When we had a very unexpected snow day last week, the two books I immediately grabbed for bedtime stories for my four and seven year old were The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats and The Mitten by Jan Brett.
When I say unexpected, I mean we live in Florida and got about 3 inches that stuck around for days. Kids were elated, neighbors were talking how this hasn’t happened since the 80’s, makeshift sleds of cardboard, trays, and inner tubes were deployed throughout the neighborhood. The fastest fake sled (and kid’s favorite) was Steve’s old wakeboard that was probably excited to get some action after not seeing water in over ten years.
Here we all are on the wakeboard. I love the snowy palm tree behind us!
These kids have never seen snow, except perhaps maybe a flurry at the grandparents up north. They were excited to do all the kid things that come with snow: making snowmen, snow angels, sledding, snowball fights. Hitting trees with sticks to make the snow fall down!
The Snowy Day is a classic winter story about a young boy named Peter experiencing the joy of a snowy day. As we read the book that night the kids recalled their own snowy day and made plans for tomorrow’s adventures, just as Peter in the story. The Snowy Day served as a wonderful blueprint of all the fun snow can bring and the adventures young children can have in the snow.
The Mitten tells the story of a lost mitten that is found by a variety of animals, each of which crawls inside to keep warm. With beautiful illustrations and a clever retelling of a Ukrainian folktale. I’m a big fan of Jan Brett, especially for reading aloud. Her illustrations are very detailed and it’s fun for kids to scour the page looking for hidden details. Here are some more recommended snow day books:
The Three Snow Bears tells the story of a young girl named Aloo-ki who becomes lost in the Arctic and is taken in by a family of snow bears. Another winner by Jan Brett!
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen is a beautifully illustrated picture book that tells the story of a young girl and her father who go owl watching on a cold winter’s night.
Snowflakes Fall by Newberry medalist Patricia MacLachlan is a lovely, lyrical book that celebrates the beauty of snowflakes and how they connect to people all over the world.
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin was the 1999 Caldecott award winner. It’s a true story about Wilson Bentley, the first person to photograph a snowflake. It’s a wonderful book for learning about the science and beauty of snowflakes.
Katy and the Big Snow is a beloved children’s book written by Virginia Lee Burton, the author of other classic picture books like Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. Published in 1943, this story follows Katy, a large, powerful bulldozer who helps a town get back to normal after a huge snowstorm. This book comes highly recommended by my four-year-old son.
Lately the kids have been leaning towards non-fiction books. The following book I ordered from Amazon after our snow day adventure. Not surprisingly, Florida libraries don’t have a ton of books about snow. 🙂
Curious About Snow by Gina Shaw is a fun, fact-filled book about snow, with amazing photos provided by the Smithsonian.
These books capture the essence of winter, new beginnings, and SNOW! making them perfect for January reading. Thanks for reading, hopefully all your snow days are merry and bright.