by Sandra Koehler Lee

Did you know that woodchucks hibernate or that many bats fly south for the winter? These are just some of the factual tidbits you and your child will learn in Animals in Winter, by Henrietta Bancroft and Richard G. Van Gelder. The book is just what it sounds like: a narrative about what different animals do once the weather gets colder instead of a “story.” However, it is a nicely written explanation for preschoolers and elementary-school children and includes a section of how they can help wildlife during the winter.

Snowballs by Lois Ehlert is a nice book for youngsters describing how birds and a squirrel build snow people, and even a snow dog and cat, and decorate them with items they’ve collected. It is creatively illustrated with cut-out collages. Ehlert offers something for older children with a section in the back explaining what snow is and how it’s created.

The Snow Day by Komako Sakai is a very cute story of a little rabbit who wakes to find that school is closed because of all the snow. The little rabbit and mom play in the snow until their noses start running. My favorite part was the description of how quiet it becomes and there’s just the falling snow. While most kids wouldn’t want the snow to stop falling, Little Rabbit is happy because that means Daddy is flying home. This is a wonderful tale for children of any age.

Infants and youngsters will relate to the child who enjoys tasting the snow and making snow angels in Millions of Snowflakes by Mary McKenna Siddals. The bonus of this book is that it includes some counting, from one to five snowflakes. After only a few times hearing it, my preschooler enjoys “reading” the book herself and remembers most of the narrative so it’s a nice story to reinforce a toddler’s or preschooler’s memory and recognition skills as well as a cute introduction to the meaning of winter.

Reminiscent of Frosty the Snowman, the story of A Snowman Named Just Bob by Mark Kimball Moulton is a rhyming tale of a child who brings a snowman to life. The story of Bob details the fun and magic of building a snowman in winter and imparts the value of true friendship. For those who like love stories or want to see a female snow buddy, Moulton has also written A Snowgirl Named Just Sue with whom Bob falls in love.

~ Sandra Koehler Lee

Sandra is a former newspaper reporter and current freelance writer living in Central New Jersey. She also runs ParenthoodNJ (parenthoodnj.com), an online resource for NJ parents, and reads to her preschooler every night.

For more holiday and winter picks, visit Sandra’s web site.