The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

The Bulletin Dozen is a monthly theme-based list of titles available only on-line. Since we're awfully fond of bakers here at the Bulletin, we thought we'd adopt their philosophy of generosity and throw in an extra one or two when we have them to offer--so don't expect an even dozen. Please feel free to copy, download, or link to these lists. We ask only that you cite the source. See the archive for lists from previous months. Brrr: Winter Books selected by Deborah Stevenson We realize that winter means different things in different places and that it's an oversimplification to consider winter only as a phenomenon of ice and cold. We don't care. Our winters are cold and snowy, and if you're somewhere where the winter in these books isn't recognizable, we'd prefer you keep quiet about it while we snarl--er, enjoy the beauty. --Deborah Stevenson, Associate Editor

• Florian, Douglas. Winter Eyes; written and illus. by Douglas Florian. Greenwillow, 1999. Gr. 2-4.

  Watercolors in unexpected hues illuminate these lyrical poems about winter. (BCCB 10/99)

• Gammell, Stephen. Is That You, Winter? ; written and illus. by Stephen Gammell. Silver Whistle/Harcourt, 1997. 4-7 yrs.

  Explosive spatters of white give atmosphere to this tale of a personified crotchety Old Man Winter. (BCCB 2/98)

• Gay, Marie Louise. Stella: Queen of the Snow; written and illus. by Marie-Louise Gay. Groundwood/Douglas & McIntyre, 2000. 3-6 yrs.

  Adventurous Stella (of Stella, Star of the Sea) returns, this time to show her timid younger brother, Sam, the glories of a snowy winter. (BCCB 1/2001)

• Keats, Ezra Jack. The Snowy Day. Viking, 1962. 3-5 yrs.

  The classic snow book--don't go through winter without it. (BCCB 12/62)

• Lavender, David. Snowbound: The Tragic Story of the Donner Party. Holiday House, 1996. Gr. 4-8.

  For a dose of "you think you've got it bad," point chilled readers at this absorbing acount of some of winter's most famous victims. (BCCB 6/96)

• Martin, Jacqueline Briggs. Snowflake Bentley; illus. by Mary Azarian. Houghton, 1998. Gr. 2-4

  This Caldecott-winning picture-book biography evokes the lure of snow and science through its examination of amateur snowflake scholar Wilson Bentley. (BCCB 12/98)

• Murphy, Jim. Blizzard. Scholastic, 2000. Gr. 5-10.

  Eminent historian for youth Murphy turns his attention to the great blizzard of 1888 that shut down the Northeast, bringing riveting anecdotes and historical interpretation together in a gripping and informative volume. (BCCB 1/01)

• Prelutsky, Jack. It's Snowing! It's Snowing! ; illus. by Jeanne Titherington. Greenwillow, 1984. Gr. 1-3

  Soft, realistic pencil drawings add just a touch of pale blue to their monochromatic depictions as the poetry gives winter the Prelutsky touch. (BCCB 6/84)

• Rogasky, Barbara, comp. Winter Poems; illus. by Trina Schart Hyman. Scholastic, 1994. Gr. 3-6

  Hyman's fluid watercolors link this collection of short, eloquent poems of the season into a glorious wintry picture book. (BCCB 1/95)

• Shulevitz, Uri. Snow; written and illus. by Uri Shulevitz. Farrar, 1998. 3-6 yrs

  In this "poetic paean to winter," Shulevitz tells the story of one small boy who knows better than the grownups about the snow coming to enliven his drab city. (BCCB 1/99)

• Valgardson, W. D. Winter Rescue; illus. by Ange Zhang. McElderry, 1995. 4-7 yrs.

  Thor is lured away from his television set and into his grandfather's world of ice fishing one winter holiday in this absorbing picture-book adventure. (BCCB 10/95)

• Wetterer, Margaret K. The Snow Walker; by Margaret K. and Charles M. Wetterer; illustrations by Mary O'Keefe Young. Carolrhoda, 1996. Gr. 1-3.

  This fascinating true story tells of the travails of twelve-year-old Milton Daub in the crippling blizzard of 1888; plentiful watercolor illustrations bring the snow to vivid life. (BCCB 11/96)

• Yolen, Jane. Snow, Snow: Winter Poems for Children; illus. with photographs by Jason Stemple. Wordsong/Boyds Mills, 1998. Gr. 4-7.

  Stemple's crisp, frosty photography matches Yolen's crisp, frosty poetry in this evocative collection. (BCCB 10/98)

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