Time to Move South for Winter is the beautifully illustrated story of a tiny black-capped tern’s journey to spend winter in a warmer climate. It’s a gentle introduction to the concept of migration and can stimulate discussions about the preparations that various species make to stay warm when the weather gets cold.
The Story: A black-capped tern makes a journey from The Arctic to The Antarctic. Along the way she sees other species of wildlife who are also preparing for winter. At the end of the book she moves north for the summer with a tiny tern of her own.
The story gives a fascinating insight into the lives of different species. Whales, turtles, butterflies, geese and caribou all feature in the story as they find different ways to escape the cold winter.
Clare Helen Welsh’s lyrical text is perfect for the story, for the tiny tern it’s an uneventful journey which is made more interesting as she observes the rituals of other creatures. We love the repetitive refrain, ‘It was time to move south for winter.’
Jenny Løvlie’s pastel coloured illustrations are perfect for the story and its very natural setting…
Our favourite illustration shows tear dropped turtles diving to find jellyfish and warmer water…
Time to Move South for Winter is a brilliant book to use in a Key Stage One / Key Stage Two classroom to explain the concept of migration. It could also lead to children doing their own research into how different species spend the winter and also stimulate discussions about hibernation.
A glossary at the end of the book gives more information about each species and we love the map at the end of the book which shows the direction of their journey.
Age Range: 4+
Author: Clare Helen Welsh / Illustrator: Jenny Løvlie
Thank you to Nosy Crow for sending a copy of this beautiful book, it’s the perfect read for this time of year.
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