When It's Cold & Snowy . . . Snuggle Up with a Good Picture Book

This week, I'm sharing some great winter-themed picture books.  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

Bears in the Snow by Shirley Parenteau
The little bears are ready to play in the snow. But, uh-oh, their sled is too small! It's not as fun sledding when they can only go two at a time. What can they use to carry them all? Luckily, Big Brown Bear has an idea.

Blizzard by John Rocco

After a massive blizzard, a boy becomes a hero when he manages to walk to the local store and bring supplies back to his neighborhood which has been snowed in for days. 

A Little Bit of Winter by Paul Stewart

Hedgehog, who hibernates through the winter, wants to know what winter feels like, so he asks his friend Rabbit to save him a little bit of winter to share in the spring.

Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton

Katy is a crawler tractor who saves the city when it is snowed in by a blizzard.

Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathon London

Rambunctious Froggy hops out into the snow for a winter frolic but is called back by his mother to put on some necessary articles of clothing.

More Winter Picture Books --

Axle Annie by Robin Pulver

Cold Winter's Good Knight by Shelley Moore Thomas

Diamond in the Snow by Jonathan Emmett

Dinos in the Snow by Karma Wilson

The First Day of Winter by Denise Fleming

The First Snow by David Christiana

A Hat for Minerva Louise by Janet Morgan Stoeke

Hello, Snow! by Hope Vestergaard

Here Comes Jack Frost by Kazuno Kohara

Hush Up and Hibernate! by Sandra Markle

I See Winter by Charles Ghigna

The Missing Mitten Mystery by Steven Kellogg

No Two Alike by Keith Baker

Old Bear by Kevin Henkes

On a Wintry Morning by Dori Chaconas

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Pablo in the Snow by Teri Sloat

Samson in the Snow by Philip C. Stead

Snow by Uri Shulevitz

Snow Beast Comes to Play by Phil Gosier

Snow Day! by Lester Laminack

Snow Music by Lynne Rae Perkins

The Snowy Day by Komakio Sakai

Supertruck by Stephen Savage

Toys Meet Snow by Emily Jenkins

Willow and the Snow Day Dance by Denise Brennan-Nelson
Winter Is Here by Kevin Henkes
Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell
The Wolf-Birds by Willow Dawson

Check out these and more winter picture books at the Arnold Branch on display through February 15, 2019.

A Winter Wonderland of Reading

Winter has definitely set in.  The temperatures have dropped and kids are eagerly anticipating the first snowfall.  This week I'm sharing some of my favorite picture books for the winter season . . . .

Snowball Fight! by Jimmy Fallon
On a snow day off from school, a young boy cannot wait to have a snowball fight.


Winter Woes by Marty Kelley
Rhyming lament of a young worrywart who wants to go outside and play in the snow but fears what could happen if he does, from slipping on steps to freezing his brain.


Grandmother Winter by Phyllis Root
When Grandmother Winter shakes out her feather quilt, birds, bats, bears, and other creatures prepare themselves for the cold.


A Little Bit of Winter by Paul Stewart
Rabbit tries to save a little bit of winter for his friend Hedgehog, who sleeps all winter and wants to know what he is missing.

When Winter Comes by Nancy Van Laan
Rhyming text asks what happens to different animals and plants "when winter comes and the cold wind blows".


More Winter Books --
Axle Annie by Robin Pulver
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
Before Morning by Joyce Sidman
Blizzard by John Rocco
The First Day of Winter by Denise Fleming
First Snow by Peter McCarty
A Hat for Minerva Louise by Janet Morgan Stoeke
If It's Snowy and You Know It, Clap Your Paws! by Kim Norman
Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton
A Kitten Tale by Eric Rohmann
The Little Match Girl by Jerry Pinkney
Little Penguins by Cynthia Rylant
Lucia and the Light by Phyllis Root
No Two Alike by Keith Baker
On a Wintry Morning by Dori Chacona
The Reader by Amy Hest
Samson in the Snow by Philip T. Stead
Snow Happy! by Patricia Hubbell
The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen
Snowbots by Aaron Reynolds
The Snowflake Sisters by J. Patrick Lewis
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Straight to the Pole by Kevin O'Malley
The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett
Toys Meet Snow by Emily Jenkins
Walking in a Winter Wonderland by Richard B. Smith
White Snow, Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt

Check these and more winter books out on display at the Arnold Branch through December 29, 2017.

