Snow Globe Family (S.D. Schindler)

 

Perfect for a snowy day like today! Today our world is like a snow globe! The little family and the big family live parallel lives. Good review about what parallel means! 

My class loved the little family. The picture are hilarious - especially when the snow globe is being shook and all the family goes flying. They also loved the small man in the tub getting flung out and the baby peering into the snow globe. He was HUGE!

Goodreads says:

"Oh, when will it snow again?" wonders the little family who lives in the snow globe. They long for a swirling snowstorm--if only someone in the big family would pick up the snow globe and give it a great big shake. Baby would love to. She alone notices the little family. She gazes longingly at their snowy little world, but the snow globe is up way too high for her to reach. Then, when a real snowstorm sends the big children outside sledding in the moonlight, Baby finds herself alone in the parlor. . . . Will the snow globe family at last get a chance to go sledding too?

As readers follow the parallel adventures of both families, big and little, they will take special pleasure in the miniature world of the snow globe, where the skating pond is the size of a shiny quarter and a snowman is no bigger than a sugar cube.

Just One Flake (Travis Jonker)

 

I really appreciate Travis Jonker. He does a lot of good in the online world of teaching read and inspiring kids to read. 

This book is really cute and quick. This would be a good book to read in conjunction with the first snowfall or a winter craft activity.

Goodreads says:

Just One Flake is a hilarious celebration of wintertime, curiosity, and outdoor play in this author-illustrated picture book debut from acclaimed creator and elementary school librarian Travis Jonker. It’s snowing outside! Liam rushes out into the squall, determined to catch one perfect snowflake. He tries any number of tricks to complete his mission, but each time he is thwarted. He sticks out his tongue and looks up . . . nope. He builds a snowman, climbing up to get a little closer to the snow . . . still nope. He runs around the yard—tongue still out—because faster is better, right? Wrong! Nothing seems to work. Until, in a final leap of faith, he catches that one flake . . . in a way he never expected. And the snowflake itself is pretty unexpected too. From librarian and picture book creator Travis Jonker comes a hilarious and satisfying story all about outdoor play and the natural world’s stunning surprises.

Froggy Gets Dressed (London)

 

Just a fun little silly book with a lot of repetition. My students will love it, I'm sure. Good for the first day of snow! 

Goodreads says:

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.

Stone Fox (John Reynolds Gardiner)

A few ELL students I have known have read this book as a novel study. I can see why. It's pretty short so it's a quick read but the story is great. It would make a great read-aloud. The story is similar to Iron Will. Willy saves Grandpa's farm, and Searchlight gives his life. Heartbreaking story!

Goodreads says:

John Reynolds Gardiner's classic action-packed adventure story about a thrilling dogsled race has captivated readers for more than thirty years.

Based on a Rocky Mountain legend, Stone Fox tells the story of Little Willy, who lives with his grandfather in Wyoming. When Grandfather falls ill, he is no longer able to work the farm, which is in danger of foreclosure. Little Willy is determined to win the National Dogsled Race—the prize money would save the farm and his grandfather. But he isn't the only one who desperately wants to win. Willy and his brave dog Searchlight must face off against experienced racers, including a Native American man named Stone Fox, who has never lost a race.

Exciting and heartwarming, this novel has sold millions of copies and was named a New York Times Outstanding Children's Book.

Snow Day! (Lester Laminack)

Funny to be reading this in July! As I read, though, I could totally sense that awesome feeling that comes with a snow day. This story has a good twist at the end when you realize it is the dad telling the story (he is a teacher) rather than the boy.

Goodreads summary: 

When the television weatherman predicts a big snowfall, the narrator gleefully imagines the fun-filled possibilities of an unscheduled holiday from school.

Piling under warm blankets. Sipping hot chocolate in snowman mugs. Building a snow fort. Piling up a zillion snowballs inside. Sledding in the neighbor s field. In scene after snowy scene, from sunrise to sundown, a pair of siblings, with their father in tow, show how they would make the most of their day off.

But when the family wakes up the next morning, they are in for a disappointment. As the family members pile into the car so they won t be late for school, an unexpected twist reveals who wanted the snow day most of all.

Book Details: Format: Hardcover Publication Date: 9/1/2007 Pages: 32 Reading Level: Age 5 and Up