BOOK MARKED
Warm Up with
Winter Reading
12 Tales of Seasonal Joys and
Reflection BY TORA BURNS, DC PUBLIC LIBRARY
While winter days can be shorter, the joy of reading
can last a long time. These books are intended to help
encourage little ones to find the joy in winter and help
more experienced readers find the stories that will
keep them turning pages on long winter nights.

BIRTH TO AGE 5
“Do I Have to Wear a Coat?”
by Rachel Isadora
Rachel Isadora’s charming vignettes capture the
four seasons with details that young children
will love. Isadora highlights winter’s outdoor
fun, including ice skating and fun in the snow
in a style reminiscent of her books “My Dog
Laughs” and “I Hear a Pickle.” Readers will love
the answers and activities celebrated in “Do I
Have to Wear a Coat?”
“Sweetest Kulu”
by Celina Kalluk and Alexandria Neon-
akis Kulu is an Inuktitut term of endearment given to
babies and young children. Written by acclaimed
Inuit throat singer Celina Kalluk, “Sweetest
Kulu” is a bedtime poem that describes the gifts
given to a newborn baby by the Arctic animals.

Told by a mother, “Sweetest Kulu” is infused
with the traditional Inuit values of love and
respect for the land and animals.

“The Tea Party in the Woods”
by Akiko Miyakoshi
Kikko’s father forgot the pie he was supposed
to take to her grandmother. When she tries to
catch him by following her father’s footprints in
the snow, she finds a large house she has never
seen before. Kikko looks in the window and sees
a small lamb wearing a coat who asks, “Are you
28 Washington FAMILY JANUARY 2023
here for the tea party?” Award-winning author
and illustrator Akiko Miyakoshi’s “The Tea
Party in the Woods” is a beautiful original fairy-
tale picture book with twists that will engage
and entertain.

AGES 5-8
“A Sled for Gabo”
by Emma Otheguy and Ana Ramirez
Gonzalez Gabo wants to go sledding, but his socks are
cotton, his hat is too small and he has no sled.

Thankfully, Gabo has help. His mom fixes his
clothes. Then, as he hunts for a sled, neighbors,
relatives and new friends show Gabo what he
can do with the things he has. Emma Otheguy’s
“A Sled for Gabo” snowbound story features
unforgettable characters who naturally shift
between English and Spanish and helps kids
develop an appreciation for their support circle
and possessions.

“Ten Ways to Hear Snow”
by Cathy Camper and Kenard Pak
Lina wakes up to silence on a snowy winter
morning. As she walks to her grandmother’s
house to help make warak enab, she observes
the snowmen and other things that may go
unnoticed in her winter neighborhood. In “Ten
Ways to Hear Snow,” Cathy Camper shows chil-
dren a basic understanding of mindfulness
and empathy.