Snowed In by Barbara M. Lucas & Illus by Catherine Stock

This past weekend we were rather snowed in--not for months on end, but for a full 36 hours, which felt dramatic enough. 

This is the story of Grace and Luke. At first you think they are just waving goodbye like a regular day. 

But then they go to the store and pick up a lot of supplies. 

And they get boxes filled with books from the library. 

Snow is just beginning to fall as they reach home. 

By the next morning, they are snowed in for the rest of the winter. 

As a child, that sounded enchanting. As an adult, it sounds a little petrifying. I like staying at home as much as the next person, but.... I can leave when I want. I can imagine feeling a little boxed in if I couldn't leave. 

They do their chores. 

And read. 

I have always had a bit of a love affair with the west, so a book combining the west and a love of reading is going to win me over pretty easily. 

Apparently this story came from a cowboy Barbara Lucas talked to once--he showed her some of his own writings and they talked about his schooling, since his writing showed an incredible depth of literary knowledge and intelligence. He said he got to school when he could, but was often snowed in for the winters, so his parents always made sure there were a lot of books around. 

Aren't these pictures great? 

Imaginary wanderings.

Heart eyes!

And then it was spring again and the way to town thawed out. 

As long as the supplies held out, no one got incredibly sick, the house didn't burn, and no wolves/bears/murderers came to call, I could see this being an idyllic time. 

Basically, I would like to be a pioneer, but with no inconveniences. Sounds reasonable. 

A Day for Skating by Sarah Sullivan & Illus by Madeline Valentine

This is a cozy little book about a little girl whose father takes her ice skating. 

I love a good winter scene!

Lacing up the skates

Trying out the skates.

Getting a helping hand

Hockey

Quaint bridges

Bonfire!

A hot bath with a faithful father in attendance. 

And night time creatures on the pond. 

What do the Trees Know by Joyce Sidman

What do the trees know? 

                                                To bend when all the wild winds blow

                                      Roots are deep and time is slow

                                 All we grasp we must let go.

What do the trees know? 

                                     Birds can weather ice and snow.

                                        Dark gives way to sunlight's glow

                                           Strength and stillness help us grow. 

(I kind of like thinking of trees as giants of the plant world. and I love that Sidman includes this little blurb of background information.)

Once Upon a Northern Night by Jean E. Pendziwol & Illus by Isabella Arsenault

Isn't this an adorable cover?! 

Did you know Isabella Arsenault is from Montreal? So pretty much local. 

Once upon a northern night

while you lay sleeping,

wrapped in a downy blanket

I painted you a picture.

The things that happen in the night...

Once upon a northern night

a mother deer led her fawn 

around the silent birch

and traced

a wandering path

on my canvas of white.

They nuzzled the sleeping garden

with memories of summer,

then wandered off

ti taste the frozen fruit

still clinging to an apple tree. 

The poor fox who just wants to play with the hares....

Once upon a norther night

deep,

deep, 

in the darkest hours,

the snowy clouds crept away

and the stars appeared--

twinkling points of light

hanging in the purple sky. 

I knew by the time you woke

the sun would have chased them away;

so I set them like diamonds

on the branches of the willow. 

The writing is so poetic. The pictures so soft and gentle. 

Dreamy and fitting for talking of the things that happen at night in the winter. 

And then

I had the moon gently kiss you

and the wind whisper...

I love you. 

I am not entirely sure who the narrator is here--the earth? The night? The world at large? 

But whatever it is, it is gentle, kind, and loving. 

And then, the awakening. 

That first morning of waking up to a snow covered world..... 

Magic! 

Icicles by Anonymous From Sing a Song of Seasons by Nosy Crow

Icicles

We are little icicles

Melting in the sun

Can  you see our tiny teardrops

Falling one by one? 

                                   --Annoymous

The Eyes of Gray Wolf by Jonathan London & Illus by Jon Van Zyle

This is another book I found in the Loussac Library in Anchorage this summer. And since there is a love interest, I figured it would be a good book for Valentine's week.

Jon Van Zyle has been the official artist of the Iditarod since 1979, so he is pretty well experienced in drawing Alaskan landscapes and dogs. The storyline itself is pretty straightforward. I mean, it is about wolves, so it is a little difficult to get in depth with characterization. 

However, the pictures make this a stand out. 

Grey Wolf is a little preoccupied. He has lost his mate to a man's steel trap.

oooh! I just love his art work. And poor old Grey wolf all alone under a super moon apparently. 

Howling at the moon-- A wild untamed music.

Trying to catch dinner, but....

Shadows show that he is not alone.

The leader of the pack. AND his fur is black. I guess the black sheep is the one with the reputation, but a black wolf seems like a tough character. 

And suddenly, grey wolf sees a white wolf. A white wolf who just happens to be looking for a mate. 

When you are a wolf, dating isn't really a thing. You're single? Me too! Let's get together. 

Wolves don't mess around with superfluous nonsense. 

At the end of the book there is a page with information about wolves. This is the decreasing wolf range. Clearly wolves didn't like American settlers and all moved north. Or something....

Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell

When this won the Caldecott last year, I read this book and... didn't quite get it. The illustrations were somewhat primitive and almost too simple. 

The story was also somewhat simplistic with apparently no character development. 

What was the big deal here?  

Last month, on a whim I picked it up again to read to my Pre-K class. They had been pretty antsy the past few days and I decided going with a wordless book would be great since I could speed through it or linger over it depending on their behavior. 

The Pre-K teacher warned me as she dropped them off that they were having a little bit of a hard day. 

So I decided I was going to speed through this book. But I couldn't help asking them a few questions.

What do you see in this picture? 

This little girl seems to be going somewhere, but her parents aren't. Where could she be going? Where do you go while your parents stay home? (School--surprisingly, this stumped them!)

As she leaves school, what is happening?  

What do you notice is different about one of these wolves? 

What is happening in this picture? 

Before I had gotten very far into the book, I suddenly realized the entire class was captivated. 

The story was simple enough they could understand it. The words being used to talk about each picture were often words they themselves came up with, so were understandable. 

I asked them about the emotions of each character. 

How were they feeling? 

One of the big questions the students really got into was--What would you do in this situation? Would you bring the baby wolf to his or her mother or bring the baby wolf home? 

The real dangers my rural students could enter into

Oh my goodness. This picture and...

....this one are so evocative of surprise and uncertainty. 

One emotion my students had a hard time identifying was relief. However, when I told them it was the feeling you have when you look up and don't see your Mom or Dad near you in the store and get scared and then turn around and see them right behind you; scared, but then glad, they understood it. 

Exhaustion sets in as night falls and the little girl heads home. 

Her family and dog are looking for her, but they are still far away.

What do you think the wolves are going to do to her? 

The gentleness of the wolves was a surprise.

Again, we talked about relief. 

And coziness. 

We spent over 15 minutes pouring over this book and discussing it in detail. And the students were completely absorbed in the drama and the possibilities in the story. 

And now, I am deeply in love with this book. I love it. Adore it. 

I think it is a book you need to spend time with. The lack of words leaves so much up to the reader. The first time I looked at it, I flipped through it quickly and missed the potential depth. 

But taking a little time, you see so much more.