Twelve Kinds of Ice

I wish I could remember where I first saw a recommendation for Twelve Kinds of Ice. I vaguely recollect noticing the cover art back in the summer, then stumbling back upon it in early fall. By November, I had acquired a copy, largely based on the lovely illustrations, thinking that, at a mere 64 pages, this would make a wonderful snow day read. If you haven't been living under a rock, or a sunny beach on the southern hemisphere, you probably know that the entire east coast experienced a winter storm over the last few days. That flurry of snow out our windows was the setting by which we finally dove into Twelve Kinds of Ice.

I'm truly glad I saved this book for such a time. The black and white illustrations, the colorful prose, the sparkling descriptions of each kind of ice, and the adventures that await each new phase of winter read like a story my grandmother might tell, if I had a grandmother who lived anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line where the winter seems stuck on repeat between ice kinds 1, 2, and 3. Sure, there are some reinforced stereotypes of figure-skating girls battling for ice rink time from the hockey-playing boys, but beyond that you find humorous anecdotes of a father who performs comic routines while smoothing the ice each evening, an elaborate ice show with grandiose performances, and even the melancholic thaw when the rink might only have a few feet of ice left for the lengthening, warming spring days. I'm unsure how many more snow days this winter might hold, but this story will remain on hand just in case.

It's Snowing!

I wish I could claim the original recommendation of this sweet book, but I found the book over on Ginny's blog, who heard about it from Grace.

Two things really struck me about this book when I looked it up on Amazon, the calmingly beautiful nighttime snow scenes and the very simplistic pictures. I really appreciated that in the house pictures, you only see a cradle, fireplace, pot, kettle and mantle with a few candles. So soothing to see such a simple depiction of home.


It's Snowing shows a mama and baby enjoy a snowfall through each of their senses, smell, taste, touch, hearing. I feared that Finn might find it a smidgen beneath his big boy self to enjoy, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that he really enjoys the simple story.


I think Finn's favorite part is when the snow becomes a bear for the mama and baby to ride.


So you can take it on my advice, or on Ginny's or Grace's, that this is really a beautiful winter book for little ones. And who doesn't love those little round houses with the very pointy roofs and with the smoke curling cozily from the chimney!

The Tomtes of Hilltop Wood

We received The Tomtes of Hilltop Wood as a gift several months ago, and it quickly became one of Finn's favorite books. We always enjoy looking for tomte and gnome houses in the woods and Finn was so delighted to see the tomtes appear from the Hilltop Wood.

The children in the story learn that the workmen plan to put a road through Hilltop Wood and rush to tell the tomtes right away.

The children and tomtes work long and hard to thwart the road-building. Finn loved seeing how they would run the creek a different way, making the bridge useless or how they moved the protected bats to a different barn which stood in the workmen's way.

When winter comes and the children leave milk out for the tomte, Finn gets excited that it's "just like The Tomten".

The beautiful illustrations really capture the woods and the changing seasons beautifully. My favorite illustration is the little lighted window in the snow which captures the perfect amount of magic and imagination in the chilly wintertime scene.

then...one snowflake

Much like our day, the beginning of Snow centers around one snowflake (and a little boy's faith in snow). I really love the simplicity of the text in this little jewel of a winter book and the gorgeous illustrations certainly enhance the magic and beauty of the story.

My kids really enjoy the descriptions of the characters, like man with hat, boy with dog and woman with umbrella. (They also get a little tripped out by the wandering Mother Goose characters, which is a little random, in my opinion.)

I love the soft watercolor and ink look of the illustrations and the exaggerated features of the characters. The dreary gray really accentuates the solitary flakes in a wonderful way considering the text of the story.

At the end when the sky is finally a brighter blue, emphasizing the white piles of snow coating the world, you really get the sense that the boy's magic and happiness has coated the world as well.

Owl Moon

Owl Moon was first introduced to me through a reading-in-schools program I participated in when Elizabeth was about 3. She and I proceeded to check it out from our local library many times, especially during the coldest parts of the winter. I'm not really sure why it never found it's way into our permanent collection.

Earlier in the year, when my mother was asking about Christmas presents for the kids, she asked me if Finn had a copy of Owl Moon. When I answered "no", she determined that he should have a copy, which proved to be a good call as it is now one of his favorites.

