BOOK MARKED
12 Children’s Books
About Winter
With the advent of virtual school, snow days
may be a thing of the past, but these wintery
books may have readers wishing for one
anyway. Warm up the cocoa, wrap up in a
cozy blanket and enjoy!
BY JENNIFER ROTHSCHILD, COLLECTION ENGAGEMENT LIBRARIAN,
ARLINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
PICTURE BOOKS
Anna Hibiscus lives in Africa but is off to spend
Christmas with her maternal grandmother
By Kirsten Hall,
in Canada. While there will be new foods and
illustrated by Jenni Desmond
a long plane journey, Anna is most excited to
Rhymed couplets introduce young readers to finally see snow for the first time. But how will
winter birds—the ones that stick it out in the she adjust to the cold and from being so far
cold and snow instead of migrating south. In from home?
addition to learning about several different
bird species, readers are also introduced to the ‘Snowflake Bentley’
behaviors and traits these birds have that allow By Jacqueline Briggs Martin,
them to survive the winter. While working as illustrated by Mary Azarian
an introduction to different birds, the soft This Caldecott-winning book introduces
color palate and gentle text also work well for Wilson Bentley, a 19th-century Vermont
bedtime. farm boy who found snow fascinating. After
reading about a new camera with an attached
‘Snow Song’
microscope, his family saved to buy it. Bently
then developed a process to photograph
By A. K. Riley, illustrated by Dawn Lo
A snowy day brings the chance for a new arrival snowflakes and show their intricate crystal
to make friends in their neighborhood, as a patterns. Through his photographs, the world
small child finds other children to skate, sled, discovered that no two snowflakes are alike.

catch snowflakes and otherwise explore in the
winter wonderland. With a gently bouncing ‘Mouse and Mole,
rhythm that captures snow’s many moods, the Winter Wonderland’
story is mostly told in pictures, making this a Written and
cozy book to share.

illustrated by Wong Herbert Yee
When winter comes, Mouse is excited to go out
‘SkySisters’ and play, but Mole would rather stay warm and
cozy at home. It’s not much fun to go skating
By Jan Bourdeau Waboose,
and sledding on your own, so Mouse decides
illustrated by Brian Deienes
On a cold winter’s night, two Ojibway sisters to build a Sno-Mole to keep her company.

walk from their home to Coyote Hill to see the When Mole sees his snow-double, he gets
Northern Lights, or SkySpirits. Along the way suspicious, but soon enters the fun with his
they see animals, pick icicles, make snow angels own Sno-Mouse.

and catch snowflakes. Luminous artwork
shows a quiet and magical evening, as well as MIDDLE GRADE
the bond between the two sisters.

‘Snow One Like You’
‘Snow Birds’
EARLY READERS
‘Have Fun Anna Hibiscus!’
By Atinuke, illustrated by Lauren Tobia
32 Washington FAMILY DECEMBER 2020
By Natalie Blitt
Mia loves the fun of her town’s Winter Festival,
but her family’s inn also depends on the
tourism the festival brings. This year, there



BOOK MARKED
hasn’t been any snow and none is expected before
the festival. Talk of cancelling the festival puts the
inn and other small businesses at risk. The tension
even spills over to Mia’s friend group, causing a
rift. Add a light touch of romance for just the right
amount of drama in this cozy read.

‘Prisoner of Ice and Snow’
By Ruth Lauren
When Valor’s arrow missed the Prince, it was on
purpose—she didn’t want to actually assassinate
him, she just wanted to be arrested and sent to the
prison where her sister is. The prison is supposed
to be inescapable, but Valor has a plan. However,
once trapped in harsh conditions and surrounded
by snow, ice and frozen tundra, Valor realizes she
needs to work with more people to make her plans
a successful. A rollicking fantasy adventure with the
feel of a folktale, readers will quickly be reaching for
the sequel.

breaks down in the middle of a snowstorm,
they team up to make their way to their shared
destination. Of course, every new mode of
transportation they try brings its own problems,
with both characters fearing they won’t arrive in
time for their engagements. Told in alternating
perspectives, readers slowly learn about Noah and
Ammy’s backstories as the two characters grow
closer to each other as they get closer to home.

‘Trapped’ By Michael Northrop
When school is dismissed early due to a major
snowstorm, Scotty and a few friends stay late to
work on a project while waiting for their rides. But
their rides never show, leaving the seven students
stranded. A teacher goes for help and never returns.

The power goes out and the pipes freeze as the hours
turn to days. The situation becomes dire as the kids
must work to survive; the first sentence reveals
that not all of them will make it. A suspenseful
‘I Survived: The Children’s Blizzard, 1888’ page-turner.

By Lauren Tarshis,
illustrated by Scott Dawson
John wasn’t happy when his family moved to cold
and snowy Dakota Territory, but after a year, he’s
settled in and made new friends. He thought his
first winter was bad, but when a sunny day suddenly
turns snowy, John finds himself stranded in one of
the worst blizzards in history, with over 10 feet of
snow falling in mere hours. Will he ever be able to
find his way home through the snow and wind?
‘The Impossible Rescue: The True
Story of an Amazing Arctic Rescue’
By Martin W. Sandler
In the winter of 1897-98, eight whaling ships got
caught in the ice off the Alaskan coast. Trapped
there until spring, the crews faced a winter of
starvation. Unable to send relief by boat, the US
Revenue Cutter Service (a precursor to the Coast
Guard) sent a small group to make the nearly 2,000-
mile journey overland by sled and foot. Along the
way, they gathered reindeer herds for the trapped
YOUNG ADULT
whalers to use as food. Sandler makes wonderful
‘Love and Other Train Wrecks’
use of primary sources, especially photographs,
By Leah Konen
Noah and Ammy do not make a great first in telling this gripping tale of survival against the
impression on each other, but when their train elements. n
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