hidden in the snow.

Three rabbits, Kip, Wally, and Agnes, and their friends Bella and Bob, twin mice with a habit of speaking together, debate whether Kip heard someone whisper that it was lost. Readers are brought right into the action with the opening words " ‘I am not making it up,' said Kip" in this story told completely through dialogue. The friends dig through snow to find a "freezy-frozen" teddy bear. They very sensibly take him in a wagon to the home of a real-life bear named Arthur, overcoming his grumpiness with a jar of honey. Arthur tries to help them with their " ‘we-don't-know-what-to-do' question." The wise Arthur recognizes that, sadly, "on the day before Christmas, a child is without his or her beloved bear." They do their best to patch up the disheveled teddy bear with a button eye, a green sweater, and a red ribbon. Enlisting the help of their bird friends, they find the girl who lost her teddy. From cheery endpapers strewn with colorful berries to delicately painted woodland scenes, this book is gorgeously designed. Images of animals, trees, and homey items wind their ways in and out of insets, resembling the views framed by the window the girl (light-skinned, with straight, brown hair) looks out.

Fans of Beatrix Potter will love this enchanting Christmas tale. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews