The quiet drama of the natural world is captured in this picture book for very young children as a season turns and animals prepare for winter's ice and snow. As autumn fades, four animals -- a squirrel, a bat, a beaver and a bear -- each prepares for the coming cold. Squirrel stashes nuts, bat munches extra food, beaver makes sure its lodge is strong, and bear eats berries. Each settles into its haven for winter as the snow begins to fly. Elizabeth Partridge's spare and simple text is enhanced by brief information provided about each animal's winter preparations at the end of the story, and by Joan Paley's elegant, eye-catching collage illustrations. (Ages 18 months - 3 years)

The autumn leaves are twirling down. The squirrel is stashing, the bat swooping, the beaver building, and the big bear is feasting well. In this simple, rhythmic story, four quite different furry animals prepare resting places for the coming winter. Spare prose by award-winning author Elizabeth Partridge marks the progress of each animal and the final, quiet beauty of the forest's first snowfall. Joan Paley's colorful, textured collage art, playful yet tender, captures the wonder of the unfolding autumn season and the arrival of the silent winter. This warmly stylized vision of a changing forest and its four snug tenants is sure to become a favorite of young children.