Reading opens your imagination and introduces people to new worlds. With so many choices available, how do you know which book to choose for your child? To find out, we bypassed the publishing, the PR firms, and the mainstream media and went straight to the experts: Your Harris County Librarians!
Toddlers (Ages 1-3)
Snowballs
by Lois Ehlert
Find out how, with a few found objects like buttons, fabric and seeds, and a little imagination, you can create a whole family out of snow.
When the Snow Comes
by Jonathan Allen
All of Little Yak’s friends are busy preparing for winter. Pika gathers grass to feed him through the cold months, Blue Thrush flies away to a warmer home and Brown Bear has a long winter sleep. But what do little yaks do when the snow comes? This delightful picture book from Jonathan Allen is the perfect winter read.
Bedtime for Bear
by Brett Helquist
Wintertime is here, and that means it is bedtime for Bear. But Bear’s friends don’t think so. They want Bear to come and play outside in the snow. Bear can hear his friends calling. He hears them laughing and playing. Bear can’t sleep. But it’s bedtime! What is a bear to do?
Picture Books (PreK-K)
The Mitten
by Jan Brett
When Nicki drops his white mitten in the snow, he goes on without realizing that it is missing. One by one, woodland animals find it and crawl in; first, a curious mole, then a rabbit, a badger and others, each one larger than the last. As the story of the animals in the mitten unfolds, the reader can see Nicki in the borders of each page, walking through the woods, unaware of what is going on.
Over and Under the Snow
by Kate Messner
Over the snow, the world is hushed and white. But under the snow exists a secret kingdom of squirrels and snow hares, bears and bullfrogs, and many other animals that live through the winter safe and warm, awake and busy, under the snow. Discover the wonder and activity that lies beneath winter’s snowy landscape in this magical book.
Utterly Otterly Night
by Mary Casanova
Little Otter is ready for some action! Rustling leaves call to him. Sweet, spicy air beckons. The moon is as huge and golden as Owl’s eyes. So Little Otter sets off for some fun. But with wolves on the prowl, Little Otter’s adventures are a series of dizzying close calls. When he finally returns to his den, Little Otter’s family is all played out and ready for bed.
Early Readers (Grades 1-3)
Once Upon Ice and Other Frozen Poems
selected by Jane Yolen
Photos of ice in its natural settings form the backdrop for this imaginative collection of poetry selected by renowned poet and author Jane Yolen. Lee Bennett Hopkins, X.J. Kennedy, Mary Ann Hoberman, and others dramatically describe this frozen phenomenon in ways that children will find funny, thoughtful and thought provoking.
Olivia and the Snow Day
adapted by Farrah McDoogle
Yay for snow days! Olivia has the day off and she couldn’t be more excited. There is so much to do: build a fort, have a snowball fight with Julian, and, best of all, use her new video camera. She is hoping to get the scoop on a big story—an interview with the Abominable Snowman!
Henry and Mudge in the Sparkle Days
by Cynthia Rylant
In the winter Henry and his big dog Mudge play in the snow, share a family Christmas dinner, and gather around a crackling winter fireplace.
Children’s Fiction (Grades 4-6)
Breadcrumbs
by Anne Ursu
Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. But that was before he stopped talking to her and disappeared into a forest with a mysterious woman made of ice. Now it’s up to Hazel to go in after him. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” Breadcrumbs is a story of the struggle to hold on and the things we leave behind.
Wolf Storm
by Dee Garretson
Three young actors shooting a movie in the snow-covered Carpathian Mountains are separated from base camp by a terrible blizzard and come face-to-face with a pack of hungry wolves. This is an exciting new thriller for tweens.
Because of Mr. Terupt
by Rob Buyea
It’s the start of fifth grade for seven kids at Snow Hill School. Only Mr. Terupt, their new and energetic teacher, seems to know how to deal with them all. He makes the classroom a fun place, even if he doesn’t let them get away with much… until the snowy winter day when an accident changes everything.
Teen Fiction (Ages 12 & up)
After the Snow
by S.D. Crockett
The oceans stopped working before Willo was born, so the world of ice and snow is all he’s ever known. He lives with his family deep in the wilderness, far from the government’s controlling grasp. Willo’s survival skills are put to the test when he arrives home one day to find his family gone. It could be the government or it could be scavengers—all Willo knows is he has to find refuge and his family. It is a journey that will take him into the city he’s always avoided, with a girl who needs his help more than he knows.
How to Save a Life
by Sara Zarr
Jill just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she’s been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends, and everyone who wants to support her. And when her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she’s somehow trying to replace a lost family member with a new one. Mandy understands what it’s like to grow up unwanted, to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, one thing she’s sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. As their worlds change around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy—or as difficult—as it seems.
Fracture
by Megan Miranda
Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine, despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she’s far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can’t control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?
