Notes from the Reading Room
January 06, 2017
Notes from the Reading Room
– Mrs. Doeden
I hope you had a joyous holiday season. It seems impossible to believe that it is already the new year. The first semester of school went by so quickly, and I am sure the second semester will also.
I am not looking forward to the cold days of January. However, those cold, snowy days are perfect for taking time cuddle up and read with our children at home. There are many great selections from a number of authors that are my favorites to share during this winter season. I thought I would share a few of my favorites and help you build a reading list of books to share with your children.
The Hat and The Mitten are books that are wonderfully written and illustrated by Jan Brett. They are fanciful stories of animals that find articles of clothing that they can use as hats or a mitten that they can use to keep warm in the snow. Children enjoy the fun antics of the animals! Jan Brett also has many other books that would be wonderful to share but are not winter themed.
There are also many fun books written about fun in the snow. Books I enjoy about snowmen might include The Biggest, Best Snowman by Margery Cuyler or Snowman Magic by Katherine Tegan. Other fun books may be There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow! By Lucille Colandro or The Biggest Snowball Ever! by John Rogan. A fun book with a repetitive pattern is The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel which is great for younger readers. Brave Irene by William Steig is a book for older children about a girl with a great deal of determination.
Finally, the cold winter season is a fun time to read about penguins whose habitats are in the icy areas. Nonfiction books provide many facts about penguins and their habitats. I particularly like to share The Emperor’s Egg by Martin Jenkins and Penguins! by Gail Gibbons. When I think about fictional books about penguins, one character comes to mind – Tacky! Helen Lester has written several books about an odd penguin named Tacky. Tacky seems to accidentally get into all kinds of mischief, which makes the children laugh. A few Tacky titles are Tacky, the Penguin, Tackylocks and the Three Bears, and Tacky in Trouble. These books are sure to make you smile.
I hope you find some time to read with your children on some of those of the cold, snowy days ahead. If you are at the library or the book store and find some winter books that your children really enjoyed, I would love to hear about them. I am always searching for some great literature to share with my students at school!