Snow
& Tell
by Susan Ramsay, Early Literacy Specialist, HFL&A
“The
airplane descended through the clouds. Nose pressed against the
airplane window, the little boy strained to see his first glimpse of
Canada. But what he saw astounded him. The entire country was covered
with salt! The boy, who was emigrating from a warm island with sandy
beaches, had never before seen snow.”
Snow
is amazing stuff. The first snow of the season usually turns children
into snowmen sculptors. Or engineers who play with slope, friction
and gravity on toboggans; or mathematicians who discover sequencing
when they put on mittens before fastening their coat.
A
myriad of books about snow lets children reflect on their experiences
with snow, and pushes them to discover new things.
For
the child who likes nature:
Animals
in Winter
by Henrietta Bancroft explores what animals and insects do in the
winter (4-8 years)
Big
Tracks Little Tracks
by Millicent Selsam teaches about animals by identifying animal
tracks in the snow. (4-8 years)
For
the child who likes music:
There
Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow
by Lucille Colandro can be sung to “I Know an Old Lady Who
Swallowed a Fly”. This old lady, however, swallows the ingredients
of a snowman. (preschool to grade 2)
The
First Day of Winter
by Denise Fleming is a fun twist on “The Twelve Days of
Christmas”. (preschool - grade 2)
For
the child who likes beautiful pictures and rhyme:
For
the child who likes folk and fairy tales:
The
Mitten
by Jan Brett retells a Ukrainian folktale about a boy who loses a
white mitten only to be found by some grateful animals. (preschool -
grade 2)
The
Snow Queen
by Hans Christian Anderson, written in 1844, has been reprinted in
versions as currently as 2006 (6-10 years)
For
the child who likes to build snowmen:
All
You Need for a Snowman
by Alice Schertle starts with a single snowflake and ends with a
snowman so huge that the book must be turned sideways to see it.
(baby - preschool)
The
Snowy Day
by Ezra Jack Keats celebrates a child’s day of play in the snow.
(4-8 years)
Snow
Day
by
Daniel Peddle is a wordless book about a child who builds a snowman
from dawn until dusk. Adults who interpret the sequence of pictures
philosophically may liken its effect to The
Little Prince
by
Antoine de Saint Exupery (baby - adult)
For
the child who likes to chew books:
Snowballs
by
Lois Ehlert is a board book with simple pictures and text that
appeals to babies and toddlers, but it also has seek-and-find
features and some information about snow that make it interesting
for preschoolers.
The
Snowman
by
Raymond Briggs is a wordless picture book that is now available with
textured, scratch and sniff pages.
Snow
may not taste salty, but books about snow can help children savour
it.
