Winter Books to Push the Blues Away

If you are feeling to cold and that let-down after the holidays, check out a few of these brilliant books, read to yourself or to the little ones in your life, and maybe have a cup of tea from your samovar!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland by Felix Bernard and Richard Smith, illustrated by Tim Hopgood

Changing the words only slightly from the original song, Tim Hopgood has turned this popular winter song into a family adventure in the woods. With brilliantly designed snowflakes, trees and birds peeking out of the woods, this lush representation of a favorite winter song makes us all want to sing along.

Everyone Loves Cupcake by Kelly DiPucchio, pictures by Eric Wight

Metaphorically speaking, that is. Cupcake will do anything to get the other pastries to love her. When she can’t win everyone over, she finally heeds the advice of Fortune Cookie: Be true. Be YOU! When she confesses her shortcomings, the other pastries do as well, leading to my favorite lines of the book: Cheesecake says “I don’t really like New York.” And the donut admits, “Sometimes I feel empty inside.” Enjoy a little fun while helping children learn how to make friends.

A Boy, a Ball and a Dog by Gianna Marino

A simple story of a boy throwing a ball to his dog, with the dog always catching it, until one day, the wind catches the ball (an orange balloon) and blows it out over the sea. Told through a combination of stunning pictures and simple text, the reader follows the balloon out over the sea and back again. Marino has mastered both the use of color and the use of a simple phrase. Even if you don’t have a boy to share this book with, you will love it!

Ninja! Attack of the Clan by Arree Chung

Ninja is back, joined again by his family. What happens when everyone is too busy to play with him, even baby sister? Complete with hide and seek, the kiss of death and a “licking” by little sister, this story is perfect for families who are often too busy to pay attention to each other as they should.

Fairy Friend by Sue Fliess, illustrated by Claire Keane

Using rhyme, Fliess tells how to catch a Fairy while Keane uses soft colors, exaggerated facial expressions and reflected light to illustrate both the fairies and the child chasing them. This magical book will captivate any child’s imagination and if you have a child who loves fairies already, that captivation will be even more enchanted.

Would you Rather be a Princess or a Dragon? By Barney Saltzberg

Rhyming couplets describe the difference between a princess and a dragon. “If you want to be a princess, / practice walking straight and tall./ If you want to be a dragon/ practice bouncing off the wall.” Saltzberg gives both the princess and the dragon delightful expressions and exuberant personalities. After reading this, I want to be a princess and a dragon.

Grandmother Fish: A child’s First Book of Evolution by Jonathan Tweet, illustrated by Karen Lewis. 

Following the chain of evolution from a fish to a reptile to a mammal, an ape and finally a human. This is told in the simplest terms, with words and pictures that will charm the youngest child. The endnotes give more sophisticated explanations of evolution, natural selection and additional details on the animals portrayed in the book. This book provides a way to introduce children to an important scientific theory and may start them on their way to becoming scientists themselves.

Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol

Combining old-world illustrations (a grandmother drinking tea from her samovar) with science fiction fantasy (stepping from a mountain onto the moon and from there into a wormhole), Brosgol has created a picture book for all ages! If you have ever felt there are too many people around you; if you have ever had too many chores to complete; if you have ever wanted just a little time and space for yourself, then this book is for you! Enjoy and in the meantime: Leave me alone!