8 Picture Books that Celebrate Winter
This article originally appeared in UrbanFamily magazine.
’Tis the season of cold and snow — in some climates, anyway. But even kids who’ve never witnessed a frozen pond or a flurry of snow can dream of its marvels nevertheless with the help of these eight picture books that celebrate everything from the Northern Lights to ice skating.
Winter by David A. Carter. A sweet little pop-up that follows a winter-white weasel as he travels across a snowy landscape. Along the way he encounters other residents ofthis frozen world: snow geese, holly, a bright Venus lighting the sky. A lovely way for children to familiarize themselves with the fauna and even flora of the frozen months (ages 3–5, $11).
The Thing About Yetis by Vin Vogel. Think you know everything there is to
know about Yeti’s? Think again, as you and your tot read all about how much the adorable snow monsters actually love all there is to do and see in summer (ages 3–5, $17).
Max and Marla by Alexander Boiger. Best friends and aspiring winter Olympians Marla and her pet bird Max find that achieving excellence takes a lot of hard work and effort — even when it involves something as free-spirited and fun-loving as a sled ride. A gentle reminder that it pays to never give up — especially when you’ve got a special friend by your side to comfort and cheer you on (ages 3–5, $18).
One Day On Our Blue Planet…in the Antarcticby Ella Bailey. Adélie penguins live in one of the coldest places on Earth and this charming book chock-full of lively, retro illustrations follows a day in the life of a penguin chick as she passes a usual day on ice and under water. Along the way, kids learn about other Antarctic denizens and the workings of a fragile ecosystem (ages 3–7, $18).
Snow by Sam Usher. Can any kid ever get out into the freshly fallen snow fast enough? Not very likely, But things take a turn for the complicated (and the much-much-slower) when you add one pokey grandfather and the mandate to dress warm, in infinite layers. A story every impatient snow-loving child will easily relate to (ages 3–7, $17).
Arthur by Rhoda Levine & Everett Aison. As sure as seasons come and go, birds migrate north and south with the warm and cold. Unless something goes awry and one little songbird finds himself left alone in the big, freezing, inhospitable city. Where will he live out the frosty, leafless months? How will he survive? And will he be the same bird he once was at the end of this ordeal? A testament to how the loners in our midst can not only survive, but thrive (ages3–7, $16).
Arctic White by Danna Smith & Lee White. When you live in the far, far North of the world, you learn to enjoy things other than the colors that the eternal winter night has robbed from your surroundings. Until…the aurora borealis lights up the sky with enough color to last in your memory — and in your paintings — until spring (ages 4–8, $18).
Twelve Kinds of Ice by Ellen Bryan Obed & Barbara McClintock. This is the paperback release of a truly lovely little book — an homage to the arrival of winter and the cold weather that will bring first iced-over buckets and ice on the fields, and culminating in a homemade backyard rink that is the dream of every skate-loving child. Kids who have only ever skated in a commercial rink will marvel at the notion that “pasture ice” allows travel from field to field, farm to farm, and wish that they, too, could partake of something so marvelous (ages 6–9, $7).
