When we first moved to Victoria from Ontario, my husband and I kept our winter shovel. The movers brought it into the house and jokingly asked “what is this?”. We all laughed, after all, Victoria is known for its cherry blossoms, gardens and balmy weather. But I’m pretty sure we’ve pulled out that snow shovel every single year. So, this year for winter, I decided to highlight some books. Books that celebrate that fluffy stuff and the fun things you can do when the weather turns cold.
The first book, Snow Song by A.K. Riley and Dawn Lo (Kids Can Press, 2020), is a love poem about snow. The adorable pictures and evocative phrases work together to remind (or introduce) your children to the beauty of snow. The book captures the way it feels to watch snow swirl through the trees. How snow blankets a frozen creek or create deep drifts as it chills our cheeks. For ages 4 to 7.
When you and your children have finished reading Snow Song, you may find yourselves wondering about snow. If so, check out The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder. Written by Mark Cassino and Jon Nelson with illustrations by Nora Aoyagi (Chronicle Books, 2021). As you can guess from the title, this is a non-fiction book that delves into the science of snow. Cassino and Nelson discuss why snowflakes have six sides, and teach you all sorts of fun tidbits, like the fact that snowflakes can be twins and columns. This is an easy to read book, that gives detailed answers to different questions without being overwhelming. For ages 4 to 7.
Even if it doesn’t snow this winter, we can still have fun in the cold. But, as PK learns in The Hockey Skates by Karl Subban and illustrated by Maggie Zeng (HarperCollins, 2023), it might just take some patience. Now that hockey season has arrived, PK is so excited to lace up the brand new skates his parents promised him and zip around on the backyard rink. But there’s just one problem: every time the store sends him the skates in the mail, they are the wrong pair. By the time the rink is ready, PK wonders if he will ever get the right skates. For ages 4 to 7.
PK isn’t the only one who is ready to lace up and get out on the rink. Beaver, Moose, and Bear are also super excited for the cold weather in Hockey in the Wild by Nicholas Oldland (Kids Can Press, 2020), because they want to play hockey. But these three friends don’t have to wait for their skates to arrive. They have to wait for the water to freeze, and it takes forever. Follow along with these three friends as they impatiently wait for the ice to be safe enough to skate on. For ages 4 to 7.
Perhaps winter isn’t your kid’s thing. Maybe they perpetually ask you when it will be spring. If that’s the case, then I recommend picking up Only the Trees Know by Jane Whittingham and illustrated by Cinyee Chiu (Kids Can Press, 2022). In this tale, a little rabbit is tired of winter. He wants to know when it will be spring. But, when he asks his parents, they just tell him it will happen eventually. Since that is not the answer he wants, he goes to ask his grandmama. Grandmama rabbit tells him that spring will come but only the trees know when, so he should ask them. He tries that but they don’t seem to answer. Like several other books in this list, this delightfully illustrated book will help your child learn about being patient, hopeful, and noticing the world around you.
Regardless of whether or not we get snow this year, I hope you are all able to stay warm as the weather turns cold. Perhaps you can climb onto the couch together, or cozy up in their bed and read some stories about snow, skating and the soon-to-come spring.
