Reading in a Winter Wonderland (Reading for All Ages)!

Got a case of the winter blues (these covers certainly do)?! Check out these great "Winter Wonderland" titles for the whole family to enjoy!

Burton, Virginia Lee.
Katy and the Big Snow.
September 2010.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Having recently been released in board book format, Katy and the Big Snow is a classic that you'll have to share with your youngest (perfect for ages 2-4 in this board book format), as the book is now durable enough to withhold those busy little fingers! Katy, the big red tractor was a familiar face in town... able to push dirt with her bulldozer, plow snow with her snowplow... you could even go as far as to call her an all*star citizen, as she worked for the Highway Department of Geoppolis, keeping the roads ready for citizens year round! However, in Geoppolis (unlike here central NY), there wasn't a huge need for a snowplow the size of Katy... until that fateful winter day when the rain, sleet, ice and snow just kept on coming. As Katy sets out in hopes of rescuing and aiding all those in need during the snowstorm, readers quickly realize how a seemingly insignificant piece of equipment can soon become a highly sought-after item!

Reading/Learning Activity:

• Help your child create their own "Geoppolis" using the community cards found here and several pieces of posterboard. If you're really feeling creative, try creating the community building using Legos. Once you have created "Geoppolis," use your paper shredder and destroy some of those old documents that have needed destroying... pour the shredded paper on the streets in the town of Geoppolis and allow your child(ren) to use "Katy" (their toy tractor with a plow) to be the hero and save the people of Geoppolis!

Hill, Susan.
Snow Dog Marley.
October 2010.
HarperCollins.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Marley's set out to surprise his family on a snow day. Putting his wild dog antics behind him, Marley vows to be a snow dog, being patient and trying very hard to be a good dog as the family participates in special snowy-day activities. The family is very surprised at his ability to be such a good dog, and can even excuse his little mishap at the end of the story after he's been so well-behaved all day long! This book is perfect for emergent readers (4-7)!

Reading/Learning Activity:

• If you're along the Eastern seaboard, caught amidst the thick of this winter blizzard, make the most of it! Head outdoors with your family and partake in some snowy-day activities - sledding, snowball fights, snowmen building. Make up some other snow games and then head indoors for a pot of homemade soup and hot chocolate!
  

Yee, Wong Herbert.
Mouse and Mole: A Winter Wonderland.
November 2010.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

When Mouse wakes up to a winter wonderland, he wants nothing more than to enjoy the snow. However, his best friend Mole has other ideas in mind - staying in bed, cozy warm. Mouse decides to make the best of the situation and refuses to let Mole downplay his snowy-day fun. He works diligently to create Sno-mole, the snowy day version of Mole so that enjoying the winter wonderland will be more fun! Eventually Mole realizes exactly what he's missing out on and heads out to join in the fun! This is a great story to get your reluctant (indoor, video gamer, ages 7-9) child outside joining in the family's snow day fun!

Simon, Francesca.
Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman.
August 2010.
Sourcebooks, Inc.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Ideal for 8-12 year olds, Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman will have young readers eager to continue reading and unwilling to put the book down for interruptions! Broken into four shorter stories, Horrid Henry must win the Frosty Freeze Snowman Competition - he just has to win that free ice cream for a year! It's just one of the four humorous stories found within. Children are sure to love the humor and child-like art/writing found within!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Encourage reading over Winter (Christmas) Break by providing children with enough "book" to last them the entire vacation. Broken down sections, such as provided in Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman make tackling the book seem like less of a chore! Add in the subtle humor and it may just make reading seem fun!
  

Hannan, Peter.
The Greatest Snowman in the World!
October 2010.
HarperCollins.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

When Charles Chinchilla, Babs McBoid and Elvis Wormly wake up to a winter wonderland, the trio decide to create the "Greatest Snowman in the World." However, it's harder than it looks, and as the snowman begins melting, they work diligently to get it inside to the freezer before it can melt any further. Once inside though, they run in to even more challenges and the greatest snowman in the world quickly melts away. The trio doesn't give up though, and work to create an even better snowman - one made of ice cream! This book is great fun, with lots of humor and will prove incredibly fun for the whole family to share!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• After reading, break out the ice cream and create ice cream snowmen for dessert! You can use neopolitan (as done in the book) or you can opt for just plain old vanilla. Add a fruit roll-up scarf, pretzel stick arms, M&M buttons, a tic-tac nose, a tiny colored scoop of ice cream for a hat, and a cherry for the pom-pom on top and you have the "World Greatest Snowman" ice cream treat!
  

Hannah, Kristin.
Winter Garden.
February 2010.
St. Martins Press.
Review copy provided courtesy of Amanda, at A Patchwork of Books.

I have yet to read this novel - it's been in my TBR pile since last Spring... however, seeing as it does have that wintry cover, I had to put it off until this winter. I haven't made it to it yet, but it's definitely nearing the top of the pile - just 3 books ahead of it and I'm certainly looking forward to it! Kristin Hannah is an incredible author, and anything recommended by Amanda is definitely worthy of a read! You can check out her review of it here!



If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!