Once Upon a Winter Day by Liza Woodruff (review)

Milo’s mom doesn’t have time to tell him a story, so she sends him outside to play in the snow, where he notices tiny tracks around the bird feeder. It looks as if a mouse has been there, and as he follows the trail into an adjacent forest and down to a creek, he finds plenty of other clues to the vibrant animal life just outside his door. Occasional double-page spreads interrupt the narration with scenes that could explain things Milo finds or observes: Was the fishbone at the creek’s edge there because otters slid into the water at that spot? Or did a flock of waxwings strip berries of a bush and drop one for the mouse, who was then chased by a hawk? When Milo is finally called back inside, he presents his mother with his finds and offers to tell her a story. Audiences, who have been allowed a view of the real animal activities, may have quite a different story of the mouse’s fate than Milo, who has to fill in more blanks with his imagination, which opens the possibility for a discussion of viewpoint and perception. Endpapers display ten animals that figure into the tale, several of which may send viewers on quite a hunt to locate within the pages. They payoff, though, is a satisfying story that can change with each rereading of Milo’s speculations and each reexamination of Woodruff’s crafty mixed media scenes.