Is This . . . Winter?

Starred review from August 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.

September 1, 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

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2023
A young puppy experiencing its first winter goes exploring. Its interactions are confusing: it greets a mailbox that doesn't respond; it tries to play with a snowman but in its exuberance smashes it. "Hey, what happened? Where'd you go...?" Then comes the most confusing encounter of all: a garish set of holiday yard decorations including lit-up reindeer, wind-sock puppets, the requisite (adorned) pink flamingo -- and a giant blow-up Santa. Santa's mechanical "Ho Ho Ho" bowls the pup over and sends it running back to its owner. "Winter is weird." 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. Martha V. Parravano

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)