Other than Christmas books, children’s books about the season are my favorite. It’s such a great way to explore concepts and changes that occur with our children. While we may have just seen our few fleeting days of snow here in the Salt Lake area come and go, it’s still fun to read about it!
A few favorites around our house…
Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner is such a wonderful book! The illustrations are beautiful + I love the main character’s curiosity about the animals hibernating underground. Another wonderful feature of this book is the author’s note at the end of the book that gives additional information about the species featured in the story.
When it starts to snow by Phillis Gershator is a sweet book about what all the animals do when it starts to snow. It has a chant like element the the text, which is fun for younger readers to catch on to.
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin is chock full of information and interesting facts. It tells about the life of Wilson Bentley + his fascination with snowflakes. This book has a lot of text and I was disappointed when my two-year-old wasn’t as interested in it as I was.
Tracks in the Snow by Wang Herbery Yee is similar to the classic ‘Snowy Day‘ by Ezra Jack Keats (another favorite), but has the added element of animals + the wilderness. The illustrations are so sweet + the rhyming pattern is fun for littler ones.
The Wish Tree by Kyo Maclear is one I discovered at Christmastime, but it isn’t specifically a Christmas book. It’s a sweet story about Charles + several helpful animal friends, but what really gets me are the illustrations. Oh my, this book is beautiful to look at!
Snow by Uri Shulevitz is one we pull out whenever there is a chance of snow in the forecast. It tells the story of a boy waiting + wishing for snow when everyone else says it wont come. Then, when it does, how wonderful it is to enjoy it! Samuel loves finding the single snowflakes that don the first few pages as the snowfall is just beginning.
Sleep Tight Farm by Eugenie Doyle is a beautiful book about all that a farm goes through and how farmers prepare all year for the quiet of winter.
A Warm Winter by Feridun Oral is a familiar story of animals helping one another, but this one seems special to me in that the illustrations are so amazing as is the vocabulary. There are so many good words to talk about in this one!
Waiting For Snow by Marsha Diane Arnold is a sweet little book about the magic of wishing for snow. It’s fun for any child who is hoping for snow to fall.
Blizzard by John Rocco was a new find for us this year. It’s a picture book retelling of the New England blizzard of 1978 by a man who was just a child when it happened. Everything about this book is perfect – the illustrations, the story itself of a sweet boy who trudges through the snow with his sled to get all of his neighbors necessities at the store, and the language that will help any child to imagine themselves in this boys boots.
Bunny Slopes by Claudia Rueda became one of our new Christmas favorites this year, although it’s really a winter book. Along the lines of ‘Press Here‘, this is an interactive book that kids of all ages will enjoy!
Penguin Problems by Jory John and Lane Smith I love so much! It’s a humorous story about complaining and discontentment and finally, finally seeing the brighter side of things.
Toy Meets Snow by Emily Jenkins was one I didn’t think would land in my favorites pile. At first glance, it seemed like a story that had already been done too many times. But no, this book is a gem. It’s a simple story about three toys that make it outside to enjoy snow for the first time. One of the toys, the stuffed stingray, is very ethereal, while the rubber ball is factual and the combination makes for some great dialog in the story and wonderful conversation starters with little readers.
Northern Lights A to Z by Mindy Dwyer is not your average ABC book. Each letter highlights a fact about the Northern Lights and is so interesting for elementary- aged kids.