Let it Snow!

We still have a couple weeks before the official “first day of winter” but it can snow any time, so I want to share these fun books today.

theme: snow, snowflakes, STEM

Flurry, Float, and Fly!: The Story of a Snowstorm 

by Laura Purdie Salas; illus by Chiara Fedele 

40 pages; ages 4-7

Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2025

Clouds lie heavy, gray, and low. From down below, just one wish: Snow!

The kids are waiting, and waiting… they pull out the sled and sit on it and wait some more. Above, the sky is dark with clouds that look like they might bring snow. And above those clouds, the air currents, cold from the north and damp from the south, mix and swirl. “Water vapor clings to dust, begins to build a slushy crust.” From the endpages – autumn leaves at the front, snow at the back – to the rhythmic, rhyming language, this is one fun read-aloud!

What I like about this book: there’s a ton of science in this book, beginning with cloud formation. Readers will learn how a drop freezes and how water vapor clings, forming branches, and how those crystals begin to fall and collect into flakes. Back matter all about The Science of Snow, from the ingredients you need for a snowstorm to flake formation, accompanied by snowflake photos. 

Hello Snow (Board Book)

by Katherine Pryor; illus. by Rose Soini 

24 pages; ages 0-3

Schiffer Kids, 2025

Flakes flutter. Wind swirls.

Parents help two youngsters zip up into their outdoor clothes so they can greet the snow. They slip and slide, make snow angels, and roll snow into a friend. There is so much to explore outside in the cold.

What I like about this book: The rhymes are short and focus on sounds and action. Boots crunch, ice cracks. Activities are perfect for toddlers (and their adults!), and the bright colors bring life to a snowy page.

Beyond the Books:

Go snowflake watching. Make sure you’re dressed warmly and then go outside to watch snowflakes fall. What do they look like when you watch them looking straight ahead? What do they look like when you look up into the sky? Come up with words that show what you see.

Catch snowflakes. You’ll need to put some dark colored paper in the freezer a couple hours before. Then head outside and let flakes land. Some things to do: look at flakes through a magnifying glass; catch flakes at the beginning of the storm and later on to see if they have changed shape and size; try to count how many land on your paper in 10 seconds. 

Build a snowflake using materials at hand: legos, twigs, straws, or cut one out of paper. Remember the two rules of snowflakes: they have six rays and they are symmetrical. Here’s a video showing one way to cut a paper snowflake.

Make a list of five more things you can do to play with snow! Then go do them.

We'll be joining Perfect Picture Book Friday when it resumes after the holidays. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies provided by the publishers.

Explore Outdoors ~ Frosted Leaves

 Fall is a beautiful time where I live: leaves of all colors cling to the trees, shining like stained glass in the early morning sun. They can also be beautiful once they've fallen - especially when frost outlines the ribs and margins.

What frosty beauty do you see where you live?

From Soup to ... Tortillas!

 Theme: food, traditions, family

Everyone has Day-after-Thanksgiving traditions. In my family it is making soup and putting turkey meat into freezer containers to use in chili and burrito mixes later. So… I thought today would be the perfect day to share two books about Food and Traditions. Let’s start with soup, because some of us already have the turkey carcass in the pot simmering away!

Soup's On Around the World (Taste the World) 

by Denyse Waissbluth; illus by Chelsea O'Byrne 

40 pages; ages 4-8

‎Greystone Kids, 2025

Soup’s on. A tasty treat. Fill your bowl. Time to eat!

Page by page, readers travel around the world sipping soups from different regions and cultures. Hot soup from Thailand, cold soup from Spain. Soup as orange as pumpkin or as red as beets. Sweet soup, bitter soup, soup made from clams – and chicken soup to cure whatever ails you.

What I like about this book: Rhyming language introduces the different soups, but not by name. On one page we’re invited to bring veggies ~ it’s for minestrone, a thick vegetable soup that has no rules! Just toss in any vegetables you have, along with some pasta. (It sounds a lot like my “refrigerator” soup). There are other soups that are cooked in a large communal pot – enough for all! Back matter includes a bit of soupy history and the favorite recipes of the author and illustrator. Yum!

Some of our turkey meat goes into the soup, but some is frozen to make meals later. My favorite is black bean & turkey burritos. But before we can roll up the burritos, we need to make tortillas. Maybe this next book will help?

Tia Sofia and the Giant Tortilla (Mi Hermosa Familia/My Beautiful Family) 

by Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz; illus by Carlos Vélez Aguilera 

32 pages; ages 3-7

‎Gibbs Smith, 2025

My name is Luna, and I want to tell you about my Tia Sofia and the giant tortilla.

Tia Sofia is an artist with a wild streak. She also wants some help rolling out the tortilla dough, so Luna and her little brother, Sol, roll out the masa to some music. It’s messy, and bits of dough and flour end up in the oddest places. But it’s Tia Sofia who gets carried away and rolls out a tortilla SO big it could be used as a superhero’s cape!

What I like about this book: Luna and Sol have great imaginations and come up with at least half-a-dozen uses for a giant tortilla. This will certainly inspire kids to think about what they might do with a giant tortilla. Or a giant cookie, biscuit, or pancake – depending on what they might make in their home. I also like how Spanish words are integrated into the story. Back matter includes a seek-and-find challenge and a recipe for Tia Sofia’s flour tortillas.

Beyond the Books:

Make your own turkey soup, starting with the left-over turkey. First thing we do is take the meat off the bones and pop the carcass in a big pot – along with onion, celery, carrots, and herbs – to simmer for 3 or 4 hours. Meanwhile, we sort the meat into some for sandwiches, some for chili and burritos, and some for the soup. Homemade turkey soup recipe here.

Make your own tortilla (giant or regular size). Here’s a recipe that’s easy to follow. They use it to make a nut butter and jelly sandwich – or maybe a quesadilla (grilled cheese).

Everyone has a favorite kind of soup. Ask your family and friends (or classmates) what kind of soup they like the best. Then make a chart showing how many people like each kind of soup. My favorite: bean soup with ham or kielbasa in it.

Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies provided by the publishers.