Animals in Winter » (REVISED)

Henrietta Bancroft taught nature study and elementary science at the Walden School in New York.

Richard G. Van Gelder was the chairman of the Mammology Department at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

Helen K. Davie has illustrated many books for children, including What Lives in a Shell? by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld, and Echoes for the Eye: Poems to Celebrate Patterns in Nature by Barbara Juster Esbensen. Ms. Davie lives in San Jose, CA.

Have you ever seen a butterfly in the snow?

Probably not. Butterflies can't survive cold weather, so when winter comes, many butterflies fly to warmer places. They migrate. Woodchucks don't like cold weather either but they don't migrate; they hibernate. Woodchucks sleep in their dens all winter long. Read and find out how other animals cope with winter's worst weather.

Children's Literature

Winter is a wonderful time if you are in a heated house in front of a warm fireplace. It can be a challenging and difficult time if you are living outside as wild animals do. Strategies for surviving the winter are quite varied. Some animals hibernate. Some migrate. Some store food. Some hunt for food, even though little is available. This book looks at these fairly familiar approaches as well as less familiar techniques such as animals that actually preserve food. Pikas, a rabbit-like animal that lives in the high mountains, cut more summer grass than they can eat. They then spread the grass on flat stones where the sun dries it. By the end of a summer, a pika may have gathered fifty pounds of preserved grass that it then hides under rocks (where it stays dry). This "Let's-Read-And-Find-Out Science Book" has full-page drawings of the animals and includes suggestions on ways we can help wild animals get through the winter.