Tales of Winter

Owl Moon
By Jane Yolen
Illustrated by John Schoenherr
Jane Yolen chose the words carefully for Owl Moon to evoke the sensations of being in the winter woods at night.  If you read slowly and thoughtfully, you can smell the crisp winter air, feel the cold in your cheeks, hear the sounds of boots breaking through the crust of snow. The dark silhouettes of tree branches visually contrast with the bright moon and blanket of snow.The story of a young girl, finally old enough to accompany her father into the woods at night to look for a great horned owl, is both warm and enthralling. When they return home after "owling", her wonder of nature and pride of having grown up stay with you. This book is a fine example for young writers of description and word choice in writing.The Audubon great horned owl toy below makes a hooting sound just like in Owl Moon.

The Snowy Day
By Ezra Jack Keats
Children who have experienced snow will be able to make a strong connection to Ezra Jack Keats' Caldecott winner "The Snowy Day". It is written from a young boy's perspective as he wakes up to a snowy world and proceeds to enjoy it as children everywhere do. The story simply relates the boy's experiences as he discovers the joys of snow when he makes footprints and snow angels, knocks it off tree branches and slides downhill on it. You can feel the comfort of a hot bath after a day in the snow and share in his thrill when he wakes up the next day to find that the snow is still there. No real snow? You can actually buy faux snow, shown below, that is water activated and can be reused!

Stranger in the Woods: A Photographic Fantasy (Nature)
By Carl R. Sams and Jean Stoick
 Two children build a snowman in the woods, and curious animals come, one after another, to check out the stranger. Edible features make him attractive to the wildlife, and each encounter is captured on film. This book has won many awards, and would be a wonderful inspiration for children to write about how it would feel to be either one of the animals or the snowman "stranger".




Story Props for "Owl Moon", "The Snowy Day" and "Stranger in the Woods"

Admirable Animal Alphabet Books

This summer, I am focusing attention largely on alphabet books. There are a multitude of abc books out there, and many are mediocre. The ones I am highlighting I have found to be particularly good in one way or another. Animal alphabet books are everywhere, but here are a few really delightful ones.


A Is for Angry: An Animal and Adjective Alphabet
by Sandra Boynton
I think Sandra Boynton's books are hilarious, and my children have loved them all as well. I am delighted to find that she has now created an alphabet book that is also cute, funny and well-designed. The possibilities for vocabulary development as well as letter knowledge abound, because a descriptive word starting with the appropriate letter, naturally, accompanies the animal illustration. Each animal's expression and the often surprising attending adjective give it an appealing personality.

Gone Wild (Caldecott Honor Book)
by by David McLimans
Each page in this Caldecott Honor book beautifully portrays an endangered or vulnerable animal whose name begins with the featured letter. The pictures are silhouette-like in black and white, using the shape of the letter as the body of the animal. Pertinent facts as well as a smaller but complete print of the animal are in a box at the bottom of each page, and more information about each animal are at the back of the book. The pictures, though simple, are so arresting that closer examination is encouraged.

Creature ABC


by Andrew Zuckerman
There are many animal alphabet books, but the photographs in this one are distinctive. The animal representing the alphabet letter is shown in amazing detail against a white background. Each animal is captured in a position or with an expression that makes it seem almost human. The tigers for T romp like kittens and the hippo for H wears a smug-looking smile. This talented photographer also has produced floor puzzles for children using similarly beautiful photos of "creatures".



Story Props for Animal Alphabet Books