
Title: Counting Winter
Author: Nancy White Carlstrom
Illustrator: Claudia McGehee
Publisher/Year: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers/2024
Format: Hardcover
Counting Winter, written by Nancy White Carlstrom and illustrated by Claudia McGehee, was published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers in 2024. In this fun seasonal tale, readers count woodland animals (and some exuberant children) from 1 to 12, beginning with 1 red fox silently walking through the forest.
I don’t usually review concept books, but I love, love, love picture books set in winter! Just the dreamy way the snow is often illustrated with whites and blues and other hues warms my heart. And this book is no exception. The illustrator used scratchboard and watercolor to create the dynamic art featuring all of the creatures that the author introduces and the reader follows deeper and deeper into the snow-covered, tree-dotted woods. Along with the stealthy fox, we meet talkative ravens, silent snowshoe hares, soaring golden eagles, strong musk oxen, bright-eyed owls, and more.
I like the simplicity of the text, conveying what each type of animal might do in nature, and the author includes a bit of internal rhyme (tracking, cracking) with each page turn and ends each line with winter.
“One red fox walks across the white snow quietly stalking winter.”
“Two ravens croak and gurgle cutting the sounds out of forty below raucously talking winter.”
Perfect for this time of year, Counting Winter is a lovely picture book showcasing a winter wonderland, dozens of busy animals, and lots of swirling, twirling snowflakes. Back matter features an author’s and an illustrator’s note imparting their inspiration and creative process, respectively, as well as more information about each species of animal.

Common Ravens are considered highly intelligent birds and have been known to mimic the calls of other birds and even human words. They’re also skilled flyers and can also, surprisingly, fly upside down!