Snow Days!

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As you might imagine, snow days are a huge treat for us students and teachers in South Carolina, and the timing of our wintry weather this month gave us an extended Christmas break.  I spent part of that time researching some snowy read-aloud books, and here’s what I came up with:

  The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
This is the classic story of a young boy’s day in the snow, and it’s just been made even more relevant by the new book…..

  A Poem For Peter by Andrea Davis Pinkney
The story behind the book The Snowy Day, and a tribute to Ezra Jack Keats and his groundbreaking picture books.

  Little Penguins by Cynthia Rylant
Who doesn’t love penguins, and this simple story is illustrated with cut-paper collages, which always (as regular readers of this blog know) hold a special place in my heart.  A great choice to inspire a torn-paper art project.

  Snow! by Cynthia Rylant
Not only are the snowy illustrations somehow almost cozy, but Rylant has filled this text with figurative language to discuss with your listeners.

  Blizzard by John Rocco
This Caldecott honor book is not only the author’s account of his own experience during the Blizzard of 1978 (if you’re looking for memoirs for an ELA unit), but also a tale of courage as John is sent to the store wearing tennis rackets strapped to his feet to buy groceries for his family.

And these new choices are in addition to two of my old favorites:

  Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
The true – yet lyrical – story of the first man to take magnified photos of snowflakes to share their beauty with the world.  Informative and inspiring, reminding listeners to follow their passion in life.

  Snowflakes Fall by Patricia MacLachlan
A beautiful story about how snow fits into the cycle of the seasons, with an underlying message of hope following the tragic school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Which “snow” books will you be sharing with your students?  Leave a comment and tell us about them!

 

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