5 Kid's Books About Snow and Winter

Surviving winter

Photo by Filip Bunkens on Unsplash

If you’ve been here a while, you know I dread winter. It’s not so much the cold as it is the grey that irks me. My Vitamin D plummets and with it goes my will to eke on. So you’d think I count the days to summer and it used to be true but this past summer was a drudge and I had an epiphany that seems perfectly obvious now: the joy of any day, in any season, is in the small things. They’re the things you have more control over and they’re the things that can instantly lift your mood.

This past summer was hectic and not in a fun way. But my favorite memories are eating dinners in our slightly humid dining room (which we never do unless we have company), with the windows open, and a western sun painting the blue walls golden. I remember my daughter’s giggles and the picture books we read and even during a stressful period, that’s what my heart remembers and cherishes. So, the verdict of the story is that I’ve come to realize I need to face everything one day, one week, at a time, and focus on the little things I can do that are entirely within my control. This is where you make those happy memories that linger in your heart long after.

So, as is usual for my winter posts (see my old one here), I’m sharing with you little things I plan on doing to please and satisfy my soul. This list is not a checklist. I’m not going to watch or do everything on here. I use this list as a reference guide to fill in those moments when I feel down; to have something to look forward to during the day.

My gameplan for the winter:

Things to watch:

• All Creatures Great and Small S5—the next season has already been released but I’ve delayed watching it until after the holidays when I have the proper time and energy)

• The Six Triple Eight—this movie looks so good! And I’m a sucker for untold / less well-known WWII stories

• The Sticky—I’ve been a huge fan of Margo Martindale’s since I watched The Americans and the combination of her + Quebec maple syrup + heist has me sold

• Bad Sisters S2 — loved watching S1 last winter and planning to catch up with the new season this winter

• Say Nothing—invested in learning more about The Troubles after watching Derry Girls (I know both shows are completely different in themes and vibes)

• One Hundred Years of Solitude — really excited for this one!

Things to do:

• Bake a cake every week—here’s the list of cakes I’ve decided to bake

• Figure out my lighting situation—at an Airbnb we stayed in recently, I realized that lighting is a big game-changer for how you feel in your space. So I plan on learning how to “layer lighting” to make our home feel cozy in deep winter

• House projects—there are too many to list here but a great use of my time (🙄)

• Go to the gym—I’m not a big exercise person but even I can’t deny how great it feels after a workout so I’m going to try my best to get into a routine with it

• Take a vacation—don’t know where we’ll go or when but do plan on going somewhere warm!

• Go to a museum / art gallery—planning on doing this once a month, ideally with kiddo in tow

Things to read:

I’ve never had a problem figuring out what to read and when and I don’t put any pressure on myself to read certain titles. I’m very much a read-based-on-your-mood person so we’ll see what I read! That being said, I am always reading (fear not, friends).

ICYMI

There’s a holiday (de)stress party going on and I’m hosting it along with the fabulous

Kathryn Barbash, PsyD

of

A Wonderful Mess

and

Shelly Mazzanoble

of

Middle-Aged Lady Mom

. We’re having a fun open gathering (come join us!) and sharing what stresses us out about the holidays and how we can plug into the holiday spirit again. It’s a fun time (and maybe you’ll get a chuckle or two out of it) and we hope you’ll stop by!

Under My Hood I Have A Hat

Written by Karla Kuskin and Illustrated by Fumi Kosaka

Recommended Ages: 1-4 years old

This lovely, rhyming book is sure to put a smile on the face of anyone who reads it. Is there anything more irresistible than a small child bundled up and waddling? The way their little arms jut out from their sides as they waddle about. This little book is an homage to that glorious winter sight. In deliciously pleasant rhyme, a young kid walks us through all the layers he’s wearing and the finale to the little rhyming book is perfect. Kuskin perfectly captures the silly necessity of all these layers and Kosaka’s artwork matches her verses with soft, muted artwork that captures the warmth of all the delight kids have for winter.

