Story Time Saturday - Our Favorite Winter Books

The weekly installment of (some of) what we're reading this week 

"The sun that brief December day

Rose cheerless over hills of gray,

And, darkly circled, gave at noon

A sadder light than waning moon.

Slow tracing down the thickening sky

Its mute and ominous prophecy,

A portent seeming less than threat,

It sank from sight before it set.

A chill no coat, however stout,

Of homespun stuff could quite shut out,

A hard, dull bitterness of cold,

That checked, mid-vein, the circling race

Of life-blood in the sharpened face,

The coming of the snow-storm told.

The wind blew east; we heard the roar

Of Ocean on his wintry shore,

And felt the strong pulse throbbing there

Beat with low rhythm our inland air."
-John Greenleaf Whittier

The shortest day of the year is almost upon us! I can hardly believe winter solstice has come around again. My husband and I got married on winter solstice, so it's a sweet day for the family. 

It seemed a little too close to Christmas for me to do a post about our favorite Christmas books, so instead I'm going to list our absolute favorite winter books to read while the nights are long - all snugged up on the couch. 

1. The Big Snow by Berta and Elmer Hader. 
The illustrations are so beautiful. Great story about woodland animals getting ready for winter.

2. Winter  by Gerda Muller. 
This is our all time favorite winter board book. Gerda Muller's illustrations are so detailed and fun for people of all ages to look at. This book doesn't have words, but beautiful images of a family enjoying winter activities together. We enjoy making up little stories about the family or just looking at the pictures. Gerda Muller has made one for each season and they are all great.

3. The Three Snow Bears By Jan Brett 
Most of Jan Brett's books are winter themed, but I'm listing Peter's all time favorite. A retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Snow Bears tells the story of Aloo-ki who comes across an igloo while out with her sled dogs. The igloo belongs to three polar bears, who left while their breakfast cools. Like all of Jan Brett's books, the illustrations are stunning.

4. Bear Snores On  By Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman 
A fun story about a bear hibernating in his cave totally oblivious to the party the other animals are having around him. Eventually he wakes and joins in the fun. Peter loves to retell this story with his stuffed animals. It's a great introduction to the concept of hibernation.

5. The Snowy Day By Ezra Jack Keats
I'm sure everyone is familiar with this one, but I just couldn't leave it out. It was one of my all time favorite books as a kid. Peter also loves it. This book captures childhood wonder like no other.

6. James Herriot's Treasury For Children By James Herriot
This is such an incredible collection of James Herriot's fantastic stories of a British Veterinarian. The illustrations are so lovely. Although not all the stories are set in winter, there is a cozy feeling about all the them. The stories themselves are unabridged, so they are fun for the parents to read over and over again too. This is an all time favorite of ours!

7. Owl Moon By Jane Yolen and John Schoenherr
Oh my gosh, this book is so stunning. It tells the story of father and daughter walking through the night to see an owl. It's written poetically and the illustrations are gorgeous. We love books about appreciation of nature and parents spending time outside with their kids. At the end, when the little girl gets to see her first owl, I always tear up a little. I'm a sap like that.

8. Snowflake Bentley By Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Mary Azarian
This is my all time favorite winter picture book biography. It's about the scientist Wilson Bentley who developed the technique for photographing snowflakes. Through his photographs it was discovered that no two snowflakes are identical...and that they are stunningly beautiful. Illustrated with charming woodcuts.

9. Animals in Winter By  Henrietta Bancroft and Helen K. Davie
Another great nonfiction picture book about winter. This one talks about what the animals do during the winter. I've been reading it in anticipation of our plan to decorate a tree for the wild animals (birdseed pinecones, strings of popcorn and cranberries, and suet) on one of the 12 days of Christmas. I'm hoping that will become one of our yearly traditions.

I hope everyone has a peaceful winter weekend! 

*This post contains affiliate links ~ For any purchase made through the links I post, a small stipend goes to our family book fund.