Sunday, September 27, 2009

Children's Book Monday

There is a little girl who flits around my house asking, Is the snow coming today?

Perhaps it is because she is my due-on-Christmas-but-came-on-the-twentieth baby, but she can't wait for the snow. We read this book together to rejoice in preparation for that time, because the crackle of the leaves and the breeze through the trees that we're enjoying right now just might be a....

Snowsong Whistling
by Karen E. Lotz
illustrated by Elisa Kleven

Talk about autumn color! This book keeps making its way to the front of our autumn book basket because I love to see the colors... a border of bold winter blue with pale snowflakes surrounds children in vivid garb jumping in orange and yellow and brown leaves. And that's just the front cover!

We love the quick, clever rhymes dotted with cozy words such as purls and crisp. The word pictures are easily matched on the opposite pages with busy illustrations that a child could get lost in...
Yellow yams steaming
Cooky dough creaming
Small fry dreaming
Skate blades gleaming.
...and off we go on a romp through a house full of these words; while beautiful snowflakes fall outside, we find the young children asleep in their beds while Daddy creams the cooky dough and mama stirs the steaming yams, ice skates gleaming in the attic where they've been pulled out of their trunk and oiled and buffed and freshly laced in anticipation of the snow. (See? We didn't read that part... we made up a story within a story!)

And our favorite refrain?
There's a crisp in the air
From I-don't-know-where
But it might be
A snowsong whistling.

It lifts and it purls
While it flits and curls
And it could be
A snowsong whistling.
It has such a lovely cadence that I find myself repeating it while I stir and fold and sweep. (Plus, it makes my children giggle!)

Some of the rhymes take a moment for a younger child to understand; it was pleasant to have my older boys read with us, for they understood scarecrows faking and cornstalks aching, and after an understanding chuckle, they took the time to explain it to Eliana so she could share in the knowing.

When they're longing for snow and you want to enjoy now, find this comfort-book and snuggle in-

Happy Reading!

3 fellow travelers shared:

Kelly said...

I haven't been blogging much--jsut saw your new blog design and love it!! Will be checking out this book for my Christmas list.

Quinne said...

Hi Elise :) This sounds like one we will love! Thanks & love, Q

All the places you love said...

I own this book and love it. I read it every year to my kindergarten class. It's time to get the book out again and read it one more time.

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