Winner of the 1988 Caldecott medal, Owl Moon showcases the beauty and expanse of a snowy winter on a farm. The perfect bedtime story, it whispers quiet winter softness and you can practically hear the echo of father's who-ing.

The illustrations depicting the owl's point-of-view are a beautiful change of pace when they appear. You'll find yourself wondering how you might find your way to a snow-covered farm for a bit of late-night owling.

As you can see, Finn didn't take kindly to my kidnapping his book for even a few photos. I think this will certainly remain a treasured piece of our winter book basket for years to come.

The Snowy Day

Ezra Jack Keats' popular and ubiquitous winter book has never been more popular in our house than the last week with our Christmas night snowstorm.

Finn tremendously identifies with Peter and his track-making, angel-making, tree-smacking, snowball-making fun.

I never tire of the depth of the Caldecott-winning illustrations and the beautiful color peeking through each page bringing a chilly breath to each scene.

I think my personal favorite is the snowangel page. There's something sweetly preschool-like about Peter's little gnome-hat angel.

Jan Brett's beautiful treasury

I discovered this little jewel compilation of Jan Brett's Christmas (or winter, really) works while on a trip to NYC a few years ago. I knew that my little Christmas baby would need this treasury so I lugged all 10 lbs of it on the plane home. Fortunately he loves it as much as I do, well actually, all the family does.

I love how the Christmas stories that Jan Brett tells are atypical from the standard Christmas tales. Between the trolls and the ornery reindeer, it's definitely not Norman Rockwell-esque story-telling. But there's a sweetness in each narration and a happy ending for all so it's nice to have a book of alternative stories.

Interestingly, Finn's favorite stories in the book are The Mitten and The Hat, both of which we had separately before this treasury. I also like that these books are included in the treasury despite the fact that neither is truly a Christmas book, more like a winter tale.

And of course, Jan Brett's illustrations are marvelous. The kids love how much there is to see in every picture. The left side bar reflection from the previous page and right side bar peek into the next page are particularly loved.

One thing that my kids find particularly delightful about Jan Brett's stories is the hedgehog that appears in so many of her illustrations, if not the stories themselves. Paulie has turned the whole family hedgehog-crazed so they squeal with delight upon finding an extraneous hedgie.

And it doesn't hurt that Jan Brett draws them so adorably!

Finn especially gets a kick out of the final page of The Hat when all the animals scatter wearing the little girls woolens. He often will pick up any woolens he finds laying around our living room and wear them on his head to join in the game!

a tomten double giveaway!

A long-loved tale in our home, The Tomten is such a rich story of the quiet of a winter night and the tomten who trails through the farm aiding and comforting all the animals and children therein.

I've written of this book before, on my other blog, but when a gently used copy appeared at our favorite local bookstore, I couldn't resist bring it home as well.

My inability to resist this gentle, comforting winter tale is your gain as I am offering it, as well as a little wooden tomten to match, in a double giveaway!

After all, "winters come and winters go" but generosity lasts forever and is what this season is truly about. I hope there is a little one in your life who needs a tomten story!

Enter here by leaving a comment. Double your chances of winning both the book and the wooden tomten by leaving another comment on An Art Family tomten giveaway! Become a new follower of either An Art Family or The Book Children for an additional entry. The winner of both items will be drawn next Thursday, 12/9, at 9 am EST.

The winner of the wooden tomten and The Tomten book is Carolyn!

Carolyn said...

I just became a follower. Would love this for my grandson, Arlo.

Carolyn, please contact me at joy[at]anartfamily[dot]com with your information so I can get the tomten items to you right away! Thanks everyone for participating!

read Red?

Barbara Lehman's The Red Book, a 2004 Caldecott Honor book, is a shining star in the wordless picture book genre. This simple unassuming cover houses a huge adventure waiting to be put into words by any child daring enough to follow the journey inside this magical world.

A little girl finds a similar red book tucked into a snow bank as she walks to school one day. As she loses herself into the book's adventure, she find herself on an adventure of her own.

Brilliantly illustrated in a simple style, this book will delight your child many times over. Peering through the portal of this red book will lead the reader to wonder what adventures waiting under the cover of their other books.

They may even start checking snow piles and sand dunes for a Red Book of their own.