This moHalf Past Winter ~

Half Past Winter, by Ginger Nielson | Book Review

Tenley Peck | January 29, 2015 | 0 Comments

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Tenley Peck | The Children’s Book Review | January 29, 2015

Half Past Winter

By Ginger Nielson

Age Range: 4 - 6

Hardcover: 28 pages

Publisher: Virginia Nielson (2014)

ISBN: 978-0-9913093-0-6

What to expect: Bears and Adventure

Half Past Winter is an adorable tale of two bear cubs and their adventure to find winter’s first snow. They grow impatient in their den when no snow comes and decide to explore until they find snow. Their journey does find snow; however, they end up in the middle of a blizzard and become lost. This heartwarming story follows their adventure back home to their mother and cozy den. Little ones will love to follow the two cubs’ adventures and will giggle with what they find. The story is simple and succinctly told and is a great read for early readers.

The colorful and animated illustrations are outstanding and allow little ones to read the story through pictures. The illustrations are excellent interpretations of the narrative world and allow children an opportunity to begin to develop cognitive storytelling.

Illustration copyright © 2014 by Ginger Nielson: HALF PAST WINTER

This is an emotive story that draws empathy from the reader—especially when the cubs are lost and then reunited with their mother—making it a great choice to open up discussion on emotions and feelings about others. Half Past Winter is a superlative bedtime book for children ages 4 to 6.

Add this book to your collection: Half Past Winter

Book Trailer

About the Author

Ginger Nielson is a full time author/illustrator who lives at the top of a hill, near the edge of a forest, in semi-rural New England. There is a magic wand on her desk, a dragon in her basement, and several tiny elephants in her studio.

gingernielson.com | gingerpixels.blogspot.com | twitter

Half Past Winter, by Ginger Nielson, was reviewed by Tenley Peck. Follow along with our articles tagged with Kids Winter Books, Kids Snow Books, Books About Blizzards, Ginger Nielson, or our Seasonal Books Category to discover more great titles just like this one.

Sometimes the bright sunlight lures you outdoors.  Today is  one of those days, and hopfully I will attack some of the ice that is covering the walkways and the deck.  I need to get to that before the next snowfall. Snow is much easier to remove and deal with than ice... unless it is two feet of snow.

A New Year and more new beginnings.  I have a habit of wanting to do too many things at once. I guess the ideas won't leave me alone. But I am trying to make more lists and prioritize them.  That way the stories I have planned won't get lost somewhere.  The current project, Gunther's Excellent Adventure is underway.  Outside assignments may interrupt the process, but I welcome them. They pay for the paint.

And as I continue I am also studying many videos and images as references for this new project.

It got a bit colder lately and things outside are icy.  With new rain and a warm up for a few hours... we wait to see what's next.

When the Cat's away.... the mice will play and play and play.

It is hard to believe it has been so long before updating anything on the blog.  I try to keep up, but fortunately the assignments I have can keep me busy for longer than I think.  I wish you all a blessed Holiday Season, Merry Christmas and Happiest times in the New Year to come.

In the spirit of giving and receiving, the forest animals share what they have.

MEET MY CHARACTER BLOG TOUR ~

Good morning, Good Afternoon and Good evening wherever you happen to be:









A BIG thank you to Patricia Keeler who tagged me for this blog tour. I know Patricia from our association CBIG-NYC or the Children's Book Illustrator Group based in New York City. Although we have never met, I feel an artistic bond with this talented artist.  Her paintings depict the most delightful aspects of all children.  You can see more of her  work on Patricia Keeler's Blog  andher Website, I LIKE BOOKS With PICTURES


This time it is my turn to tell you about a character in a picture book I am creating.   

What is the name of your character?

Lenny is a very lonely, but hungry dragon. It has been given an enchanted cookie by a little man with a rather wicked sense of humor. That little man loves to play tricks on the forest creatures.

When and where is the story set?

The story opens in the  forest but soon moves to a castle kitchen just as Catherine, the  cook, and her helpers, Trevor and Amelia are preparing a huge birthday dinner for the Queen.

What should we know about Lenny?

 Lenny is an especially lonely and hungry dragon, but the favorite food of this particular dragon has unexpectedly become something other than what you would expect.  Even the dragon doesn’t understand why its tastes are so particular.  Fine china, crystal goblets and the Queen's favorite Golden Bowl seem too tempting to resist. (I would suggest that the forest trickster has something to do with this.)

What messes up its life?

 After gobbling up most of the china in the kitchen including the Queen’s favorite Golden Bowl, the dragon is chased throughout the castle by all the staff with swords, daggers and brooms.   It can’t get away unless it makes its way into the deep caves below the castle. Hiding and hungry the dragon is lonely, afraid, and in danger.

 What is the personal goal of your character?

 This poor dragon desperately wants to be free of the caves, return to a normal life of eating what it really wants, and find one or two true friends.

But what about that Golden Bowl?

You can see more of my work on my website and once there you can find my books, and more about how I work.

and now....

I have the pleasure of passing the Meet My Character Blog Tour to  two amazing children's book illustrators: Look for their introduction to their characters next Monday, Oct. 27.

 Christine Mix Blog  and Christine Mix Website

It was just after Christine Mix graduated from the University of South Florida in 1988, with a B.A. in Fine Arts and Mass Communications, that she painted her first children’s illustration in watercolor, titled Spike & Wordo’s Magical Wish. Hence, Spike the Dragon was born and Christine realized she had found her niche in art and her future.

Her children's illustrations can be found in Stories for Children Magazine, Back- to- School- Issue, 2012, in SCBWI’s Bulletin in 2005, 2009, 2010 and so far, one children’s book, Write Out of the Oven! by Josephine M. Waltz & Illustrated by Christine Mix, published by Teacher Ideas Press / Greenwood Publishing, 2005. As a children’s author, Christine has one non-fiction short true story, Standing Up, that was published, in Chicken Soup for the Child’s Soul Character-Building Stories to Read with Kids, Ages 5-8, May 2007.

Christine is currently working on her second PB story & dummy, featuring Spike the Dragon and some ghoulish friends.

I have the pleasure of also passing this task to Amy Cullings Moreno.  This will introduce Amy Cullings Moreno's Blog...And you can find her website and portfolio here.

I have been creating children’s illustrations and art since I was a child. I have always enjoyed reading, writing and books, and creating art. The combination of these passions led me to study commercial illustration in Boston at Butera School of Art, where I specialized in children’s illustration.

I enjoy creating images that inspire and uplift, as well as sharing my faith in a Good God, and hopefully allowing that faith to shine through my art. 

My husband and I live in Northern Virginia, and we have three wonderful grown children who have been much of the inspiration for my children’s illustrations.

I am currently studying oil painting again, and finding great joy in it. I hope to add more of this style to my newer illustration work.