A Loud Winter's Nap by Katy Hudson (review)

Tortoise is ready to hibernate for the winter, but his friends keep waking him up. First, Robin holds a singing class right next door. Then, there's the tap-tap-tapping of Rabbit's ice-sculpting, followed by a snowball fight, and Beaver chops down the tree Tortoise has decided to sleep in to build a sled. Tortoise finally thinks he's found the perfect place to sleep for the winter, but as soon as he settles in on the flat bit of wood he found at the top of a hill, it starts to slide down the slope and . . . he can't help but shout with glee. Hudson's winter landscapes invite the viewer right in with their rich brown branches and evergreens against pale pillowy snow drifts, and kids will be eager to join in with Tortoise's grumpy refrain every time one of his friends asks him why tortoises don't like winter: "They just don't." Bold sound-effect lettering heightens both Tortoise's annoyance at his friends' activities and his own delight when he discovers the pleasures of winter. Tortoise is adorably cranky in his resistance to winter activities, and his friends are encouraging without being pushy. Tortoise finally joins them of his own accord, and when it finally comes time to sleep, he stares wistfully out the window at the falling snow—a posture familiar to all children called inside before they're ready to stop playing.