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Katy and the Big Snow

Written and Illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton

Recommended Ages: 3-6 years old

The perfect book for kids who are problem-solvers, helpers, or just love trucks and tractors. One of my favorite things about this book is its unapologetic introduction to badass tractor, Katy: “She was very big and very strong and she could do a lot of things.” And Katy’s special powers are needed for the big jobs. Not the light snowfalls that gently tide in winter. She’s reserved for the powerful blizzards that bury cities deep into the snow. When a whiteout brings down Geoppolis, it’s Katy that comes to the rescue. Showing us how significant the impact of a severe snowstorm can be, we see Katy clear the path for fire trucks and police cars. Her work is humble but necessary and a means to keep a community running (literally and figuratively!). And to make this story extra special, the magical, vintage illustrations set it over the top. Reading this book is recalling the coziness of yesteryear all while we can also appreciate the work of female heroes!

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Snow is Falling

Written by Franklyn M. Branley and Illustrated by Holly Keller

Recommended Ages: 4-7 years old

There’s nothing as magical as the first snowfall of the evening. We’re having the first light flurries of the season as I write this (does this mean I am a weather goddess?) so this book feels particularly appropriate. And this book does perfect justice to this beautiful, natural phenomenon. The stunning watercolor illustrations lull you into a cocoon of winter coziness—the way the night glows luminously as snow quietly blankets the world—and make you believe that, just perhaps, there truly can be peace on earth. Between beautifully depicted scenes of winter and kids boisterously making snow angels, the book gently introduces kids to the purpose snow serves to the natural environment, the shapes it takes, how something so fun can also be dangerous, and how despite it all, it beckons us outside to marvel in its beauty. The explanations are never pedantic and manage the perfect balance of fascinating and never boring. An absolutely lovely book that I would gladly give as a holiday present!

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The Tea Party in the Woods

Written and Illustrated by Akiko Miyakoshi

Recommended Ages: 5-7 years old

When her father sets off on a cold winter day to visit with her grandmother, Kikko realizes he forgot to take the homemade pie with him. She offers, in the exuberant way kids love to be helpful, to take it to him. Following her father’s distant form, Kikko rushes through a white woodland wonderland to catch up with him. As she follows him, a mystery unfolds. The strange house he’s going into is not her grandmother’s home. When she peers into the window, she realizes she hadn’t been following her father at all—rather, she followed a bear! What unfolds blurs the lines between dream and reality. The illustrations have the quietude of a snowy, silent forest that makes it feel like you’re on the precipice of a darker story that never comes to be. The sketched artwork balances monochrome with pops of color so it never veers into cold and harsh. Instead the soft color and charcoal lend warmth and charm. There’s a disarming quality to the book: the pictures are real and the story peculiar—what is dream and what is reality? It’s up to you and the kids to decide!

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Wolf in the Snow

Written and Illustrated by Matthew Cordell

Recommended Ages: 2-9 years old

This gorgeously illustrated book pays homage to the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words.” And indeed, Cordell’s story is vividly told with his stunning, detailed illustrations—wordless except for a few onomatopoeic words. A young girl is walking home from school in a blizzard, fighting the elements to put one foot in front of the other, the howling of wolves a distant cry. During her trek, she happens upon a small wolf pup whining and mewling with fear. Taking the pup into her arms, the girl starts to walk again and quickly understands that following the wolves’ howls may help her return the wolf pup to them. When she finally finds the pup’s pack, the girl returns the pup and starts making her way home. But she’s tired and lost. What happens next? Well, you’ll have to “read” and find out. A series of exquisite artwork, where every stroke of the pen is intentional and necessary, this story perfectly captures the hardship and humanity of the girl as, even through nasty weather, takes on the task of helping a helpless pup. What I like best about this book is that the girl has complete, full agency as a main character—her story could be the story of an adult—and that’s what makes the story so satisfying; it’s a human story that transcends age.

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Let’s Talk…

If you’re a winter lover or someone who has mastered the art of making winter fly by, share your secrets!

• What fun things are you looking forward to this winter?

• Any good movies / TV shows you’d recommend catching up on?

• I’m in the market for a candle. What’s the best candle and why?

*Thank you for using (at no additional cost to you) the affiliate links in this post! :-)