Read Something a Little Strange

I love books that are just a little different -- oddball characters, strange lands, mysterious happenings.  So this week, I'm sharing some children's chapter books that are just a little strange . . . .

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
While picking up milk for his children's cereal, a father is abducted by aliens and finds himself on a wild adventure through time and space.

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
When a mysterious old man gives James some magical, tiny green things, he certainly never imagines that they will grow into an enormous peach.

The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater
Arthur goes to pick up the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner but comes home with a 260 pound chicken.

Fergus Crane by Paul Stewart
Nine-year-old Fergus Crane's life is filled with classes on the school ship Betty Jeanne, interesting neighbors, and helping with his mother's work until a mysterious box flies into his window and leads him toward adventure.

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
The wind brings two English children a new nanny who slides up the bannister and introduces them to some delightful people and experiences.


More Strange Stories --
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
Buckle & Squash: The Perilous Princess Plot by Sarah Courtauld
The Elevator Family by Douglas Adams
Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo
Frindle by Andrew Clements
Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
Mr. and Mrs. Bunny -- Detectives Extraordinaire by Polly Horvath
My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish by Mo O'Hara
Shivers! The Pirate Who Is Afraid of Everything by Annabeth Bondor-Stone
Zoo School by Laurie Miller Hornik

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through August 25, 2017.

Yo Ho Ho! Stories of Pirates

It's a little early in the month, but Talk Like a Pirate Day is coming up.  So here are some of my favorite books featuring pirates . . .

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry
Soon after Peter, an orphan, sets sail from England on the ship Never Land, he befriends and assists Molly, a young Starcatcher, whose mission is to guard a trunk of magical stardust from a greedy pirate and the native inhabitants of a remote island.

Dragon's Plunder by Brad Strickland
Having been kidnapped by former pirates because of his ability to whistle up the wind, fifteen-year-old Jamie agrees to help their leader, a living corpse, find the dragon of Windrose Island.

Fergus Crane by Paul Stewart
Nine-year-old Fergus Crane's life is filled with classes on the school ship Betty Jeanne, interesting neighbors, and helping with his mother's work until a mysterious box flies into his window and leads him toward adventure.

Shivers! The Pirate Who's Afraid of Everything by Annabeth Bondor-Stone
Shivers, the pirate who's afraid of everything, battles a giant squid, discovers hidden treasures, and gets pooped on by a pigeon to save his parents from the clutches of evil.


More Pirate Stories --
Alex and the Ironic Gentleman by Adrienne Kress
Fish by Gregory Mone
The High-Skies Adventures of Blue Jay the Pirate by Scott Nash
Hook's Revenge by Heidi Schulz
Little Wolf: Terror of the Shivery Seas by Ian Whybrow
The Lost Treasure of Little Snoring by Lyn Gardner
Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson
Pirate Pig by Cornelia Funke
The Pirates of Turtle Rock by Richard Jennings
Seven Dead Pirates by Linda Bailey
Tales of Pirates and Buccaneers by Howard Pyle
Uncle Pirate by Douglas Rees
The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones by Will Mabbitt

Check out these books on display at the Arnold Branch through September 23, 2016.

Let's Go On an Adventure

Open any book and you can find yourself on the adventure of a lifetime.  Check out one of these great adventure stories for kids . . .

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
Gen flaunts his ingenuity as a thief and relishes the adventure which takes him to a remote temple of the gods where he will attempt to steal a precious stone.

Fergus Crane by Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell
Nine-year-old Fergus Crane's life is filled with classes on the school ship Betty Jeanne, interesting neighbors, and helping with his mother's work until a mysterious box flies into his window and leads him toward adventure.

Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
Sent with her governess to live with the dreadful Carter family in exotic Brazil in 1910, Maia endures many hardships before fulfilling her dream of exploring the Amazon River.

We Are Not Eaten by Yaks by C. Alexander London
As the children of two world-famous explorers, eleven-year-old twins Celia and Oliver prefer television-watching to adventure-seeking until their father takes them to Tibet to help search for their long-lost mother.