Winter Reads: Picture Books for Snowy Days

I remember the joy of waking up as a child to find that the outside world had been magically transformed by a snowfall during the night.

Here are some picture books that are perfect for snowy days (click on the pictures for more details):

1.  "The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats  

A classic, award-winning children's book you may remember filling you with wonder when you were little.







2.  "The Snow Day" by Komako Sakai


A small rabbit is delighted to learn that kindergarten is closed due to the snow. But then he learned his daddy's flight home has been cancelled and he feels like he and his mommy are alone in the world (don't worry everything ends happily).


3.  "Just a Snowy Day" by Mercer Mayer
Follow Little Critter as he enjoys the perfect snowy day (comes with touch & feel, pull tabs, flaps and scratch & sniff):

Book Picks: "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

According to Lemony Snicket, "If you don't like books by Richard Peck, there is probably something very wrong with you."  After reading "Secrets at Sea", I tend to agree.

This Victorian-era mouse adventure (aimed at girls ages 8 and up) is an "Upstairs, Downstairs" for children.  The human family live "upstairs" in the Cranston Estate, and the mice family lives "downstairs" within its walls, led by the eldest mouse sibling, Helena.

When the "Upstairs Cranstons" journey on an ocean liner to find their eldest daughter a husband in Europe, the "Downstairs Cranstons" take their fates into their own paws and stow away in the luggage.  When the future happiness of the Cranston daughters is put in jeopardy, can the mice help them find love and still find their own happy endings?

Children who enjoyed "Tale of Desperaux" by Kate DiCamillo will also enjoy this book.  It is part adventure, part romance and part fairytale.  The story contains a lesson for adults too, who may identify with Helena's inability to let go of her siblings (i.e. your own children).     

My only criticism is that the happy endings for the girls (both human and mice) involve budding romances or marriage proposals (in contrast the boy mouse's does not), but arguably that is consistent with the time period.  But overall, I give this book four mice tails out of five.

Children's Book Releases - January 2012

Happy New Year!  See below for some upcoming book releases you won't want to miss this month.

January 3 - "Seeker #6: Spirit in the Stars" by Erin Hunter

January 5 - "Little Dog Lost: The True Story of a Dog Named Baltic" by Monica Carnesi
                - "Llama Llama - Nighty-Night" by Anna Dewdney

January 10 - "A Boy Called Dickens" by Deborah Hopkinson
                  - "The Mighty Miss Malone" by Christopher Paul Curtis
                  - "Revenge of the Horned Bunnies" (Dragonbreath) by Ursula Vernon

January 17 - "Bad Kitty for President" by Nick Bruel
                  - "Sailor Moon 3" by Naoko Takeuchi

January 24 - "Bartimaeus: The Ring of Solomon" by Jonathan Stroud

January 31 - "Princess of the Wild Swans" by Diane Zahler

Horn Book Magazine Selects Best Children's Books for 2011

Horn Book Magazine's recently published their choices for the best children's books for 2011.  A few of their picture book picks are as follows (click on the images for more details):

Naamah and the Ark at Night written by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, illustrated by Holly Meade



I Want My Hat Back written and illustrated by Jon Klassen



A Ball for Daisy written and illustrated by Chris Raschka



Bone Dog written and illustrated by Eric Rohmann

Strange and Remarkable Alphabet Books

Some unique alphabet books for children (click on the pictures to learn more):

1. "The Dangerous Alphabet" by Neil Gaiman



2.  "Alphabeasts" by Wallace Edwards



3.   "Silly Monsters ABC" by Gerald Hawksley

Book Review: Singing Away the Dark by Caroline Woodward and Julie Morstad (illustrator)

"Singing Away the Dark" is one of the most beautifully crafted picture books I have ever read.  It has such a timeless quality to it, it's hard to believe it was only just published in 2010, rather than being a long-time classic.



The story follows an imaginative six-year-old girl walking through the woods one winter morning to reach her school bus.  She overcomes many obstacles along the way - a barbed wire fence, a creepy forest, a bull munching hay and howling winds. But by singing to herself, she gains the courage she needs to overcome them.

As I grew up in the countryside, this book really resonated with me. The words and the illustrations perfectly captured the simple joys that exploring fields and forests can bring.  I felt like I was travelling back in time to a world I had almost forgotten about, and for that I am thankful for this book.

I give "Singing Away the Dark" 5 out of 5 footprints in the newly fallen snow.

Christmas Book Picks Part 4: Novels

Christmas can still be a magical time of year for older children.  Click on the pictures below to learn more about some popular Christmas-themed novels:

Book Picks - Ten Good "Goodnight" Stories

Since the purpose of a bedtime story is to prepare children for bed, it isn't surprising there are a lot of books with "goodnight" in the title.

Here's a list of ten good "goodnight" books:

1.  Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

2. Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

3. How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen

Christmas Book Picks Part 3: Early Readers

Some Christmas chapter books for beginning readers (click on the photos to learn more):



Did your child enjoy these or other Christmas-themed early readers?  Please leave a comment below.

Christmas Book Picks Part 2 - Picture Books

What's your favourite Christmas picture book?  Below are some books to share with your children over the holidays (click on the pictures to learn more):

Christmas Book Picks Part 1 - Board Books

Time to start counting down the days until Christmas!

There are so many wonderful Christmas board books to choose from.  Click on the pictures to learn more about the following recommendations: