When we moved to North Carolina from California, I made my children many promises. There's only one I haven't delivered...a true snowy winter. We cuddle inside with the cold surrounding us and tease ourselves with books by children's book authors and illustrators who describe the season vividly.
Barbara Rogasky introduces her collection of Winter Poems(Scholastic, $15.95; ages 5 and up) with warmth. Rogasky's warmth is matched by Trina Schart Hyman's illustrations of the farm on which she and Rogasky live and the people who are important to them. The twenty-five poems represent an amazing range. Like facets of an icicle shine different moods, different places, different times of day, different periods of history. Individual voices add to the whole, each glistening like a fresh snow, waiting to be read aloud.
Seymour Simon combines eloquent words, clear science and breathtaking photographs to describe Winter Across America (Hyperion, $14.95; ages 5-10). With his characteristic depth and breadth, Simon shows snow-covered mountains, glittering ice storms and migrating gray whales.
Cheryl Chapman proves her passion for words in her newest book, Snow On Snow On Snow (Dial, $14.99; ages 3-6), the story of a young boy who wakes one winter's day "under blankets under blankets under blankets" , eats a large meal of "food next to food next to food" and after pulling "on clothes over clothes over clothes", goes out to play in "snow on snow on snow." In this remarkable book, the author fuses a poetic voice with the story of a child who indulges himself in fun, misplacing his dog in his zeal. Chapman knows much about balance, not only in plotting elements, but stylistically when to use repetition for best refrain results and when to draw back and let the story tell itself. Synthia Saint James, a newcomer to children's book illustration, has similar natural knack. Her use of bright winter clothes against the stark setting accents all that is wonderful to a child in winter.
Young children can learn the life cycle of the polar bear in a multisensory experience when they hug a fuzzy plush polar bear and listen to a tape and read Deborah Howland's Heart of the Artic (Soundprints, set $25.95; ages 4-8). Two cubs and their mother face the dangers of the arctic while maturing and learning how to suvive on ice fle and tundra. This set is authenticated and produced in association with the Smithsonian Museum.
Non-fiction and fiction blend in Theresa Radcliffe's The Snow Leopard (Viking, $13.99; ages 4-8). Samu, a mother snow leopard, finds difficult to find food for herself and her cub, Ka, in an early winter snows. They begin a perilous journey, avoiding wolves and treacherous mountain cliffs. The book ends as Samu gazes into a valley filled with a herd of sheep that will nourish herself and her child. The Snow Leopard helps young children understand the plight of hunting animals and is an incredible way to explain survival of the fittest. Illustrations by John Butler reflect his keen eye and interest in natural history.
Jennifer Brutschy's Winter Fox (Knopf, $15.00; ages 5 and up) discusses the same issue from a different vantage point. Rosie loves her soft white rabbit and she cares for it tenderly, always making sure her cage is locked against a hungry fox. When the rabbit is taken, Rosie's father gets his gun to hunt down the thieving fox. He's stopped by his daughter who sees the "winter-thin" ragged-coated fox against the barren snow and frights it away from the gun's danger. In sorrow and relief, Rosie cries in the woods and is comforted by her Papa as she understands and mourns at the same time.
Animals point out cultural differences in Jeanne Bushey's A Sled Dog for Moshi (Hyperion, $14.95; ages 4-8). When Moshi envies her friend Jessica's new puppy, Jessica is quick to point out that Moshi has lots of dogs in the pen by her house. Jessica, newly arrived from New York City, doesn't understand that dogs are for pulling sleds in this remote Inuit village. Jessica's questioning prompts Moshi to wonder why she can't have one of Nuna's soon-to-be born pups. Her father, worried about the missing Nuna, quickly reminds her that a pet would be "a waste of a good dog." Nuna reappears to lead Moshi and Jessica to warmth and a litter of new pups when they are caught in a sudden, blinding May blizzard. Moshi's father reconsiders his decision and rewards his survival-smart daughter with a companion pup.
Tim Jessell recounts Inuit legend in Amorak (Creative Editions, $14.95; ages 5 and up). The author-illustrator presents this glorious creation story within a familial frame. A grandfather comforts a young boy frightened by a wolf's howl, but the boy can't accept his elder's remark about the brotherhood of wolves and caribou, for how can there be brotherhood when the wolf eats the caribou. Grandfather tells the story of Amorak, "the spirit of the wolf", explaining the connectedness of all living things. The Great Being of the Sky gives man the caribou, "the most important gift of all, for the caribou will sustain you." But the plentiful caribou become weak and sick and so the Great Being of the Sky brings forth Anorak, hunter of the caribou, so that all might live and flourish. Jessell's blue-toned illustrations do great justice the poetry of his own work and Arctic life.
Hans Christian Andersen's story of abiding friendship, The Snow Queen (Gulliver Books, $16.95; ages 6-10) is beautifully rendered by P.J. Lynch. Lynch's illustrations breathe life into Andersen's eccentric characters, set mood with warm monochromes or icy blue greys, and give the emotional tones of the story new meaning.
William Hooks, an ardent reteller publishes, Snowbear Whittington: An Appalachian Beauty and the Beast (Macmillan, $15.95; ages 6 and up) which takes place during a harsh mountain winter. Once again Hooks shows his mastery of storytelling and his gift for conveying the characteristic feeling of regionally set folk tales. Snowbear tells the story of Nell, a young girl snatched from her mist-covered Smoky mountain cabin by a great white bear who's enslaved by a witch's curse. The story is enhanced by riddles, characters who represent the area, and locally-drawn images that enrich a story others have made stale.
Bebe Rice's compact novel, The Year the Wolves Came (Dutton, $14.99; ages 9-12) drops a loving family into adversity, not just of winter, but horror from within and judgment without. In a harsh Canadian winter, there appears a wolf pack led by a beautiful white wolf. Simultaneously the mysterious mother becomes sleepless and sickens and neighbors rage against death the wolves bring. Filled with suspense, this spellbinding story finally reveals that the mother is a werewolf and her death is necessary for the family's continuance. The emotion and depth are as astounding as the mythic ending of this short novel.