Simona Ciraolo: If Winter Comes, Tell It I’m Not Here

Illustrated by the author

Published by Walker Books, London, 2020

There is nobody like your big sister to tell you the bad news straight up.

In this charming picture book, we meet a young boy who is loving the season of summer and all the cool things there are to do while the weather is hot and balmy: swimming, eating ice cream, feeling that warm sun on his skin and being outdoors almost every day. His big sister, however, has some developing news and is quite happy to pass it on:

“You’d better make the most of it while it lasts. Summer’s going to end soon.”

And she almost delights in the apprehensive reaction she gets from her young brother! There will be shorter days, chillier weather, and trees will lose their leaves. Days and days will go by inside with nothing to do but watch the rain and feel cold and miserable…well, that is certainly a lot to be unhappy about.

But as winter approaches, something amazing happens. It’s just as his big sister says, but there is something wonderful (and not terrible) about snuggling up on the couch with his family, crunching through the colourful autumn leaves, splashing in puddles, skating on ice, and enjoying a big warm bowl of soup.

Yes, life is constantly changing, but if we bend into the change and embrace each new way of living, then sometimes, just sometimes, we can find our silver linings.

I can highly recommend this picture book for children 3-6 years to introduce them to the wonder of our changing seasons and below are more suggestions for picture books which focus on that theme, for both northern and southern hemispheres: