winter reading

Winter is certainly making herself known this year. The snow just keeps coming! It's a good thing our driveway is short. Our neighbors probably have a good chuckle watching us punch it in reverse through the snowbank at the end of it every time we go somewhere. Shovelling is overrated -- it's just going to melt eventually anyway... right??

In lieu of shovelling, we prefer to cuddle up on the couch with a pile of cozy winter reads. I have been on a winter book quest at the library lately, and here are some of the best (in my opinion) we have come across. I am currently mourning the loss of my misplaced Honey for a Child's Heart book which I am constantly using the booklist from, so I may have missed some good ones. Let me know if you have any to add to the list!

The Big Snow by Berta & Elmer Hader -- I found this book by accident when I was searching the library database for the next book on this list. Even if it wasn’t a Caldecott winner (which it is), I would rave about its beautifully realistic animal illustrations. (Good illustrating can make or break a book for me!) It is a simple story of how various forest animals prepare for winter.

Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton -- I probably don't have to tell you that this is Levi's favorite, since it's about a snowplow. :) And not just any snowplow -- a super duper strong one that only gets to come out when it REALLY snows!

The Mitten by Jan Brett -- Again, beautifully illustrated. This story is an adaptation of a Ukrainian folktale in which a group of forest animals, one by one, find and cozy up inside a lost mitten, until the bear sneezes. I noticed that this author also has a similar-looking book called “The Hat” which I will also have to get, as well as another with the cold weather theme entitled “The Three Snow Bears”.

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen -- Remember I mentioned in a recent post how much I love owls? Well, God has given me a special gift this winter of having our very own “pet” owl in the backyard! We’ve never actually seen him, but we hear him now and then, usually very early in the morning. We think it sounds like a barred owl. I have been so tempted to run out there in my boots and pajamas when I hear him and have my own owling adventure!

White Snow, Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt -- An oldie but a goodie, originally published in 1947. It, too, is a Caldecott winner, but I like it better for the actual story and the use of descriptive language.

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin -- A children’s version of the true story of Wilson A. Bentley, a man from Vermont who became famous for photographing snowflakes. Now I want to get my hands on his book, "Snow Crystals", which displays his actual photographs.

Stranger in the Woods / First Snow in the Woods both by Carl R. Sams II & Jean Stoik -- Can you tell we love stories about forest animals?? These are just great because of the way they use real photographs to illustrate the stories, as well as the way they give personalities to the animals. I especially love the photos in the latter of these two books – I believe it just came out this past year.

Frederick by Leo Lionni -- A cute story about a group of mice who are laboring hard in preparation for winter, and one who has different ideas about what that means. I like how it plays out in the end.

Brambly Hedge Winter Story by Jill Barklem -- A few years back i unknowingly picked up a set of four of these sweet little Brambly Hedge books, one for each season, and they have since become a favorite on our shelves that we look forward to pulling out at the turn of each season. The illustrations rival Beatrix Potter -- I love all the detail. I just wish I found mice as cute in real life as I do in children's stories!

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost -- Illustrated version of a classic poem.

Winter Days in the Big Woods / Winter on the Farm both adapted from the “Little House” books by Laura Ingalls Wilder -- The books in this series just make me feel all warm and cozy inside. The first of these two is a story of Laura, and the second is a story of Almonzo. Simplified versions of the chapter books. And once again, I think the illustrations are what make these books wonderful.

Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Skates by Maj Lindman -- I was so excited when I came across this book at the library! I had forgotten all about them, but you know how sometimes you see something and it instantly jogs your memory? I remember these books from our church library when i was a little girl. I can still picture exactly what the room looked like and everything...

Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John -- Another fond childhood memory, so either it's really good or there is some other nostalgic reason that I am not consciously aware of that causes it to stand out in my mind. I remember going to see this movie with Sarah (then Peters) and our moms (maybe siblings, too?) in the theater. I read the book with Miriam last winter, and we watched the movie this year. I love the story, weaved with themes of forgiveness and redemption.