Winter is Still Here!

It’s February.  It’s winter.  It’s the coldest time of our year.  But with the cold, comes the chance to warm up inside with a great movie or a good book to read.  For some, winter can be the fun of watching Thumper and Bambi sliding on the ice or the sadness of watching Bambi’s mother in the snow.  Maybe you are ready to watch the Jamaican bobsled team in the 2008 Disney movie, Cool Runnings. 

But it’s also a wonderful time to choose some great books to read with your children.  This February, I have some good books for winter and for the February holidays.  With the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, it’s a good time to introduce your children to some US History.  Check out these and many more great winter books at your local libraries and bookstores.

Winter

I may dislike winter, but I love reading these books to children.  Old Winter will have your children smiling at the antics when Old Winter won’t leave!  Snowballs is a photographic classic.  Snowflake Bentley was a real person who actually did photograph and study snowflakes.  Check out some of his actual photographs at  .  His photographs are works of art.  The After Christmas Tree might lead you to set up your own feeder outside your window.  Look for something special when you read The Biggest, Best Snowman.  And Jan Brett retells the class The Mitten with exquisite drawings as only she can do.

·        Old Winter by Judith Benet Richardson

·        Snowballs by Lois Ehlert

·        Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

·        The After Christmas Tree by Linda Wagner Tyler

·        The Biggest, Best Snowman by Margery Cuyler

·        The Mitten by Jan Brett

Need more winter books?  Here are more good winter reads.

·        Elmer in the Snow by David Mc Kee

·        Geraldine’s Big Snow by Holly Keller

·        The Big Snow by Berta Hader

·        The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel

·        The Little Snowflake by Steven Metzger

·        The Magic School Bus Sleeps for the Winter by Eva Moore

·        The Snowball by Jennifer Armstrong

·        What Do Animals Do in Winter? by Melvin Berger

·        Winter Days in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

·        Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft

·        Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan by Cynthia Rylant

·        Best Friends in the Snow by Angela Shelf Medearis (HR)

·        Rabbit’s Wish for Snow by Tchin (HR)

·        Snowy Winter Day by Estelle Feldman

·        Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton

·        It’s Snowing by Gail Gibbons

·        It’s Snowing!  It’s Snowing by Jack Prelutsky (Good poetry)

·        Winter Wishes by Apple Jordan (Disney Princesses)

Valentine’s Day

Children love exchanging valentines and giggling about their secret admirers.  Why not try a couple of books about Valentine’s Day?

·        Cranberry Valentine by Wende Devlin

·        The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting

·        Arthur’s Valentine by Marc Brown

·        Arthur’s Great Big Valentine by Lillian Hoban

Learning About Our History

The first five books below are wonderful to introduce your children to historical figures.  The language and pictures, especially in the David Adler books, are just right for you to read aloud or for your young readers to read to you. 

·        A Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln by David A. Adler

·        A Picture Book of George Washington by David A. Adler

·        A Picture Book of Harriett Tubman by David A. Adler

·        A Weed is a Flower (George Washington Carver) by Aliki

·        The Many Lives of Benjamin Franklin by Aliki

·        Abe Lincoln Remembers by Ann Turner

·        George Washington by James Cross Giblin

·        If You Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln by Ann Mc Govern

·        If You Grew Up with George Washington by Ann Mc Govern

·        Frederick Douglas by Sheila Keenan

·        Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King by Jean Marzollo

·        If You Lived in the Time of Martin Luther King by Ellen Levine

·        Martin Luther King by Rae Bains

·        Martin Luther King Day by Linda Lowery

·        At the Crossroads by Rachel Isadora

·        Everett Anderson’s Goodbye by Lucille Clifton

·        I Am Freedom’s Child by Bill Martin, Jr.

·        Uncle Jed’s Barbershop by Margaree King Mitchell

·        Working Cotton by Shirley Ann Williams

So, put a fire in the fireplace, grab a cup of cocoa, curl up and enjoy a good winter book and before you know it spring will return.