Snow + Animals = Fun!

Who can resist a winter's tale about animals in the snow? Here are two for reading on a Snow Day.

Pablo in the Snow
by Teri Sloat; illus. by Rosalinde Bonnet
40 pages; ages 2-5
Henry Holt & Co, 2017

theme: winter, animal tale

It's early in the morning and the sheep are still dreaming. Except for Pablo. PAblo is looking out the window.
"Look, Papa! Pieces of the clouds are falling!"

It's just snow, but Pablo has never seen snow. He takes a few steps outside and sees his tracks behind him. "Snow is for making a trail," he says. Then he sees other tracks. Who has made the trail?

What I like love about this book: As Pablo explores, he learns new things about what snow is for. Swooshing down hills, snow is for fun. Making a snowman, snow is for making friends. But then he gets lost in the storm. I don't want to spoil the ending; just know that snow is for adventures.

Mr. Putter & Tabby Hit the Slope
by Cynthia Rylant; illus. by Arthur Howard
40 pages; ages 6-9
HMH Books for Young Readers, 2016

Mr. Putter and Tabby are the best of friends - and there are more than 20 books in the series to attest to that. These are fun, fun, fun books for early readers.

Winter has come and things are slow. Mr. Putter doesn't remember winter being slow when he was a kid - he used to zip down hills on his favorite sled.

His neighbor, Mrs. Teaberry has a sled. Would he like to go sledding? "Cowabunga!" yells Mr. Putter as he and Mrs. T fly down the slope. Mrs. Teaberry steers; Mr. Putter hangs on. As for Tabby... she is not amused. How will Mr. Putter get Tabby out of the tree? Will she be his friend again?

Beyond the books:

Follow some tracks in the snow. Who made them? Where do they go? 

Find a hill and slide down. If you don't have a sled or saucer, improvise. Use a piece of plastic or cardboard. 

Celebrate snow by making snow angels. Put colored water in spray bottles and make paintings on the snow. Make snowmen or snow dragons. Stomp paths in the snow for other people to follow. Have a snowball fight.

Today is PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copies provided by publishers.