Winter has a lot going for it: snow, snowmen, hot chocolate and cozy books to snuggle up with.
Red Sled by Lita Judge
I have to admit, I laughed several times before I even got it out of the library. Someone leaves a red sled outside on a winter night. A brown bear comes by and sees the possibilities. This is a nearly wordless book. But it is not quiet. Each page has the most wonderful sound effects. This book BEGS to be read aloud.
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen
Annabelle finds a box filled with yarn. She knits for everyone and everything in town. Then an evil archduke decides he wants the yarn for himself. What makes a good picture book great? There are probably dozens of answers. This one is great because every page made me smile and flip the page to see how this simple story turned and changed.
The Bear in the Book by Kate Banks, illustrated by Georg Hallensleben
A little boy and his mother read a book about a bear getting ready for winter and then go into hibernation. The boy comments about each page and as he turns the page, he gets closer to his own hibernation, at least for the night. Just as the bear wakes up in the spring, the boy drifts off to sleep. This is a perfect read-aloud.
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr
It was late one winter night, long past my bedtime, when Pa and I went owling. This line starts one of the best winter books ever written. It takes us through a cold winter night as a girl and her father go looking for owls. If you’ve never read it before, you are in for a cold and snowy treat. It won the Caldecott Medal in the late 1980s.
Winter by Siân Smith
Written for beginning readers, this nonfiction book covers what to expect when it is winter. The pictures perfectly support the simple text.
The Kids Winter Handbook by Jane Drake and Ann Love, illustrated by Heather Collins
This book has everything you need to get you through winter. You’ll find winter information, winter crafts, plus outdoor and indoor winter activities. Warning – you may not have enough winter to do everything here!
How Do You Know it’s Winter? by Ruth Owen (Sorry, no link.)
This book is well put together. It has lots of winter information, organized in short chapters such as, The Shortest Day and A Winter Rest for Plants. Each page has photos of winter scenes and text boxes with extra information and short activities.
Exploring Winter by Terri DeGezelle
This book also gives winter information in short chapters. Chapters include Trees in Winter, Animals in Winter, North and South (nice explanation of New Year’s Day in the Northern and Southern hemispheres) and others.
Winter Song by William Shakespeare, illustrated by Melanie Hall
Have you ever read something by Shakespeare? Ever thought you might like to? This poem, written over 400 years ago, was part of Shakespeare’s play, Love’s Labor’s Lost. It is dreamy and the illustrations are too. Some of the words and phrases are ones we don’t use today, but no problem – they are explained in the back of the book.
I started with a list of good things about winter. What are your favorite things about winter? Write them in the Comments Box!
Gail
Check later this month more more books to make you glad it's winter.
