Winter is Here by Kevin Henkes

I received a copy of Winter is Here (HarperChildren's, 2018) in the fall. And when I devoured it the first time, I knew I would be sharing this book in January.

I read this to kindergarten the first week we returned from winter break. It was a perfect choice for several reasons: it's a Kevin Henkes book, it's lovely, and it is a Kevin Henkes book!

Our teachers were also teaching about weather and seasons, so this book fit in nicely with that.

Exploring the book:

Using beautifully illustrated winter scenes, Kevin Henkes tells readers all of the amazing things about winter.  He writes of the ice, the wind, the height of the snow, the colors, and the general beauty of the outdoors when winter arrives. His writing is peaceful, yet engaging. The pace is steady, yet not slow or rushed, either. Always the art and the text compete for your attention, but that is a good thing. It means both are well done.

In a brilliant use of endpapers, illustrator Laura Dronzek shows the passage of one season to another from the beginning of the book to the end. The bright color palette is inviting and comforting. For someone who doesn't experience snow often (if at all, unless I am in Chicago for ALA Midwinter!), I could appreciate Dronzek's art -- remembering my own piles of snow I have trudged through on city streets or my own driveway (once!) Yes, the winter is blue at night. (I have memories of looking out the window the night before a snow day was called, and thinking that the winter IS blue in the evening.)

Books about seasons can make us wish for them (as in my case, as I wish for snow), learn about them if they are unfamiliar, or reconcile them -- if they have overstayed their welcome. They also bring us together in a way, as we all experience weather and have our own opinions about it, no matter where we are from or how old we are.

If it ever does snow here this winter, I will remember this book and be sure to look for the blue in the evening.

Note: Once you share the book, you will have to share the companions, In the Middle of Fall, and When Spring Comes (also by Kevin Henkes and Laura Dronzek). I am hoping there will be a "summer" book, too.

January Back to School

I'm back at school on Monday, as I am sure many of you are as well. You are probably reflecting on your break and wondering if you did everything you needed or wanted to do, and if you are like me, you are realizing you didn't! It really is impossible to make it a perfect Winter Break, I think.

As I look back on my time at home, though, I am grateful. I am glad I took time to read good books, sleep, watch holiday movies, and "be" at home with family. One day rolled into the next, and some days, I had to check my phone to make sure I had the date right. Did that happen to you, too?

I was also thanking myself for staying late on the last day before break to clean up and prep for my return. This is the first time I have done this, and I think I will do it again next year! (Next time, though, I will bring a snack!)

One thing I did before I left that Friday was pull books for January. Here are SOME of the books I will be sharing this week! (Even if the weather isn't very wintery at all right now, these do tie in with our curriculum standards!) All but one are winter/snow books. Squirrel's New Year's Resolution is a sweet story about doing for others.)

What books are your sharing this January?