By: Daniela Kulot / Translated by: Elisabeth Lauffer

All things must end . . .

When a storm is imminent, the animals debate whether something bad is brewing or not. Fox feels it. Crow sees it. And Mouse listens. But Squirrel insists there’s no need to panic.

What happens when the sky clouds over and the wind whips across the land? Is there any benefit to a storm after all?

A friendship-driven social-emotional picture book about listening to one other and appreciating nature’s gifts. Continue reading about Fox, Mouse, Crow, and Squirrel in the companion book, In the Winter Woods.

If you like this book, youll enjoy these:
In the Winter Woods
In the Neighborhood
The Letter

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Author & Illustrator

Daniela Kulot, author-illustrator

Daniela Kulot was born in Schongau, a town in southeastern Germany. From the time she was a little girl, she would color and draw on anything she could. She later majored in communications design at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences. Daniela Kulot has pursued her passions of writing and illustrating books ever since. Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages.

Read more about Daniela.

Awards & Honors

• Coming soon!

Editorial Reviews

School Library Journal

Fox, Mouse, and Crow commiserate over the arrival of autumn. Crow croaks, After autumn comes winter, and winter is unforgiving! Squirrel enthusiastically embraces autumn, declaring Look! Its raining lovely colored leaves. A sudden rainstorm leaves them all scrambling for cover, and they reassemble afterwards to find the squirrel had a mishap with an apple. This has not dampened the delights of autumn, and what the storm left: The ground is covered in fruits, nuts, and seeds! providing a feast for the animals and changing Fox, Mouse, and Crows opinion of the season. Vivid illustrations in fall colors show the animal friends expressing their emotions as they meet up; spreads give way to single pages with half-pages and panel drawings as the friends seek shelter from the storm, then returning to full spreads as they come back together. The fall forest appears from both Crows view and the animals on the ground. Tucked in the background, a person does activities in the woods. The end pages show colorful leaves being blown across the pages. VERDICT Invite children to join in Squirrels joy over fall and all it brings to this group of friends.

Kirkus Reviews

Fox, Mouse, Crow, and Squirrel brave a sudden tempest.
Translated from German, Kulots simple fable begins with four animal friends gathering to bid farewell to summer, embrace fall, and lament the unforgiving winter to come. Squirrel, ever the champion of autumnal glory, blithely ignores the threatening clouds looming. The others find shelter, but Squirrel is caught in the whirlwind storm. Luckily, all the creatures survive, even if theyre a bit tousled and ruffled. Squirrels companions giggle as they extricate his head from an apple that got stuck to his head amid the winds. But in the aftermath of the storm, steam rises, the sun shines, and the friends discover that the ground is littered with fruits, nuts, and seeds, the bounty of fall. The tale ends with Fox expressing the storys moral: While storms may take us by surprise, there are blessings to be found when the weather clears. Kulots woodcut-esque digital illustrations are the star of the book. Everchanging facial expressions bring the four woodland creatures to life. The leaves in bright autumnal colors twirl on branches and float and fly through the air, while the clouds roil menacingly. The art and text work in tandem to evoke both a beautiful fall day in the forest and the power of a squall that makes trees bend and branches creak.
A boldly illustrated tale with a well-delivered takeaway.

Details

Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-62354-619-9

Ages: 37
Page count: 32
8 x 10

Publication date: August 5, 2025

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