Ugggghh!  It is in the mid-60s this week!  I can count on one hand how many times we've cozied up to a fire in our fireplace this winter.  The daffodils are peeping through.  It's January, and I've actually had to pull up hand upon hand full of weeds.  Don't get me wrong, I love warm weather and digging in the dirt!  . . . just not in January.  In January, I assume I get a month or so off from weeds. 

So, needless to say, it's been tricky to blog because my heart wants to blog winter and snow books.  But it's tough to find the motivation.

However, we've been checking out lots of snow books.  My kids are begging to see snow, so right now, this is as good as it's going to get.  So retreat back into your imagination these next few weeks, and we'll get our snow fix through the written word.

First, check out First Snow by Emily Arnold McCully (c. 1985).  Here's a wordless book about a mouse family enjoying the first snow together.  So much is said through these illustrations.  Enjoy having your kids supply their own commentary.  Books like these are WONDERFUL because they allow your child to flex his/her imagination to create his own story.  So, check it out!

Peter Spier's Christmas!

I've found Peter Spier's books difficult to obtain.  However, if you can get your hands on a copy of Peter Spier's Christmas! (c. 1983) -- it's well worth the hassle!

Everyone in my family is riveted by Spier's illustrations that chronicle the cycle of the Christmas season, beginning with empty tree farms and ending with a weather-beaten tree lot.

We forget that this is a wordless book because Spier's illustrations take on a life of their own, telling their story so well.  It's fun to hear the different dialogues the kids come up with as they peruse the book.  The painstaking detail in each illustration begs to be reviewed again and again.

I'm amused by these next few grocery shopping illustrations.  Spier uncannily captures the experience quite accurately.

This book takes on a whole new meaning when you open it as a parent.  I especially love the Christmas Eve sequence and the mound of dirty dishes preceding the satisfaction of a clean kitchen.

The elements on each page are so recognizable; perhaps my strong attachment comes from the personal feeling that Spier depicts my childhood Christmas story.

So as you prepare and decorate during this Christmas season, feast your eyes on Spier's fascinating illustrations.  And have a very Merry Christmas!

Wave

Wave by Suzy Lee (c. 2008) gives credibility to the saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words."  In this case, a wordless book of 40 pages presents no need for words.  I could say a lot about how wonderful I think this book is.  However, sometimes silence speaks volumes, as my children give testimony to in the way they silently pour over the pages of Suzy Lee's masterpiece.  To further convince you, I debated about including more illustrations from Wave but came to the conclusion that it's best experienced in its panorama whole.  In closing, as the publisher so aptly articulates, step into these deceptively simple pages for a day at the sea--and a joyful story that begins and ends with a wave.