Skip to main content

Five Faves: New Winter Picture Books

By
Picture books in a winter setting are a beloved romanticism of the genre --soft illustrations in cool palettes, carry a sense of nostalgia from our own cozy winter days.  So every year, readers can look forward to a new crop of snowy gems to appear on their bookshelves. Here are some of the notable winter picture books published in 2024: 

By Renée Kurilla
New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2024. Picture Book.

Covering a variety of facets of the season, both old and new, from snow day fun to multiple holidays (like Kwanzaa, Lunar New Year, and Valentine's Day,) It's Winter has a large inclusive scope that will serve as the perfect introductory text for preschoolers. The illustrations, in Kurilla's signature style, and sparse rhyming text will have readers coming back for more, and make possibly unfamiliar topics feel approachable.

Written by Kate Allen Fox
Illustrated by Elisa Paganelli
Minneapolis, MN: Beaming Books, 2024. Picture Book.

Half ode to community, half informational text on solstices, Winter Solstice Wish comes together as lyrical whole bound together by crystalline digital illustrations. 


Frostfire
By Elly MacKay
Toronto: Tundra Books, 2024. Picture Book.

Sisters, Miriam and Celeste, head out for a walk on a dazzling snowy day. Miriam, a dragon expert, has a dragon-related answer for all of Celeste's observations and questions as they continue along their way.  That's frost, you say? Oh no, that's where a snow dragon was breathing fire, of course, frostfire! Set in the unique and beautiful world of MacKay's shadowbox illustrations, readers are in for sweet, visual treat!

Alice in a Winter Wonderland
By Jan Brett
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2024. Picture Book.

Jan Brett has released a whimsically detailed take on Lewis Carroll's  Alice in Wonderland, but this time our setting is Alaska. In this retelling, Alice follows a white rabbit down a glacier crevasse and encounters madcap versions of Carroll's classic characters, like the extinct Smilodan as the Cheshire Cat and the Varying (or Snowshoe) Hare in place of the March Hare. Key moments from the original work, like the tea party, are revisited. Fans of Brett and Carroll will find much to delight in!

Counting Winter
Written by Nancy White Carlstrom
Illustrated by Claudia McGehee
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2024. Picture Book.

In Counting Winter, powerhouse Carlstrom composes a four to five line poem for each Alaskan animal featured in the reader's count to twelve. Her verses are accompanied by stunning scratchboard line illustrations that give a sense of the movement and energy to each animal, while staying true to a folk art mood, producing a match made in wintery heaven. 








Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

By
If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.
Post a Comment
Read more

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

By loo
Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.
Post a Comment
Read more

Books That Take You There: Egypt

By
My parents are currently planning their first visit to Egypt. And they’re going without me . Like many of you, I’ve always found Egypt fascinating, whether learning about the gross details of making a mummy or eating delicious Egyptian food eaten by people who live there today. And if we can’t all go to Cairo with my parents, we can at least take a little trip through a few books that can take us straight to Egypt! Tail of the Mummy Cat  Written by Chas! Pangburn  Illustrated by Nic Touris  Miami, FL: Papercutz, an imprint of Mad Cave Studios, 2024. Comic. 132 pages.  Nana and Otto are siblings who visit Egypt with their travel-blogger mom. Nan loves learning about Egypt and its history, while Otto wishes he could’ve stayed home. However, both of their plans change when they accidentally let a mummified cat loose from a Pharaoh’s tomb. This graphic novel lets you see both of the sibling’s perspectives through this adventure —and their stories don’t always agree! This...
Post a Comment
Read more